May be buying an Aveo

[EdNerd]

The deal is in the works for about $3k. Haven't taken possession yet.
First order of business is change the timing belt! And associated parts, too, of course.
(I learned that the hard way when I changed the water pump *only* on my Toyota Camry!)

LyricalShanksta: thanks for the tips on overheating. That's always a backdrop to our long summer season.
(Which looks like it may be starting early - we've been up in the 90s this week.)

Ed

[EdNerd]

I'm looking on Amazon for the timing belt kit.
I found these. Any recommendations?

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NCK0GJA?psc=1
$85.95

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00Y13BDLW?psc=1
$86.28

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NCK0FIC?psc=1
$73.95

Amazon.com: Dayco 95335K1S Timing Belt Kit: Automotive
$90.08

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B014LMWLR2?psc=1
$83.99

Does the valve cover comes off too?
And I might want plugs as long as I'm there, if he's gone 60K without changing them.

Ed

[06T200]

My preference would be the Gates kit just going from experience, these kits are about the same price with the pump.

Yes the valve cover needs to come off, as do the timing belt cover halves (if you want easy access to the water pump). There are a few write ups in the forum step by step with photos that may be helpful.

[avguy]

Some of the kits listed include the WP and others do not, so you need to compare apples to apples (each distributor will probably have both flavors). I don't have a favorite from the group of kits selling for around $100, and believe that any of them are likely going to be fine. The replacement parts game is like swimming without a face mask in a murky swamp. Where are these various parts made? Who is the actual manufacturer? Are they all made by just one or two makers, and stamped with other names? Is 'made in China' automatically worse than 'made in USA'? The answer to every question like these is probably: who the heck knows for sure.

I've done 3 timing belt jobs on our Aveos, and in each case the old belt itself looked like it just came out of the box. No detectable wear of any kind - no cracks, marks, or anything else. They each looked like they could have lasted 200K miles, and probably could do that and more. Current belt technology is so much better than it was 25 years ago that probably even the worst belt on the market today will be able to handle anything you throw at it.

IMO the most important thing with these timing belt parts is the 3 sets of bearings. But again, how does one find out FOR CERTAIN, that one bearing is consistently better than the others? I'd assume the ball bearings, grease, and seals are all decent quality. It doesn't make sense that any manger would try to save a couple pennies on inferior components, knowing what the almost certain outcome is going to be. If so, it then comes down to the manufacturer's QC on bearing assembly; and IMO the only way anyone could find out which is best would be to be physically present in all of the various factories watching it all happen. There's lots of opinion floating around about replacement auto parts, but frankly I've given up trying to figure it out. I just use rockauto to compare price, and select from the upper end of the price range.

One thing you might run into on this forum is someone posting that you 'have' to have parts with metal pulleys, because the plastic ones will break. IMO that whole thing is complete nonsense - right up there with the guys who 'know' that one brand of oil is superior to the other top-shelf oils. Why would rockauto and all the other big distributors sell nothing but plastic pulleys if there was any concrete evidence they would fail prematurely? They're on the hook for major expense, so they have a vested interest in supplying quality parts that don't fail. But there are individuals who run around with their hair on fire, insisting every Aveo with plastic pulleys is a time bomb, just waiting to explode. You'll of course make your own decision on that, and if choose to insist on a metal pulley, then carry on!

I didn't remove either the valve cover or the back of the timing cover in any of the 3 jobs I did. The bottom of the timing cover can be pulled outward, allowing the old WP to be slid out and the new one back in. I did mine that way, without removing the cam pulleys. That said, if you're planning on replacing the seals, then those parts would likely need to be removed. I chose not to replace the seals, based on seeing nothing to indicate they're prone to start leaking. But I do put a flashlight down the top timing cover occasionally to make sure everything is holding up well. Not saying that removing the back cover isn't a good method, or you shouldn't replace the seals. This aspect of the job is probably more of a grey area than black or white.

[EdNerd]

Yes the valve cover needs to come off, as do the timing belt cover halves (if you want easy access to the water pump). There are a few write ups in the forum step by step with photos that may be helpful.

Easy is good! I've done the timing belt, water pump, and oil pump on my Toyota Camry a couple of times each, and I'm all about easy and full access. So I'll look for the cover gaskets too. And probably the water pump and cam gear tools - my time is well worth the price of those. And if I'm going to have the car long enough to have to do this again, they will earn their cost back.

I've seen several threads on the timing belt replacement (seems to be a popular topic around here ). It's on my list to go back and find one that I can print out with pictures to follow as I work this through.

avguy: I wondered about the metal vs plastic pulleys, especially down here in the desert. Plastic doesn't seem to last long. On the other hand, the original ones have lasted on this car for more than the intended 60k, so I have to agree with you that the plastic are probably okay.

Ed

[EdNerd]

Got all the timing belt parts, including the water pump, water pump wrench, and the dual cam tool.
I assume the cam tool spreads out against the teeth and holds the gears in place?

Does this upper hose look okay to you?
Don't know if the ends look normal or bulging?
And it's contacting that smaller hose (just below the left-side clamp)?

Ed

[slayerized6]

You need to replace that hose.

Also, change out the plastic thermostat housing (if it still has one) to a metal one.

[06T200]

I assume the cam tool spreads out against the teeth and holds the gears in place?

Yes, the tool will 'lock' the cam pulleys in place once you index them. Makes getting the new belt on MUCH easier.

[06T200]

Easy is good! I've done the timing belt, water pump, and oil pump on my Toyota Camry a couple of times each, and I'm all about easy and full access. So I'll look for the cover gaskets too. And probably the water pump and cam gear tools - my time is well worth the price of those. And if I'm going to have the car long enough to have to do this again, they will earn their cost back.

I've seen several threads on the timing belt replacement (seems to be a popular topic around here ). It's on my list to go back and find one that I can print out with pictures to follow as I work this through.

avguy: I wondered about the metal vs plastic pulleys, especially down here in the desert. Plastic doesn't seem to last long. On the other hand, the original ones have lasted on this car for more than the intended 60k, so I have to agree with you that the plastic are probably okay.

Ed

I agree. It will add about 20 minutes to the job to pull the rear timing cover and cam pulley's. I tried the method avguy mentioned on my first Aveo job and just wasn't confident I wasn't going to rip the pump O-ring trying to shoe horn it up behind the cover (as the o-ring wanted to keep moving on me). So I gave up and spent the ten minutes to pull the cover. With my luck I would tear the O-ring and spend an extra 2 hours replacing the pump seal after buttoning it all back up.

YMMV

[EdNerd]

With my luck I would tear the O-ring and spend an extra 2 hours replacing the pump seal after buttoning it all back up.

Been there and done that one!!