TIMING BELT

[MAVRICK513]

Does anyone know: if a Festiva timing belt breaks - does it bend the valves? It does on other cars that are "interference fit" but I am not sure if the Festiva is one of them.

[FB71]

nope, freewheeler.

[MAVRICK513]

OK Thanks! That's good to know I have 63000 on one belt ('89 Festiva) and probably 109000 on the one in the '93 Festiva. I guess I will let them go awhile longer because the crank bolt is very tight on both.

[mechanicaldj]

but I've seen non-interference motors tap valves at highway speeds

the Haynes manual says change the belt every 60,000 miles or 48 months whichever comes first.

i say change the first belt at 60,000 and at 90,000 miles every time after with a good quality timing belt.

[gdawgs]

I just check mine a couple times a year and change at the first sign of cracking. Mine's a 91' with 125,000 and original belt. Still no cracks, still ain't gonna' change it. On my first Festy I changed the belt at 60,000 miles and that was a complete waste, the thing looked as good as the new one I replaced it with. The only reason they recommend 60,000 miles is to cover their butts with the longer warranties they offer now days.

[mechanicaldj]

I just check mine a couple times a year and change at the first sign of cracking. Mine's a 91' with 125,000 and original belt. Still no cracks, still ain't gonna' change it. On my first Festy I changed the belt at 60,000 miles and that was a complete waste, the thing looked as good as the new one I replaced it with. The only reason they recommend 60,000 miles is to cover their butts with the longer warranties they offer now days.

longer warranties? this is a festiva, i think the max was 3yrs/36,000!

and of course those of you who think they can skate by without changing the belt, must have deep pockets to pay for that tow from the middle of nowhere , when their belt breaks in one spot(and you never saw that spot) when you miss a shift or when it slips due to a worn belt tensioner or when your car overheats when the water pump, that you never inspected , craps out.

i think it is called "peace of mind" when you follow the service plans

[gdawgs]

I wasn't talking about Festivas, just the newer cars in general. My brother bought a new Hyundai Sonata last year with the 10 year 100,000 miles warranty. Have you looked at their service schedule? It is insane. They have you changing out dang near everything(well not quite) every 30,000 miles. In order for the warranty to be covered, you have to follow that schedule exactly and have receipts for everything. Miss one thing on the schedule, and say goodbye to the warranty. That's the way I understood it anyway.

I haven't seen all that many broken timing belts, 3 or 4 I think, but all of those looked unbelievably bad. They were so cracked that it was a miracle they lasted as long as they did. So my peace of mind is checking for cracks a couple times/year.

[Tim]

My timing belt (the original one) had 185,000 miles on it when it was replaced.

The thing was so ragged and cracked I was amazed it didn't fail. :shock:

Shortly after replacing it, gas mileage went up 10 mpg and I gained probably another 5 hp....



Regards,

Tim

[gdawgs]

Must have slipped a cog or two. That's exactly what I'm talking about, those belts are tough. Sounds like yours definitely should have been changed sooner. But if you change them at the first sign of cracking, you are quite safe. If it was an interference engine, I would change it more often, something closer to the recommended interval.

[bryanl1]

Maverick513,

You don't have to worry about the crank bolt when changing the timing belt. The crank pulley comes off with the crank bolt still in place. I know because I just had the engine out of my '92 Festiva yesterday.

Bryan