timing belt

Yes,they stink to do, i have done three of them ,the third one was not any nicer then the first one ,very tight on the front of the engine there is just no room

I'm on my fourth one. My mechanic tells me it is a terribly difficult job because it is very, very tight in the engine compartment where it is located. Because it is so labor intensive, it is quite expensive. Also, if you are going at any speed if/when the belt breaks, you can really screw up the engine. Fortunately, that hasn't happened to me.

Just changed mine a week or so ago. Got 181,000 plus miles on the original belt. Yes its tight. When you change it get the kit and change the water pump while your there.

Wow! That's an awful lot of mileage on one timing belt! You are so lucky. I think 60,000 to 80,000 miles is about what you can get out of them. I just replaced mine again at 207,000. I think it's the second or third time I've replaced it. And yes, every time, it's a good idea to change the water pump, as well.

i got 128,000 on my 2005 PT before belt broke....I was at an idle when it happened ...should have changed it as recommended...had to have bent valves worked on...including water pump..spent $1900 total....don't wait too long..

i have a 2008 turbo convertible with 75000 miles. no timing belt problems of any type -- then again, there's not suppsed to be at this mileage. you can search for the "continual car" blog for all details of EVERYTHING i've had to right and wrong with this car.

I am having my timing belt replaced as I speak,in my 05 PT Cruiser,at 131,000 miles...The problem is the belt wants to slip...Worst work space ever...Whose dumb a** idea was it to put these cars together this way.Really a crappy little under the hood experience...Not sure what the problem is,the water pump has been replaced to.My friend suggested dynamite....Hmmmm...

I have a 97 3000GT SL and just had the timing belt/tensioner/water pump done at 118k miles the shop time was 5.5 hours. I bought the full kit. So it was $500 everything complete. A Mitsubishi dealer will charge $1500. I would just as soon be shot dead as ever have a dealer do anything to my cars, period!

Was just the parts kit $500.00or was that for the whole job?On a lot of t belt jobs$1500.00 is not out of the realm of possibility.I recently priced out a t belt job on an Audi A4 cabrio with a 3.0 L v 6 and it was a little over 1600.00 for parts and labor.Most of these cars nowadays are interference engines,cheeping out on a t belt job can result in a catastrophe that can cost a LOT more than the $1500.00 the dealer quoted you.it's ok to be a DIY kind of guy,but know your limitations.Most Misubishi products that I have worked on are pretty miserable things under the hood,especially the V6 engines.A lot of t belts require special tools and proper procedures for tensioning the belt correctly,one goof and there goes all of that money saved.

Help! I'm a girl who is seriously ocnsidering changing her timing belt on her 05 pt cruiser. its only got about 106,000 miles, but i can hear the belt everytime i turn on my car. I have had estimates price the parts and labor from 800-1300. Thats just too much for me right now. Should i even try to attempt to do it myself?? I don't understand how its so expensive, when the kit itself is only 150.00. Suggestions?

Are you sure it's the T belt you are hearing? The P/S reservoir on these are noted for the screens clogging and making a whining noise,similar to a bad bearing.

@garageman I can't be 100 percent sure. I don't have one of those scanner thingys and places charge alot to diagnose your car. Everyone that listens to my car says its the belt?

You do not need a scanner for diagnosing noise complaints,a good dose of common sense will work wonders,there seems to be a shortage of it going around.Competence in auto repair is not costly,it's priceless! Think about that.

How do I know what sound a timing belt makes? Thanks for all the help, I think I'm going to try and change it myself. Wish me luck!

Do not take this the wrong way but,if you have never done this type of work and do not have any of the special tools for this job ,shut the hood and have a professional shop do the job.I am not kidding on this.I have thirty-six years experience as a professional mechanic.What I am telling you is as far as timing belts go on a scale of one to ten this belt job is an eight in difficultyVery tight working space,you are going to need a puller designed for Chrysler crank pulleys and an installer also specific for this job.Being a dual cam you are also going to need a jig to keep the cams aligned while putting the new belt on.You can go ahead and do it but if you have never done this type of work before I will not encourage you,you may create more problems than the money you are trying to save.When I have done these in theist I have a jig that I made for locking the cams together,and it involves pulling the valve cover which involves pulling the upper intake plenum.most of these the valve cover is leaking any way so the gasket gets renewed.Get a shop manual and be prepared is what I am telling you.

