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Timing belt gone at 95,500km

Discussion in 'Microvans' started by anthill, Mar 14, 2014.

  1. anthill

    anthill Member

    Timing belt gone at 95,500km [FIXED]

    Well, the day has come. I've been driving the van since ~56kkm three and a half years through northeastern winters, and today the timing belt finally snapped.

    Not sure whether it's worth the labor of replacing it and the risk of screwing something else up. Shop says depending on extra water pump / seal work and parts, it would be about 4-1/2 hours of labor and $300 of parts.

    What do you think? Fix it or part it out?
     
    Last edited: May 30, 2014
  2. Borg

    Borg Member

    Why ditch it?

    Is it not cheaper to fix than to get a new vehicle?
     
  3. anthill

    anthill Member

    Ah, I dunno... it's in pretty good shape, but the up front cost (and risk of the mechanic having trouble working on this car for the 1st time) make me a little nervous. I don't think I can drop the engine and do seal replacement myself. I'm shopping around on RockAuto for parts now, then I'll try some local mechanics and see what offers I get.
     
  4. Alaskasbear

    Alaskasbear New Member

    Hmm 4.5 hours at lets say a ridiculous rate of 200 per hour = 900 plus lets say parts cost you 500. Total of 1400. Man that's a no brainer. Fix it. Even at 2k its still worth it. I would at least.Vans in my neck of the woods run about 9-10k stock.
     
  5. muddy moose

    muddy moose Member

    Timing belt runs about 75 dollars. You can change it in about 1.5 to 2 hours with ease. Does it leak oil from that area? Or water? Way cheaper just to fix it yourself. You will also learn more about your rig.....knowledge is pricless! !!!!
     
  6. anthill

    anthill Member

    Ah, but you live wayyyy up north!

    Good point though - vans in Eastern Canada are rarer than Vancouver (and increasingly hard to insure, unfortunately). RightDrive asks $13,000 for a 90kkm one.
     
  7. spaner

    spaner Well-Known Member

    Comm'on anthill...
    Where you at?
    You read like the "Bay", or even maybe Raymore. You can't find a good wrench-monkey in the area? Those french guys are uasually pretty good with the mini in general.
    If you're close, I'll come down for a case of beer and we'll get you sorted out.
    Damn, pretty simple fix boss, don't sweat it...:cool:
     
  8. anthill

    anthill Member

    Hah, compared to custom fitting a supercharger, yeah I guess it's pretty simple :D

    I'm in downtown Toronto, there's some good wrenches in the neighbourhood but property taxes are pricey and they all have bills to pay. Some aren't interested in a strange vehicle that needs a weeks notice to get parts.

    To do it myself, I'd probably need to get an ATV jack to support the engine / transmission, and have some good luck taking off the exhaust manifold, ditto engine mounts, CV joints, and 4WD driveshaft? Simple to an old hat but a bit intimidating to me.
     
  9. spaner

    spaner Well-Known Member

    I hear you, but I don't see it.
    I get into the island quite often, but I'm only there for an hour or so; and you're not mobile. So, I can't see giving you any direct help, which I would love to do if I could.
    I can't see the reasoning behind the full tear down that you seem to think is needed.
    Why not just start with some good pictures of your access points to the front of the engine, as well as the particulars of the van and engine.
    Let us have a real good look at her. Then we'll let you know just how bad the situation is.
    I can't see it, the problem I mean.

    To me, you need a belt, a box of tools, and a Sunday afternoon.

    :pop:
     
  10. Borg

    Borg Member

    Hell, I'd help you do it if you were closer.. I'm in Fergus, Guelph and Hamilton a lot, so if you have a place to work on it in either city, let me know.
     
  11. anthill

    anthill Member

    All right, I need to take some pictures of the problem area. From what I can tell, the issue is that the engine is squeezed right up next to a steel frame panel. It's just out of sight past the alternator / accessory belt in this picture:

    [​IMG]

    To get the timing belt off, you need enough room to get the cover removed, and get the needed wrenches on.

    I'd say there's 1-1/2", tops, between the timing belt and the frame panel. I gotta get a picture!

