i have a 1998 chevy lumina ltz. yesterday the timing belt broke. i bought a new one and i have a friend who says he can do it. my concern is the belt being put back on correctly. the man at kregan, where i bought the belt said as long as he's done it before it's not that hard. just make sure he has something to lift the alternator to relieve the pressure.
has anyone ever done this kind of job? how hard is it? oh one more thing, how much of a difference does it make if my engine is sideways? when i've taken my car in before i was told that it was sideways.
2006-07-12 08:17:45 · 22 answers · asked by DaBeautiful1 2 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Car Makes ➔ Chevrolet
Okay I'm going to go out on a limb and say it's not your timing belt that broke. That's actually in the engine and covered by a metal plate(if you have one at all, I believe that your car actually has a timing chain.). You wouldn't know if that broke just by looking at it and it goes no where near the alternator. I think you are talking about the serpentine belt. And yes that's relatively easy to replace, so let your friend take a crack at it.
Your engine is "sideways" because your car is a front wheel drive. All front wheel drives are like that. It's really not that big of a deal anymore.
2006-07-12 08:24:58 · answer #1 · answered by soaplakegirl 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Timing belt or fan belt? Seems to me you're describing replacing a fan belt which is a piece of cake. There should be a diagram some place under the hood to show you the correct routing of the belt. All you will need is a rachet (3/8ths drive if I remember right) to release the pressure on the belt tensioner to get the new fan belt over the pulleys. If it's the timing chain at the front of the block then that's another thing. It's not hard just time consuming and requires removal of a lot of sh*t. Not impossible but you will need a variety of tools and some mechanical skill. Either job I'd tackle myself instead of taking it to a shop and paying 70 plus dollars an hour labor charges.
2006-07-14 01:17:58 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
"Don't blame the pet store right?" Right. A pet store is not responsible for inspecting their animals, except for what is required by law. Anything beyond that, is not their problem. "There is NO LAW against letting people know the truth and state" You're right. But there is a law against twisting the truth. And the truth is that you bought an as-is vehicle, and you CANNOT legally blame the dealership for your purchase. So, for you to protest and blame them IS ILLEGAL. Because you ARE NOT letting people know the truth. The truth, would be for you to hand out flyers that state you made a bad buy, and that the dealer is not responsible for it, because of the as-is laws. Obviously, that is not what you are doing. And yes, protesters can get sued if it is shown that they are violating the rights of protestors, which is a peaceful and quiet demonstration, without slander or libel. Go read the laws, if you want to use it as a defense. And yes, it is still a form of blackmail. You clearly stated to them that since they will not perform one action, you will perform another. You want something beneficial, and since you can't get it, you'll do something hurtful to someone else. How exactly would YOU define blackmail? Seems like you need to get your head out of your ***, and realize that if everyone is telling you the same thing, that it's not all of us that is wrong, but that YOU are. By the way, thanks for posting up what dealership it is. I live in the area, and if I see those flyers up, I'll report it to the police. "So I guess ONLY the customer has the responsibility to see and say what's wrong with the car right?" When it comes to something "as is", that's absolutely correct. A seller has absolutely zero responsibility to do any inspection whatsoever. That's why it's "AS IS" and not "AS INSPECTED BY SELLER".
2016-03-27 02:47:08 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You last two sentences tell me that you need to take the car to a mechanic. Installing a timing belt is one of those mechanical jobs where you need some expertise to do it right, and doing it wrong can be costly. I hope it wasn't an automotive professional that used the term "side wise" on your Lumina's engine. What you have is a front wheel drive car with a "transverse" engine. A common configuration in newer cars.
2006-07-12 08:24:30 · answer #4 · answered by yes_its_me 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Take it to the shop. That way if anything goes wrong-you can pin it on them instead of your friend.
It's not a simple job, usually and it sometimes involves disconnecting a motor mount to access things on a transverse (sideways) engine.
The camshaft-to-crankshaft timing marks also have to be reset correctly or the engine will not run, or will run very poorly.
If your friend has specific knowledge of the procedure and can do the job cheaper than a shop-let him/her have at it, but unless he's absolutely sure what to do-take it to the shop.
2006-07-13 01:34:09 · answer #5 · answered by doomsdaybiker 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If your car is frontwheel drive, then your engine is mounted "sideways" in the engine compartment.
In general, timing belts on FWD cars are labor intensive to replace, because there are a lot of things in the way that have to be removed.
Don't attempt to do it without the shop manual for the car.
2006-07-12 08:21:18 · answer #6 · answered by Jack 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
trust me a lumina engine, I would take it to a shop. The engine compartment is too tight your engine is sideways for a front wheel drive car.
If your experience in auto repair try it. If not, you have to make sure you don't loose your timing when you change the belt.
2006-07-12 08:29:43 · answer #7 · answered by shawn s 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A timing belt is very serious. If you are precise you could seriously damage your car. I would take it to a professional. Look at it this way, the belt might've cost you.......$60. You may pay.......$250 for labor. If you do it yourself and mess it up, you will have to pay another $60 and $250 and more money for repairs.
2006-07-12 12:36:58 · answer #8 · answered by sajcbr 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I agree with most of the others in here. If there's any way you can afford it, have a (professional) do it. The sepentine belt, on the other hand, is usually quite simple. My engine is longitudinal, and it can be done with only one or two sockets!
2006-07-12 20:26:11 · answer #9 · answered by DashRockwood 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Only let this guy do this if he really has. sounds like you have a transverse engine, sideways. you dont have but maybe 5-6 inches of space to work. there are special tools made he might nout have. this isnt a 72 nova.
2006-07-12 08:24:31 · answer #10 · answered by Saltycrabs 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