How to change timing belt.

[hyperacme]

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...

[07_aveo]

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.

[saffs_wheee]

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.

[g0ast]

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...

[07_aveo]

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.

[cwilliams]

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

[NYChevoo]

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.

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[img][attachment=0:40wrkefo]2009_0224aveoparts0004.JPG[/attachment:40wrkefo][/img]

[Monzaveo]

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?

[cwilliams]

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.

[cwilliams]

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.

Luckily I'm in my 20's and don't have $700 to spare. 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.

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.