I’m a timing belt whiner

[lxj1]

Another timing belt thread… but a little different. Will anyone else fess up and say they hated doing their timing belt and that they will never do it again?!

I’m doing my timing belt, water pump, radiator, and related parts. I was planning to do the cam and crank seals but honestly I lost steam and I’m gonna claim they looked good!

Today was a 13 hour day of nearly non stop work and I anticipate another half day is still needed. Based on the videos and all the good info online, I gathered all the parts, rehearsed the steps in my head, and even made a detailed checklist. I’m moderately handy and have done plenty car projects but this one is taking me over the edge.

I’ll share more later but hats off to all of you who do this job with a smile. I just wanted to provide a reality check to those of you on the fence and balance the “just be organized and you can do it” threads with this “I’ll let a professional handle it from now on” thread

 

[ChiefKeef]

I admire all the folks here that do it themselves...but I have a great indy mechanic that I trust here and I rarely do anything myself these days. No time, no big garage, not enough tools and getting older with less patience I guess. Sure was nice to drop her off at 7:30 before work and pick her up all done at 4:30 after work and call it good.

 

[BullElk]

Other than saving thousands in coinage, this is another wonderful reason to not do the job at all until the belt or water pump actually fails….on non VVTI engines. Never underestimate the costs of OCD.

 

[ClassyJalopy]

Last time I did a timing belt job, I took my sweet time and did it over two weeks, working in small chunks of time here and there. More than half the time was spent on dealing with the busted lower bolt for the alternator.
I have learned that most of my stress on wrenching jobs comes from self-imposed deadlines. If I don't set a timeline for myself, I can walk away from the job if it starts frustrating me and then come back to it when I am calmer. I also tend to make mistakes when I am rushed. It also allows me to wait for correct parts to come in the mail, if I need to order more parts during the job.
I understand that is not possible in every situation so it may not be applicable to you!

Other than saving thousands in coinage, this is another wonderful reason to not do the job at all until the belt or water pump actually fails….on non VVTI engines. Never underestimate the costs of OCD.

I am with you on that, except I worry about the being stranded in the most inconvenient time and place!

 

[Live to Ski]

Put me in the "hired a professional" club.

Reasons:
a) only rig
b) lack of perceived need of specialized tools
c) garage is occupied by wife's rig and my '60
d) lack of trust in wrenching skills

That's my story and I'm sticking to it

 

[OEMGUY0720]

Other than saving thousands in coinage, this is another wonderful reason to not do the job at all until the belt or water pump actually fails….on non VVTI engines. Never underestimate the costs of OCD.

This is me ALL THE TIME on all projects. I have learned that 75% of the over time spent wrenching/detailing wasn’t on the original list.

 

[MarkTR]

This is me ALL THE TIME on all projects. I have learned that 75% of the over time spent wrenching/detailing wasn’t on the original list.

Haa--- wait until you get into your 70's-- multiply by at least 3 the time it used to take you on any project!

Also, add in additional time for forgetting why you are going to your toolbox.

 

[sampson]

Another timing belt thread… but a little different. Will anyone else fess up and say they hated doing their timing belt and that they will never do it again?!

I’m doing my timing belt, water pump, radiator, and related parts. I was planning to do the cam and crank seals but honestly I lost steam and I’m gonna claim they looked good!

Today was a 13 hour day of nearly non stop work and I anticipate another half day is still needed. Based on the videos and all the good info online, I gathered all the parts, rehearsed the steps in my head, and even made a detailed checklist. I’m moderately handy and have done plenty car projects but this one is taking me over the edge.

I’ll share more later but hats off to all of you who do this job with a smile. I just wanted to provide a reality check to those of you on the fence and balance the “just be organized and you can do it” threads with this “I’ll let a professional handle it from now on” thread

I bought my timing belt and water pump kit on rock auto and paid a local shop $390 to install. I prefer not to do much more than change parts anymore.

 

[MountaineerLC]

Unless a job is technically too advanced for me I do it myself. While I don't have much of either, at this point in my life I have more time than money. I couldn't afford my 100 if I had to pay a shop to keep it going.

