bpp
New Member
Since timing belts were brought up....any one change one on a v6 on their own??? Been reading thru the Haynes...doesn't sound too hard just time consuming... but I'll save a good amount of money![]()
I just changed the timing belt/water pump about 2 months ago. It probably took us 4+ hours but we werent exactly rushing. Things that stuck out in my head:
-Supported the engine with the jack after taking the side engine mount out and we had to slightly raise/lower the engine sometimes to access certain components
-Bled the engine and radiator of coolant (my friend opened the valve in the back of the engine but he did whine about it alot). I think you need about 1.5 gallons.
-Used the blip method to remove crank pulley bolt. I would avoid this method if possible but it worked. We used the crank pulley holder tool to retighten it along with a long extension and torque wrench.
-Used an angle grinder to grind down the edge on one of the tips on the battery post that is used to hold the the auto tensioning pulley
-Used a small retractable mirror to check the TDC marks with the timing belt covers on.
-We didnt take the spark plugs out and my friend actually put the belt back on so I am not much help here. All I know is it went on quick and did not give us any trouble (followed the pattern in the book).
-We replaced the autotensioner.
Access to everything was the biggest issue. Its a somewhat simple procedure but accessing all the cover bolts, threading the battery post in, removing the oil dipstick, opening the coolant bleeder valve, etc. is a pain in the butt. FWIW, the belt and water pump looked absolutely great when I changed it at 115K(looked like it had another 50K miles easily left on both of them).