I was just looking at where my pulleys are and it should be easy to reach the tensioner pulley with a wrench. Say everything goes well, I remove the old, install the new and let the pulley go, do I have to do anything else?
How hard is it to change a timing belt in a car?
- Thread starter ChrisRobin
- Start date
Reset the timing, nothing if you're lucky and don't get the pulley's spinning when removing or putting the new belt on.
hehehehehe... depending on your engine..
maybe easy, may not be so easy... but if your engine doesnt not have a foolproof way of synchronizing the belt, the chances of a mistake being catastrophic are high..
maybe easy, may not be so easy... but if your engine doesnt not have a foolproof way of synchronizing the belt, the chances of a mistake being catastrophic are high..
What kind of car?
I have a Honda Accord '99, and it was a $600 job because of the crap you have to move out of the way. If it was done wrong, my engine would seize when the timing belt broke.
A friend had a VW Jetta, and his timing belt broke only after 25,000 after its replacement. His wife was on the highway and couldn't get over to shoulder, so another car hit her at full speed. Everyone is safe, but the car was totalled.
I have a Honda Accord '99, and it was a $600 job because of the crap you have to move out of the way. If it was done wrong, my engine would seize when the timing belt broke.
A friend had a VW Jetta, and his timing belt broke only after 25,000 after its replacement. His wife was on the highway and couldn't get over to shoulder, so another car hit her at full speed. Everyone is safe, but the car was totalled.
Yeah I heard you had to move everything out of the way for Honda. This is just a 1994 Saturn. Are all the pulleys on specific timing?
Are you talking about the timing belt or the serpentine belt for the water pump, alternator, AC etc?
At the risk of sounding like I don't have a clue, it's the belt that goes through 5 or 6 different pulleys.Brian HCM#1 said:
Sounds like the serpentine belt. You shouldn't have any problems.ChrisRobin said:
You can't see the timing belt until you take the cover off.
Wumpus said:
Espcially since a 94 saturn has a Timing Chain ! Not a Belt !
What?! Timing chain?splat said:
Ok, so the serpentine belt...that should be replaced after how many KMs or miles??
I dont know what the standard mileage is to replace one but I can tell you how to do it. You just have to find a diagram of how the belt runs and where the tensioner or whatever it may be is, loosen that and the belt will slip off all the pulleys. Put the new one on and tension it up. Pull the distributor wire off so the car wont start and crank it over for a couple seconds to make sure the belt stays on, if you have a friend have them watch the belt or you can just get back out and look at it. 
Look at the grooved portion of the belt, if you're seeing little tears going accross the belt it should be replaced.ChrisRobin said:
ok your talkin about a serpintne belt it should be replaced if there are cracks in the rubber check both the top and bottom small craks are a sign that you need to replace it soon any large cracks or splits in the belt replace it imeditely. my best advice its to buy a service manual for your car Haynes makes very very good books specific to most makes a models, I have bought one for each of my cars and they all been money well spent and thier cheap too at about $15
this will thell you the proper steps to removing the belt so you can avoid hurting yourself the job it self isn't hard its more of an akward job of trying to remove the belt in the tight space under the hood of todays cars. the hayens manual really helps ease the job by giving you easy to understand step by step insturctions. aswell it givies youthe corect specs for belt tention.
the timing belt (or chain) is located in the very front of the engine (somtimes a chain is mid mounted in the engine common on motorcycles or older sports cars)
anyhow the timing belt as the name says keeps the engine in time by driving the camshafts which open the vavles at the right time and the cams drive your distributor which fires the spark plugs at the right time.
is is a much bigger job and requiers special tools but it is expaned in the Hayenes manual.
good luck
this will thell you the proper steps to removing the belt so you can avoid hurting yourself the job it self isn't hard its more of an akward job of trying to remove the belt in the tight space under the hood of todays cars. the hayens manual really helps ease the job by giving you easy to understand step by step insturctions. aswell it givies youthe corect specs for belt tention.
the timing belt (or chain) is located in the very front of the engine (somtimes a chain is mid mounted in the engine common on motorcycles or older sports cars)
anyhow the timing belt as the name says keeps the engine in time by driving the camshafts which open the vavles at the right time and the cams drive your distributor which fires the spark plugs at the right time.
is is a much bigger job and requiers special tools but it is expaned in the Hayenes manual.
good luck
J
JRB
Guest
It should be pretty simple. There should be a tensioner that you can use a socket and a breaker bar to loosen it. Some just have a square hole that the drive of a ratchet will fit in. That is how all I have done worked.
if it isnt a timing belt, then it should be that much of a hassle..
if its a timing belt, you gotta check if your engine is a interference or non-interference (or whatever that is called in english) engine.. if its an interference design.. let it for the pros.. because a mistake can make the pistons hit the valves and that is hella doom and expensive...
am not familiar with saturn engines.. but check what kind of design is first if you are going for the timing belt.
if its a timing belt, you gotta check if your engine is a interference or non-interference (or whatever that is called in english) engine.. if its an interference design.. let it for the pros.. because a mistake can make the pistons hit the valves and that is hella doom and expensive...
am not familiar with saturn engines.. but check what kind of design is first if you are going for the timing belt.
Ok, thanks for all the info...I'll check it out.