 

[sampson]

Unless a job is technically too advanced for me I do it myself. While I don't have much of either, at this point in my life I have more time than money. I couldn't afford my 100 if I had to pay a shop to keep it going.

Is the 100 your DD? My 470 is my DD and that plays a big part in what I’m willing to do.
Nothing worse than being under a time constraint and then running into an unexpected issue.

 

[Usterzai]

Unless a job is technically too advanced for me I do it myself. While I don't have much of either, at this point in my life I have more time than money. I couldn't afford my 100 if I had to pay a shop to keep it going.

Same, I cannot afford to pay a shop to do work.

 

[OEMGUY0720]

Haa--- wait until you get into your 70's-- multiply by at least 3 the time it used to take you on any project!

Also, add in additional time for forgetting why you are going to your toolbox.

I know that day will eventually come, and I look forward laughing at my self (while cussing).

 

[MongooseGA]

I know that day will eventually come, and I look forward laughing at my self (while cussing).

At children, and nobody minds.

 

[nissanh]

I did mine for the first time on a V8. Had 222K mile and no cam or crank seal leak so left those untouched. One thin I did was to install a Chinese cheap fan brakcet. it is still good but I am not trusting it! Everything else are AISIN. Bouyght an OEM fan braket and waiting for the coolant flush to get it installed.

 

[MountaineerLC]

Is the 100 your DD? My 470 is my DD and that plays a big part in what I’m willing to do.
Nothing worse than being under a time constraint and then running into an unexpected issue.

I'm fortunate that at the moment my employer provides me a DD. That definitely makes things much easier. I feel you pain though, back when I had my LR Disco II it was my DD and it was pain to keep it running and being on the clock with any maintenance.

 

[xplore]

I bought my timing belt and water pump kit on rock auto and paid a local shop $390 to install. I prefer not to do much more than change parts anymore.

How did you find a shop willing to do the work for $390?!?! That's a steal of a deal!

 

[lxj1]

Key stats

Many hours of preparation and research.
18 hours of active work over 2 days.
26 parts replaced.
9 parts postponed til my body and sanity heal.
$1,100 spent on parts.
7 sore/bloody body parts.
1 wife and 3 teenagers who won’t appreciate what I’ve just done!

It was for my 2002 LX with 145k miles that I purchased a year ago. I felt compelled to do this work since there were gaps in its history, in particular the timing belt. Car now has all new fluids and nearly all common replacements.

And here are all the parts going to the graveyard.

 

[100d ua]

I'm on the fence. I have done ALL the work on my 100. Absolutely everything. The only thing i've had a shop do was a brake flush when my abs pump broke and needed to get it back on the road after I sourced a replacement.

I think it comes down to price. If I can get everything done by an experienced shop for under $1500, i'll spare myself the hardship.

 

[1sar39]

I put mine off for 30k miles. Could I do it, probably, but really dislike working on engines. A buddy of mine has a GX470 and hooked me up with his indy. I had the Asian TKT-021 kit around for a year. He installed the kit and full vehicle inspection for $400. He absolutely hated my heater tee fix with hose clamps. Besides that, he thought the old LX was perfect.

 

[lxj1]

Death by a million cuts.

The reason I’m whining is because there is no one step that is hard, but there are many parts to replace, many micro decisions to make, and many obstacles to problem solve. I felt I needed to be hyper alert at all times, so chillin’ with your bro with a beer was not the vibe.

Here is the checklist I made based on Otramm and Timmy the Toolman’s YouTube videos. The checklist was both extremely helpful when it worked and extremely frustrating when it didn’t. Point is there are a lot of steps and these are just the planned ones.

Of those million cuts, er steps, the challenging ones were:

AC compressor bolts. I ended up removing the oil filter, crawling under, and sitting up in the engine bay. Took a combined 2 hours. Yes I have a flexing ratchet and I’ve seen the videos, but knowing is not actually doing!

Water hoses. I hate stubborn hoses. Removing them eats up time and tests your patience especially when you’re in awkward positions. For the heater T hoses I just razored a line at the ends to loosen them since I had new ones. The T’s broke off with some light pressure so it was due: