:?: Hi there. I just bought a 2004 Aveo LS with 52,000 miles on it. I just found out that I have to replace the timing belt.(I did`nt get a manual with it.). Is this a job I can do at home? Any help would be appreciated.........Thanks.
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:?: Hi there. I just bought a 2004 Aveo LS with 52,000 miles on it. I just found out that I have to replace the timing belt.(I did`nt get a manual with it.). Is this a job I can do at home? Any help would be appreciated.........Thanks.
you will need some special tools. If you are not very mechanically inclined, dont attempt it. Messing up the timing can cost a motor.
it can be done at home but i had a mechanic do it
Hi all, Happy New Year! haven't been about in awhile, i hope you're all well and the forum is thriving!!!
Wheee now has 54K miles on it and now i'm thinking hard about having the timing belt changed. I was wondering if any of you have any input with regards to any issues or possible issues with this proceedure, as well as the inclusion of any additional work such as changing of the timing belt idler, tensioner water pump and thermostat housing. I've been reading alot of stuff online, querying google and have found tons of stuff... mostly bad stories from alot of disgrutled people with there aveo's. Please, share any experiences you have or of anyone who has been through this. It may help all of us out in the future :wink:
One of the more important things I've found is that when I asked around about changing the timing belt from a GM to an aftermarket, surprisingly everyone says use the GM one, because it has been made stronger than the original in light of all the premature failures it's had, costing them tons of money. I called my local chevy dealer and they said the belt was 90$! I've found it online for 32$!!! Who's ripping who off??? Trying to recoup all their market losses from the aveo owners!!! Also, it appears that the thermostat housing is plastic and has been cracking so I read that the new replacements are metal...aluminum I presume, but don't know for sure.
The only problem I am currently experiencing is that the rear shocks are now worn out, and have now partially ruined my back tires. I took it in to get the tires "flipped" (meaning: I have directional V-rated tires, so in order to rotate fully, the tires must be demounted and remounted, spun 180 degrees, so the inside is now the outside of the tire.) but, in the process, I did not know the tired have started "cupping" or "feathering". So after I had them flipped, balanced and rotated, the fronts which were the rears now shake terribly. So I had to put them on the back. Also, due to the cupping the tires have that whinning sound like a bad bearing would sound. It stopped at about 70mph. So, anyone have a recommendation for a good rear shock? Not expensive, just better than stock.
Also, another tip... make sure you change your cabin filter's regularly. I think I posted a tip here. And that is to cut the bottom part of the plastic that is in front of the filter slot making it way easier to replace. I used a pair of tin snips. Not to worry, it does not degrade the sturdiness, the metal plate screws on either side keep it stiff.
Ok, if anyone has any info to help out or, if you have questions about the aveo that I may be able to help out with, please email me at: sicbox (at) hotmail (dot) com
Thank You all for being here! :P :P :P
You don't actually have to do that. Most tire manufacturers recommend that radial tires not be swapped side to side as they wear to what side of the car they're on and when you swap them to the other side, it can result in radial pull.Quote:
Originally Posted by saffs_wheee
If that after-market belt happens to fail pre-maturely, it'll void your warranty. I'd recommend going with factory even though it is more expensive, but everything from the dealer is over priced.Quote:
Originally Posted by saffs_wheee
Dealer told me $325 to change it.
Sounds about right.Quote:
Originally Posted by hyperacme
Thats why I'm considering changing it myself.
I figure I can get all the parts, of good quality, the tools (pulley remover and idler wrench), and all the service manuals necessary to do the job right, and have a mint set of service manuals to keep, when Im done with the whole thing for around $300.
Then, if I find it easy enough, I can offer to change it for $200
I'm sure I'll get 1 or 2 customers from around town...that way my belt will be free, plus, a few nice steak dinners to boot.
$325.00??? my dealership said $698.00 with the kit and new waterpump! i want to go to your dealership!Quote:
Originally Posted by hyperacme
I asked the service guy when I got the car because I had just spent $900 to do my Accord.
Next time I go I'll ask more questions. Though he said the water pump wasn't in the way.
He did look it up in the time & parts book so it should be right...I HOPE...
how much is a oem waterpump though?
if your already in there labor wise, you might as well replace it too. for the Extra $300 it seems it would be another hour or two and $100 parts...
He made it sound like water pump was not in the way like on Honda's.
I did ask about that !
He/I could be wrong.
It has happened to me once before. I just don't remember when it was...LOL...
The water pump has to be rotated to release/adjust tension on the belt so it kinda is in the way...you have to unbolt it so you might as well replace it.
hey all, thanks for all the responses.
The dealer here wanted 1100$ for the whole 60K service!!! I went to an independent who advertises belt change for 250$ with belt. He wants about 475$ for the 60K service. About the belt, I meant to say that the people who I spoke with said to use the GM belt instead of the aftermarket because it is now stronger than the original. I will go with the GM belt, but purchase it myself online for 32$ vs. 90$ that the dealer wants. Also, the GM water pump online is 71$. I could take my chances on the water pump, and other stuff though, as I have the bumper to bumper, zero deductible GM warranty good for 5yr/75K miles. But for sure the belt is part of the maintenance.
I got a quote for about $900 for the timing belt, water pump and a few "other" things that I'll probably refuse cause they just want $, but I lost the paper that had the quote so looks like I'll have to go somewhere else :P
Who would have thought that 1 service trip at 60k would cost almost 1/15'th the car's price...