I have a 2007 pt cruiser and I am sitting in a motel typing this cause yesterday while driving home from a trip I heard a loud pop and car died. I pretty much guessed it was my timing belt. This morning the shop called me and I called it. Timing belt and he saud he needed to replace the water pump while at it and seals... final cost is 983.26. They came down from 1150 since I am having to pay to stay in a motel and they said it will take a day and a half.

Oh and I had 94000 miles on car.

Omg....I think I'm ging to cry...

Sell your Cruisers before you have to replace your engine like we did at only 90,000 miles due to a snapped timing belt. Worse engine design EVER!!!

Well, I was just quoted $889. to replace the timing belt on my 05 PT Cruiser...that is if there are not bent valves. I was idling at a red light and when I went to go, the car would not move....OH, what are you going to do.......cars, people and houses.....they all need help after a few years. LOL

But did you end up paying $2300 to have your engine replaced? Yeah, steep...but we're actually trading ours in, in a few days.

i only charge $600 at my shop to change the timing belt

Are you located in southern AL or MS? Thx.

I would not sell My Cruiser, It is more costly to go and buy a new car and have payments all over again, Plus My Car is fully modified inside and out ... Most repair shops have a credit plan 6 months same a cash. By the way .. If you have full coverage insurance like I do, It will only cost the amount of your deductible to have a completely new engine put it. My GT is in the shop now, and only going to cost me $500.00 through State Farm. Always think smart !!!!

BTW my timing belt went out yesterday, and the damage it caused was so extreme that is is always a good idea to have full insurance even if you don't have to when owning something you love and want to keep. My repair man would have only charged me $575.00 to change the timing belt and water pump. Yet when he got inside .. Found that my Cam was broke as well as a damaged valve... Leading into top end engine work that was going to cost me $1,200. at which point would just be better to stick a rebuild in it for $2,000. My Insurance like I said is covering my rental car and the rebuild. All in all because I have common sense and full coverage the complete price for me to have to pay is $500.00 ... !!! Look through all options before making any decision. Hope this can help some of you Cruiser owners !!

I have an 05 cruiser with 94k miles. I have no idea if the belt had been changed prior to me buying it so I am going to have it done. I live in Illinois just outside Chicago and my mechanic...best in the world....quote $299 for me. He suggested I get it done before winter, which I will do. I don't understand the reason to do the water pump and tensioners at the same time?

Quite simple ,the timing belt drives the water pump ,the tensioner has done its job for however many miles are now on this vehicle.When the belt is changed all components are now under a new tension ,which can wear components that had been running without any issues,It is not uncommon for the used water pump two ,three, or four months after a Timing belt replacement to give up and start leaking.The best thing to do is replace these components while the car is apart .As i have stated prior this is an involved job to do especially on one of these models as space is very tight.I know for myself if a customer does not want the belt and tensioner with a water pump. I am shutting the hood ,and they can find another patsy, i will not do the job partway.Too involved and too risky should the belt jump time because the water pump either failed and /or the tensioner gave up.Who ever your mechanic is that quoted you 300.00 total parts and labor for this job does not know the value of this job.he is either working for ten dollars an hour (highly unlikely)or you found him on craigslist.good luck with it.and i hope he understands what he is getting himself into.This is an eight hour job\

After reading all the posts I'm going ahead with having mine done. I have an '01 with 84000 miles on it. He said that even though it wasn't really high on the mileage side, age wise it's probably the time to do it. I've been getting an occasional squeal when starting the car which may be indicative that the belt is about to go. The guy is quoting my $700 for the belt and water pump. As I have done almost no work on this car other than maintenance over the past 13 years I think it's a good investment.

I have a 2006 pt cruiser turbo that I'm now changing the timing belt & water pump for the 2nd time. I have 82,000 on this car. The mechanic quoted me 800-1000 and would be about 1-1/2 days. Previously, I've had A/C problems, cam sensor problems, and one AAA garage put in the wrong spark plugs. I've also replaced 3 of the 4 motor mounts and both front axel boots....don't have any idea what those do. I'm not wanting to start making car payments again.

