Whats involved in doing a timing belt job?
Here at Sandpiper, when we do a timing belt replacement, we deal with more than just the timing belt. The water pump is located under the timing cover with the belt (often the pump is driven by the timing belt). If the water pump starts to leak before the next timing belt is due, we have to go back in and remove the timing belt again in order to access the pump, thereby costing you extra money in labor time, as well as a potential overheated engine and a need to tow the car in. As a result, we always replace the water pump when we replace the timing belt. Also, the outer drive belts (AC, alternator, and power steering belts) need to come off to do a timing belt job, so unless they have been recently replaced, we replace them along with the timing belt. While we’re in there, we check the camshaft and crankshaft seals for oil leakage (they are behind the timing belt, so again, the timing belt must be removed to access these parts). If the seals are leaking we replace them while we’re in
