Newbie with technical questions

[petrified.rabbit]

i'm just north of USC in dormont.

[snrusnak]

Cool, we used to go swimming in the summers at the dormont community pool....very different down here where we swim all year round lol. Christmas just isn't the same without snow though....especially when you're grilling hot dogs and hamburgers by the pool.....sigh.

[petrified.rabbit]

I've spent Christmas in Miami/Boca Raton for most of my life.

[snrusnak]

Parts came in today (I took off work as I am very sick). Glad to see the Gates belt is made in USA. The tensioner is made in canada, the water pump I think china, and the idler I think korea or somewhere else... Water pump DID come with a new o-ring gasket. Also has instructions(somewhat crude, but better than nothing...).

[snrusnak]

Also called chevy dealer today since I'm home, they said the transmission fluid is dexron 6. Can anyone confirm this before I buy it?

[petrified.rabbit]

i believe most gm dealers are using dex 6 as the "superceded" replacement fluid as it meets or beats all the requirements of all previous fluids.

its possibly more expensive than the original, but the recommendations for replacement are all over the place.

Esso LT-71141 - Bob Is The Oil Guy
Esso LT 71141 Alternatives - Bob Is The Oil Guy
Total ATF H50235/Esso LT 71141 - Bob Is The Oil Guy

I lean away from going back to DEX III, only because if DEX III was what the factory wanted in there, it would have been in there.

[Mckenzie500]

Hi, this is my first post, sorry for a long one in advance! I just spent about 2 hours reading a bunch of material on the timing belt change procedure, along with many other threads. We bought my wife a 2004 aveo about 3 or 4 years ago with 70k miles on it. Great car in near perfect condition. It now has 105k miles. Still near perfect condition. I've kept up with oil changes, changed the plugs and air filter once, and plan to do a bunch of maintenance soon. I want to change the timing belt soon, and also the transmission fluid, amongst many other items. I am not a mechanic but am very mechanically inclined and have worked on many cars over the years, just about every job there is to do on a car. I have never done a timing belt on a DOHC engine, however, but think it shouldn't be too bad (seems pretty easy from the very good write ups I've seen here). Here are my questions and thanks in advance for any help:

Timing Belt:
I've read several write ups on here. I have just few questions and looking for recommendations. Is it recommended to replace the idler and tensioner at the same time as the timing belt? Can anyone recommend a kit? I've seen several and not sure if some are good and some junk. Should I also replace the water pump at 105k miles while I'm in there?


Transmission:
I've found that the transmission does not have a "servicable filter". Is this correct? So do I just drop the pan, clean, and reinstall? Or is there a way to take the "non servicable filter" off and backflush it with some fresh fluid? Also what kind of fluid does this transmission use?


Other things:
Does this car have a serviceable fuel filter? If so where is it located? I have quick disconnect tools as I assume it uses these type of lines being a GM.

Does this car have a pcv valve? I can't find one but if it has one would like to change it.

Thanks again, sorry this is such a technical filled newbie post! Want to try to keep this car running great. The only issue we had was a few months ago the plastic thermostat housing broke, good thing the wife knows to pull over when the temp rises! $60 later for an autozone non plastic thermostat housing, and good as new!

Not only the owners manual, even if u do slight online research...you'll find plenty of data..

[snrusnak]

Thanks for the help rabbit. Ill compare dealer dex 6 prices with the redline and multi-vehicle ATF.

...very helpful mckenzie...

I asked questions because I couldn't find everything I was looking for. I found bits and pieces for all of it, but want to be sure I buy the correct/best parts. It's hard for me to even trust the dealer as he seemed unsure when he gave me an answer...

[snrusnak]

Thanks for the help rabbit.  Ill compare dealer dex 6 prices with the redline and multi-vehicle ATF.

...very helpful mckenzie...

I asked questions because I couldn't find everything I was looking for.  I found bits and pieces for all of it, but want to be sure I buy the correct/best parts.  It's hard for me to even trust the dealer as he seemed unsure when he gave me an answer...

[snrusnak]

Man now I'm confused. &nbsp;Dealer told me dexron 6. &nbsp;Manual says ESSO LT71141. &nbsp;Pennzoil's site says their multi-vehicle ATF is ok to use with LT71141, but not ok to use with dexron 6. &nbsp;Redline's website says their D4 ATF is ok to use with LT71141 but doesn't mention anything about dexron 6.<br><br>I just don't want to put in something that will hurt it... &nbsp;I'm thinking the pennzoil is the best way to go...?