It's a hell of a lot cheaper than Ford's scheduled maintenance. Major services at 20k, 40k, 50k, 70k, 90k and 100k with 5 & 10k services in between.Quote:
Originally Posted by g0ast
Having just changed the timing belt, water pump, idler pulley, and tensioner today on my 2007 Aveo with 57,004 miles, I can assure you it is a tedious task.
You will need all your tools for this one.
1/4", 3/8", and 1/2" drive wrenches, ratchets, sockets, and extensions (you will use the 1/4 and 3/8 stuff the most). Everything needs to be metric and it ranges from 7-17mm
Air wrenches if you have them (can not recommend this enough)
5mm Allen Wrench
Two floor jacks, one jack stand, and a 2x4 block of wood about a foot long (more on this later).
I also recommend not doing this alone. Having another set of hands is a big help. You'll need about 6-9 hours of your time. Chevy wanted around $700 (including all parts) for 5 hours. It took myself and my dad 8 1/2 hours from start to complete finish which included two trips to AutoZone, lunch, and having to backtrack a couple times.
First off, everything in the instructions I have seen online are correct EXCEPT they leave out one HUGE step:
YOU HAVE TO REMOVE THE ENGINE MOUNT!!!! There is no way around this whatsoever. There are a total 10 bolts to do this. Although you could have success with only 3, I recommend removing the whole thing to give you some much needed working space. You will have to use your second floor jack with the block of wood across the oil pan and the solid piece of metal below the A/C pump to keep the engine from falling. Of course, if you have an engine crane, use that.
Another major pain that is not noted in the instructions is the plastic cover that is in front of the water pump. You can get the pump off without completely removing it, but it still requires you to remove the bolts.
You do NOT need the special tool for the water pump. A channel lock and a vice grip that are large enough to fit it will work fine. They need to open at least 42mm, or 1-11/16".
Wear gloves, knee pads and old clothes. Have a couple lights. Be prepared to have all your coolant liquid poor out when you loosen the water pump and make sure to replace it when everything is back together.
Have fun...
Chris
Agreeing with Chris, and being 44 yrs old, I have neither the time nor patience to undertake this task. I would have when I was in my 20's. I therefore dropped off my Aveo at my local Chevrolet dealership and shelled out the total of $700.18 to have the job done. I pushed my timing belt to the limit and finally had it changed at 91,261 miles. Thankfully it never snapped! I also had the serpentine belt replaced as well. Below are the pics. I had the service tech save my parts so I could post pics. Tomorrow I'm taking it in for 4 new tires and an alignment.
[img][attachment=1:40wrkefo]2009_0224aveoparts0001.JPG[/attachment:40wrkefo][/img]
[img][attachment=0:40wrkefo]2009_0224aveoparts0004.JPG[/attachment:40wrkefo][/img]
Chris, I would like to thank you so much for all that info! Invaluable.
I wish more people were as clear and informative, and willing to type it all out for others to benefit. Have a drink on me.
I now know a little more on what to plan for.
How about a gear puller for the lower pulley? does that have to come off?
The lower pulley literally fell right off. No worries with that.
A little update, I unfortunately am off on my timing by approx. 1 tooth. Not sure how that happened as NOTHING moved and I'm damn well certain my tension is correct. The car is a little rough at idle, but other than that, it runs and did fine on the freeway home. I'm sure the MPG and HP will down, but it's going to have to run like that until next week when I have access to all my tools again.
Luckily I'm in my 20's and don't have $700 to spare. :-D I did the bulk of the work and I surely feel it this morning. My dad helped tremendously on some tough areas and had every tool for the job.Quote:
Originally Posted by NYChevoo
My belt looked surprisingly good. It had no missing teeth and no cracks that I could see. I'm sure I would have been fine for another 20k miles, but who knows. The serpentine belt looked far worse with cracking all around and I did not hesitate to replace that.
Here's a tip for the serpentine belt. The tensioner pulley has a bolt through the middle of it. Attach a 14mm wrench and turn it clockwise to release the tension. It took me 10 minutes of "How the heck do I do this?! It HAS to be simple!" to figure that out.
I was just going to ask the board what size socket that tensioner takes. Thank you!
Toby
i found this http://home.earthlink.net/~aveobot/id1.html
I had found that too! Great information. Will be using that when I have to fix the timing next week.
thats a very useful post!! very interesting to read about the procedures involved.Quote:
Originally Posted by jimig1
This is all true. MY dad and I replaced the timing belt on my Aveo at around 90,000 miles and the darn belt still seems to be in great condition! No cracks, warps, etc... In a nutshell, we took the passenger wheel off, unbolted the crankshaft pulley, removed the motor mount (from the fender and the engine), and used some adjustable wrenches to unscrew the water pump. We even had to get the alternator out of the way just to get the water pump to unscrew properly!!!
A word of caution...try to get the engine to Top Dead Center (TDC) BEFORE you remove the timing belt, and MARK THE LOCATION OF the MARKS IN A MARKER!!! (lots of marks there...lol). MY dad and I forgot this one part, and it took us almost a day and a half to get the engine resynced and stuff before we installed the new belt. This is a two person job, so be prepared.
In all, after about approx $150-$200 (maybe less) and two days of work, we got the timing belt replaced, as well as the idler pulley for the serpentine belt and the serpentine belt itself. Be careful if you try to start the engine after you place the new timing belt on to test it...you need the "harmonic Balancer" on the crankshaft pulley to balance the engine as well as keep the timing belt from slipping off. IF you disconnected some sensors to get them out of the way, your computer will throw you the CEL and some codes. Those will turn off after a couple miles of driving.
If you do it yourself....GOOD LUCK and Have Fun!
not to sound rude, but how much experience do you and your dad have working on cars?