I had the timing belt and water pump replaced in July 2012 at the same time the radiator and fan were replaced. My car had 82,000 miles on it and I wanted to be proactive. Well, last Friday night had to have the car towed and guess what? The car now has 101,050 miles on it so it is beyond the 12 month 12,000 mile warranty. And yes, the timing belt broke. New shop so hopefully it's done right this time. Love the car - it can haul just about anything. Chrysler? Not so much right now.

Bought an 05 with a broken belt cheap.....thought it would be a quick fix.....until i started tearing it down and one cam turned when i tried to loosen the sprocket bolt when i tried the other cam sprocket the cam was seized!! Bent valves probably!! More work but a used head w/cams is $70.00 at pullapart salvege yard...just hoping when i pull the head that it didn't damage the pistons!! Wish me luck!! PS....better to pay before it breaks instead of rolling the dice and losing!! You could double your cost of repairs or worse!!

Also changing the motor mounts and water pump, idler pulley, and tensioner. Why change all that? because you will have to pay a mechanic to pull the timing belt off to change the water pump!! All these parts are in the same area and should be replaced to avoid paying all the time to tear it down again when it goes out later!! Believe me it's money well spent!! You can avoid the trouble and expense!!

My PT went dead at 80 MPH, 40 miles from home. No bangs..it just sputtered and shut down. I hit neutral and coasted to a stop. Of course with 128,000 miles and no history on the car, I suspect the timing belt. I took it to a mechanic, so I'll post an update after he looks at it.

MY BELT HASN'T BROKE, BUT THE CAR HAS QUIT AND I PUT A FUEL PUMP IN IT TWO MONTHS AGO, CAN IT HAVE JUMPED TIME?? GOT THE COVER OFF AND THERE ARE SOME TEETH ON THE PULLEY WORN DOWN ABOUT 1/2 WAY...CAN THIS CAUSE IT TO JUMP TIME OR COULD THE SENSOR BE BAD, BECAUSE I SAW THE ONE SPROCKET ON THE LEFT SIDE HESITATE SOME WHEN THE KEY WAS TURNED....YEAH HAS DUAL CAMS.....DON'T WANT TO START BUYING SENSORS I CAN'T RETURN....PLEASE ANYONE WITH INFO CHIME IN....THANKS

My 2005 pt cruiser I was driving 70 mph, at night, in the winter and my car died. The timing belt broke, no worning, no sweaking...$2000. Fix I leased this car 2yrs ago. So far I've had to replace the alternater, battery,both rear wheel bearings, now my drivers door lock and back hatch lock dont work as well as my back window wiper..this really sucks.

If you have the non-turbo version of the 2.4 DOHC, these engines are non-interference, meaning that if the timing belt breaks, there should be no catastrophic damage to the engine. No need to sell the car or replace the engine if you can repair it with two jack stands, a hydraulic jack, a piece of wood, a replacement kit, and a borrowed OEM 2 ton 3 jaw pulley from your local auto parts loaner tool program. It takes a bit of time, but costs around $500 in parts (including new engine torgue struts and drive belts).

I have 2002 pt cruiser my car stopped we replaced camshaft sensor which it said to still.eill.not run

If you have a pt cruiser of ANY year, stop whatever it is you're doing and sell it then go out and buy something else! I'm currently mid-stream in replacing a head gasket and water pump on a 2002 and I'm cured. Now I understand why men don't buy "cute" cars. While fuel efficiency is important, I'd much rather pay more for gas and save my sanity. I'm gonna go back to jeep and any other vehicle with a rear wheel drive configuration. This car just cost me my spot in heaven. A whole lot of swearing.

Have to thank all the ones before. Had a good chuckle. Have my second PT 2002. Do for a timing belt as have over 90k. Love my dog car. Have Great Danes. Took the back seats out when I bought the car. Just one big dog bed. I alway tow a trailer now and then. Do have a Subaru and Toyota pick up when I leave town. But will alway have my Doggie car