timing belt change based on length of time

i've seen all these discussions about "should i change it at 60k? or
90k?" .. my recently acquired car is 7 years old and only has 15.2k on it..
so i REALLY need to know what the *time* limit is on a timing belt... if
any?

thanks as always.

--
-Chris
http://www.ChrisGarcia.com <- My Homepage
http://starwars.chrisgarcia.com <- Centerpoint Station
http://www.chrisgarcia.com/ginger/ <- Ginger
http://www.chrisgarcia.com/leia/ <- Leia

"The ability to speak does not make you intelligent."
- Qui-Gon Jinn, Star Wars: Episode 1

 

depending on what model yours is
you might have two belts, timing belt, and timing balancing belt

if you change one, you might want change the other as well - that what i did
(the belts themselves are very cheap, its just the hassle of getting to
them - hence the labour charge)

 

Don't forget to renew the water pump when you renew the timing belt. It will
save you time and money.

 

"Sahar Choudhury" <> decided to join the
conversation on 18 Jul 2003 with message

96 civic ex.. the shop i take it to has it right now, said it'd be about
$250 for the labor i think.. and that's to replace all 4 belts, and
something dealing with the cam and crank shafts (i'm not sure if it was
the gears or the gaskets.. or both) since they said it wouldn't cost
extra labor to do that.

It looks like a fun job.. i think the a/c and cruise have to be moved or
taken out, a MOTOR MOUNT has to be taken out (that's just CRAZY) .. Makes
me glad i'm a computer tech and not a mechanic.

--
-Chris
http://www.ChrisGarcia.com <- My Homepage
http://starwars.chrisgarcia.com <- Centerpoint Station
http://www.chrisgarcia.com/ginger/ <- Ginger
http://www.chrisgarcia.com/leia/ <- Leia

"The ability to speak does not make you intelligent."
- Qui-Gon Jinn, Star Wars: Episode 1

 

"Fluffy" <> decided to join the
conversation on 18 Jul 2003 with message

well, 72 months = 6 years.. so i'm a year and a half overdue.. the
timing belt is very important to me, as I would rather just pay the $250-
300 now instead of risking it. Another reason I wouldn't go over the time
limit.. I live in Louisiana where it's constantly hot and humid.. I'm
pretty sure high heat and humidity will accelerate the wear on them.

--
-Chris
http://www.ChrisGarcia.com <- My Homepage
http://starwars.chrisgarcia.com <- Centerpoint Station
http://www.chrisgarcia.com/ginger/ <- Ginger
http://www.chrisgarcia.com/leia/ <- Leia

"The ability to speak does not make you intelligent."
- Qui-Gon Jinn, Star Wars: Episode 1

 

Bah! Motor mount is no big deal.
I used to own two Dodge Spirit R/T's. Limited production (1208) so most
mechanics had never wrenched on one. Ended up doing most of the work myself
because (a) I'm a fast learner and (b) I was broke!
Those things used to chew through timing belts like nobody's business.
You'd be lucky to get 10,000 miles out of one. (Fortunately the engines are
non-interference so if you lost one before you hit the traps you wouldn't
lose your whole valvetrain!)
Long story short you definitely have to remove a motor mount, among other
things, to replace the timing belt. Just get yourself a good sturdy jack to
hold the engine up while the mount is off.
I got to the point in the golden era where I could swap one out in an hour
and a half tops for about 150 bucks. Typical dealer charge for the same job
was $750-$1000!

It sure pays to be your own mechanic, but yeah I'm glad to be a computer
tech too!

-Dave

 

I'm similarly puzzled. I have a '95 Integra with 81k miles on it. So
I'm reasonably comfortably under the 90k nominal limit, but it's also
97 months old. Too independent Honda specialist mechanics have both
told me to just wait till 90k (maybe 5 months from now). Any thoughts
on how risky this might be?

 

I'm similarly puzzled. I have a '95 Integra with 81k miles on it. So

DO IT NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It'll be the cheapest ($150) maintenance
you'll ever need to do.



U.S.A. "Go West Young Men..."

Mexico "El Norte Hombre..."

 

4Oil (DrPimpDadi) decided to join the conversation

i agree.. when i did mine, they told me the belt was a little dry-rotted,
and was a good idea to be changed.. (this was after 7 1/2 years and 15k
miles)

better to be safe than paying a crapload of money.

--
-Chris

http://www.ChrisGarcia.com <- My Homepage
http://www.chrisgarcia.com/cars/ <- *NEW* My cars
http://www.chrisgarcia.com/dogs/ <- *Sort-of NEW* My dogs
http://starwars.chrisgarcia.com/ <- Centerpoint Station, the "ghost-
town" of the Star Wars Universe!

 

The manual specifies every 90,000 miles OR every 72 months (6 years)

Change it quick!

 

i've seen all these discussions about "should i change it at 60k? or

Change it IMMEDIATELY. Time is more the enemy than mileage is on a
timing belt. A timing belt is made of rubber and subjected to heat
cycles every time you drive the car. Rubber deteriorates over time and
the strength of the timing belt will be compromised when it falls
beyond its life expectancy. That is why most timing belts break. If
it doesn't break, the teeth on the timing belt can sheer right off
doing the same damage to your engine as a timing belt breakage. You
are way over the *safe* life expectancy of your timing belt. You are
courting disaster with this car. You can't check to see if a timing
belt is good. Have this service done by a qualified technician who is
familiar with your car. A timing belt service will be much cheaper
than an engine damaged by a snapped timing belt. You can pay the
mechanic now or pay him a LOT more later.

Check your owners manual for the timing belt service interval. The
average is four to six year and about 60K miles.

 

Apexmeister <> decided to join the
conversation on 14 Aug 2003 with message

hm.. i posted the original post almost a month ago.. and had it done the
next day.. but thanks for your concern

--
-Chris

http://www.ChrisGarcia.com <- My Homepage
http://www.chrisgarcia.com/cars/ <- *NEW* My cars
http://www.chrisgarcia.com/dogs/ <- *Sort-of NEW* My dogs
http://starwars.chrisgarcia.com/ <- Centerpoint Station, the "ghost-
town" of the Star Wars Universe!

 

You can't check a timing belt to see if it's good. Most of them look
very good visually but that's in no way an indicator that it will
continute to do its job. Time is more the enemy than mileage is the
enemy on a timing belt. The manufacturer always states a service (be
it oil, transmission, timing belt, etc.) based on *time* and mileage,
whichever comes first. I see a lot of car owners going by mileage and
not paying attention to time recommendation. If the service was not
based on time, then the service manual wouldn't mention it.

 

My mechanic keeps one from a GSR on a nail on his wall as an example.
It looks absolutely perfect and factory new, except for the place
where it broke in half.