The dealer wanted $450 to change the timing belt which seems ridiculous to me. I can obtain a belt for cheap, but don't know how to replace it myself. Can anyone help? How would I go about replacing the belt myself?
The timing belt is inside the valve cover. You have to remove the the valve cover gasket. Underneath that you will find the valves, the head (the top of the engine block). There is a pulley that is used to tighten the timing belt. The pulley is attached to the piston and valve timing. This pulley is usually marked as to where it should be positioned in relationship the timing of the pistons and the cam shaft rotation. This is what is referred to as stting the timing in the engine, and the timing of the distributor. Since your belt is broken the engine has lost track of its timing, so you might have to refer to a manual on your model of car to set the timing. You will also need to replace the valve cover gasket when you put the valve cover back on.
Two corrections about my response.
There are two types of timing in the car. There is the distributor timing and the cam shaft/piston timing. You are dealing with the later. Also I meant to make it clear that when you remove the valve cover you will most likely be destroying the valve cover gasket. So you will probably need to purchase and install a new valve cover gasket for your car as well.
More clarification.
The cam shaft(s) determine(s) the movement of the valves. The reason you need to get the timing right is that you do not want one of the pistons (that has moved to its highest position) to collide with the valves that might be in the lowest position. Also even if this does not happen the intake of air into the pistons as well as the exhaust coming from and already combusted piston cylinder must be timed so that the internal combustion for each cylinder is timed properly. Are you sure you don't have any valve damage from when you timing belt broke?
Also, I meant to make it clear that the timing belt wraps around two key components. One is a pulley that turns the cam shaft(s). The other is a pulley that is used to tighten the timing belt so you do not have any slippage.
Then when you install the new one just make sure you keep the cam shaft pulley in the same exact position it was when you removed it. If you do this you will not need to refer to a manual in order to set the timing.
Did you understand the rest of my comments?
You should know that the valves are used to let air into pistons according to the order they fire. The movement of the valves (up and down) is governed by the cam shaft. The air/oxygen is used in the combustion that sends the pistons up and down, The exhaust from the combustion in the pistons then flows out into the exhaust manifold based on the position of the valves also. The movement of the pistons then turns your drive shaft, which then results in moving the timing belt. Each revolution of these shafts happens many times per second at idle speed, and increases with the RPMs. So that is why it is so important that your timing is set very precisely. Usually there is a position of the cam shaft pulley that corresponds to piston no.1 in the completely down position. But like I said when you install the new timing belt, if you make sure the cam shaft pulley is in the same position it was when you removed it, and you have not moved the pistons at all then you should be good to go. If you have anymore questions, I would be glad to help.
×
It is vitally important to change the timing belt BEFORE it breaks on these kind of cars, because they have interferance engines which basically means if it breaks you are screwed. When changing the timing belt (I would recommend the following)
(1) replace the water pump
(2) replace the alternator and other belts as they will need to be removed for access.
(3) check and replace the tensioner for the timing belt
Most good reputable independant shops can do this at a much better cost than the dealer. Just guesstimating I would put labor at around $300. That is based on a rough estimate of 5 labor hours. Could be more or less (more at a branded dealership)...
Dimo65 has given you a LOT of information that is why I did not go into detail on how to change timing belt. In all honesty if you don't 100% know how to do this, and don't have a solid qualified mechanic to help you, I would purchase the parts, and have them installed somewhere. It is just not worth the hassle. If you go to a branded dealership (one that sells cars) they are going to be signifigantly higher in price on everything. There are lots of independant shops that do these types of jobs all day long for a lot less than dealerships.
×
When to replace timing belt on accent 2008
2,168 views
Usually answered in minutes!
I should have clarified. The belt is not broken. Hyundai suggests at 60,000 I have it replaced. I'm at 59,800 and I'm taking a trip up to Ohio and back from Texas, putting on over 2000 miles in the process. I wanna replace it so I'm not being stranded somewhere because the belt broke. So, it's not broken, just needs to be replaced.
I should have clarified. The belt is not broken. Hyundai suggests at 60,000 I have it replaced. I'm at 59,800 and I'm taking a trip up to Ohio and back from Texas, putting on over 2000 miles in the process. I wanna replace it so I'm not being stranded somewhere because the belt broke. So, it's not broken, just needs to be replaced.
For the most part, yeah. I haven't done anything like this before so it's confusing a bit. I've found the how-to manual on the HMAService site so that might be helpful. I just called AutoZone and they sell my belt and gasket covers. They'll also rent out the tools to me to fix it, if I don't have the proper tools. I'll copy this email for my father in law who will help me, and see if he understands what you are saying.
Any other advice?
×