    Thanks for the expert eye on this. Maybe I need to ask the German forums how they get at the belt.
     
  12. anthill

    anthill Member

    Well, I placed an order today with a German online parts supplier. Hopefully I / they won't **** it up.

    Quantity: Description: Article No.: Single Price Total-Price
    1 x Timing Belt Kit KDD-704 32,80 € 32,80 €
    1 x Water Pump PQ-706 27,10 € 27,10 €
    1 x Radial Oil Seal, crankshaft, Timing End 34.52 11,40 € 11,40 €
    1 x Thermostat, coolant 820509 12,80 € 12,80 €
    1 x Fuel filter J1337008 20,00 € 20,00 €
    1 x Air Filter J1327014 14,20 € 14,20 €
    1 x Ignition Cable Kit IC-701 23,60 € 23,60 €

    Couldn't find a camshaft seal, but I'm guessing a Subaru Justy one will fit fine. Would have been nice to get a distributor cap/rotor at the same time, but they didn't stock one.

    Hopefully my local VW shop can handle it ok!
     
  13. anthill

    anthill Member

    Parts arrived yesterday and the shop date is set.

    Question: The thermostat is supposed to open at 85C (full open at 100C), but for the life of me I can't find a replacement that's 85C.

    I have an 82C (for Justy) and an 88C (from the Germans). Which should I use?

    A possible problem is the auxiliary cooling fan cuts in at 93C and out at 89C. With an 88C thermostat, could the fan get stuck on forever?
     
  14. anthill

    anthill Member

    Shop got it done (Peter's Garage in Toronto), they had a hell of a time with rust on all the bolts, but patiently sorted it out. $750 labour plus parts.

    A new 88C thermostat is installed and so far no fan over-run problems. Coolant gauge seems to rest in the same position it did before.

    I asked them to set the timing at 8 degrees (right at the edge of the 5+3 stock setting), so it idles a bit lower and if I'm not mistaken feels a bit peppier. The next tank of gas will tell if the fuel efficiency is any better.
     
  15. spaner

    spaner Well-Known Member

    5-HAND-CLAPS boss, :cool:

    You got' her done, and you now have a reliable shop to get the extras sorted out, when/and if, needed...

    VERY glad to hear it. Others may make use of that shop info; an address may come in very handy for the Southern Ontario owners. Peter may get more work than he wanted after that repair. Its involved, but not crazy; just regular life maintenance on an every day use vehicle.

    BUT, you're back in business again; from "what a waste" to "old reliable again".


    icon_super.gif

    Happiness...
     
  16. anthill

    anthill Member

    Yeah, feels good... to pay someone else to do it! :D They didn't fully drop the engine - just suspended it from a hoist, and pulled it a bit left and forward. It's good to confirm that they're a quality mechanic. Rare thing.

    http://petersgarage.ca/

    5 Robert Street, Toronto, Ontario (at College / Spadina).

    Next thing to fix - the transmission ports where the two shift lever thingies enter are shielded by little rubber boots. One cracked. Not sure what type of rubber tape can hold up to engine operating temps. Normally I'd go for the self-vulcanizing plumber's rubber tape, but...
     
  17. spaner

    spaner Well-Known Member

    Na, na,

    Replace the boots; take pics so that we know what we are talking about, and the guys can do a proper search for you.

    For my Jamar install, I used a VW, gear-shift lever boot, a cert replacement part, and cut the crossover notch to suit the boot, and throw of the Jamar operation...like $24 bucks or something or other...

    http://www.minisport.com/gsv1192-drive-shaft-rubber-boot-1959-84.html
    http://www.amazon.com/Hurst-1147336...57?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1401521197&sr=1-7
    http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXHFZ6

    There's a few for you. I believe that a lot can be done by copying the wheel, you don't have to re-invent the wheel, just copy it.

    It has to be the right wheel though, and you do have to find the right one.
    Could be just that a tie-rod-end-boot, could fix you right up for like 10 bucks...

    Brand new...:p
     
    anthill likes this.

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