New timing belt?

[Jayce]

It will be something you can notice, it usually results in a slight or moderate misfire/backfire, but if it skips enough, it would be as if the belt snaps.

Good deal.

My biggest concern right now is being without a car for the day. My work is about 13-14 miles away and I've ridden bike there before when my car was getting inspected, etc. Problem is, it's 32*F today and gets dark crazy early...

Guess I better put fresh batteries in my head/tail light system and bust out some thick winter clothing...

 

[C0RR0SIVE]

If it was a chain, I would go ahead and wait till spring in your case, just keep the oil changed, but belts, seem to snap more easily, or at least, jump teeth.

IMO, with that price, get it done, since it's original, and have him check out the tensioners to see if they are worn, you can usually get those with the chain, but, some mechanics don't bother replacing those, but they also wear out as time progresses, which will allow it to skip teeth easily.

 

[Jayce]

Well while we're on the topic of preventative maintenance, is there anything else I should look at? My car is a 5 spd and I'm on the stock clutch, but it still feels like it has some solid bite left. I know how clutches feel as they get to the end of their life, so I might be okay for a while longer.

But is there anything else (besides flushing coolant or changing oil) that's like, EEEK, do it if you want the car to last till you're 60, etc... ??

 

[C0RR0SIVE]

Not really, but it depends on when everything was last serviced, and depends upon the types of plugs your car uses.

Heres when I service my stuff.

Air Filter 10,000 miles
Fuel Filter 20,000 miles
Sparkplugs 50,000 miles
Wires/Boots 50,000 miles
Coolant 45,000 miles (Once every two years)
Oil 6,000 miles (Every 4 months)
Oil Filter 3,000 miles (Every ~3 months, depends on if I am close to an oil change or not)
Check tire pressure at every three fill ups. (Once a week if I drive very little)
Caliper Slides are re-greased once before winter hits, and once when spring hits.
Auto-Trans: Gets fresh fluid and filter every 20,000
Manual-Trans: No clue, check your owners manual on that.
Timing Chain/Belt: Depends upon the engine, a 2.7l V6 from dodge needs the belt done at 60k IMO due to issues with the oiling system, but, a 2.4L Twincam from GM can do 100,000 easily, as long as the oil has ALWAYS been changed with high quality oil and filters at the recommended intervals.

It stacks up over time, and gets expensive, half that, most people don't replace, because they don't understand basic maintenance, all that right there, is basic maintenance, and needs to be performed, 90% of people fall into the severe service category in owners manuals, I have seen cars from some older folks, that have 150,000 on them, and original filters/plugs/boots, just about original EVERYTHING.

 

[Jayce]

For what it's worth, it ran me 300 bucks flat for a new timing belt and all new belts + labor. The mechanic ran it by me that replacing the belts is at no extra labor since he's already got it apart, and that a lot of people take advantage of that chance since the belt package is like 60 bucks. I ended up doing that since I was having some weird power steering squealing and sure enough, that fixed the issue. I definitely feel as though I gave the car a new lease on life, so we'll see how that goes.

 

[lilchris357]

If you are concerned w/ the other belts, you can inspect them yourself. If you flip the belt over so you can see the inside, if you can see cracks then they need replacing. With that amount of mileage I would just replace them. The timing belt is a definite must. That is something you do not want to take a chance on.