The time is up...60k miles.
^Thx for the Evo help there! LOL
I'm the only owner of our lancer, so I know what the car has been through. Each climate is different, so belts will wear differently. But I'd say you'd be fine...
I'm the only owner of our lancer, so I know what the car has been through. Each climate is different, so belts will wear differently. But I'd say you'd be fine...
Thread Starter
Evolving Member
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From: Jacksonville Florida
Your at 105k and havent changed it once?
Evolving Member
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 386
Likes: 3
From: South Jersey
Well, I wish I could explain it while pointing to the actual parts on the car. Once you get down to the belt itself it will make sense. Let me try to clarify things a bit.
It does make things a little easier if you support the engine with a jack, and raise it slightly. This way you don't have to worry when you unbolt the motor mount on the end of the engine. Just take all the bolts out of that, and you'll have lots of room to reach the drivebelts. The drivebelts use threaded bolts as tensioners, loosen them up and they'll come right off. No offense to anyone, but if you get stuck on the drivebelts you really shouldn't continue. I'm not trying to be rude or anything, I just don't want to hear of anyone messing up their engine.
You'll need to remove the right front wheel and the little plastic wheel well plate. When you get to that point, you'll see a big pulley staring you in the face, it's the one both belts went around. There is a little mark on it- find the mark. Now, find the 0 degree mark on the plastic cover behind it. Make them match up exactly.
At this point you need to remove this pulley. A 1/2" drive impact gun will zip it right off. If you can't use air tools, you can try a breaker bar, and maybe a prybar jammed in the flywheel teeth through the starter hole. This is risky, you could break stuff. I suggest you find an impact gun. With the bolt out, the pulley may just pull right out, otherwise you'll have to gently pry it off. Using a puller is even better. Don't rotate it, keep that timing mark matched up.
With the pulley off, there are plastic covers above where it was. I believe there are two pieces of cover, held on by 10mm bolts (i think). Remove them. The covers aren't sealed or airtight or anything, so don't worry.
With the covers off, you see the belt. There's the crank sprocket at the bottom, the cam sprocket at the top, the water pump on the right, and the tensioner on the left. Loosen the bolt in the middle of the tensioner pulley. Now use your hands or carefully use a prybar to pull the tensioner pulley towards the rear of the car. You'll be fighting the spring. When it's as far as you can go, hold it and tighten that bolt again. The belt should now pretty much just fall off.
Grab your new belt, and put it around all the sprockets just like the old one went. Make sure that both the crank and cam sprockets are matched with their timing marks. They must be exactly right, so be careful. The marks are obvious and hard to miss. Also keep in mind the belt must be tight on the side facing the front of the car, with no slack whatsoever. All the slack must be on the other side, facing the tensioner. When it's ready, loosen that bolt on the tensioner a little bit, maybe half a turn or less. The pulley will press against the belt. At this point the timing marks should still be right, with no slack in the belt. Use a wrench to rotate the crank 720 degrees clockwise. This is the moment of truth. BOTH TIMING MARKS SHOULD BE EXACTLY MATCHED UP, ON THE TOP AND BOTTOM!
If they are, great, tighten that tensioner pulley bolt and put everything back the way you found it. If they don't match, remove the belt and try again.
As I said before, assuming you have some mechanical skill, you'll see what has to be done once you have the timing cover off. This is really one of the easiest motors to change the belt on, so don't worry too much. If it's your first time, alot a full day for the job. Again, I HIGHLY reccomend the use of air tools. It will reduce what is normally a rediculous, several hour struggle to remove the crank pulley to a matter of 5 seconds. With the money you save not paying a mechanic to do this job, you can buy yourself a compressor and some impact tools. You may be able to rent an electric impact gun, too.
Hope this helps a bit.
EDIT: Dsmjeffro I just read your post, you make a good point. I don't suggest messing with the balance shaft belt, because that can certainly happen easily. Most people never replace that as preventative maintenance, since the worst that happens if it breaks is you get vibration, which tells you it broke. Also I noticed you're in Lindenwold and a service writer-- Where at? I'm a tech at Runnemede Toyota.
It does make things a little easier if you support the engine with a jack, and raise it slightly. This way you don't have to worry when you unbolt the motor mount on the end of the engine. Just take all the bolts out of that, and you'll have lots of room to reach the drivebelts. The drivebelts use threaded bolts as tensioners, loosen them up and they'll come right off. No offense to anyone, but if you get stuck on the drivebelts you really shouldn't continue. I'm not trying to be rude or anything, I just don't want to hear of anyone messing up their engine.
You'll need to remove the right front wheel and the little plastic wheel well plate. When you get to that point, you'll see a big pulley staring you in the face, it's the one both belts went around. There is a little mark on it- find the mark. Now, find the 0 degree mark on the plastic cover behind it. Make them match up exactly.
At this point you need to remove this pulley. A 1/2" drive impact gun will zip it right off. If you can't use air tools, you can try a breaker bar, and maybe a prybar jammed in the flywheel teeth through the starter hole. This is risky, you could break stuff. I suggest you find an impact gun. With the bolt out, the pulley may just pull right out, otherwise you'll have to gently pry it off. Using a puller is even better. Don't rotate it, keep that timing mark matched up.
With the pulley off, there are plastic covers above where it was. I believe there are two pieces of cover, held on by 10mm bolts (i think). Remove them. The covers aren't sealed or airtight or anything, so don't worry.
With the covers off, you see the belt. There's the crank sprocket at the bottom, the cam sprocket at the top, the water pump on the right, and the tensioner on the left. Loosen the bolt in the middle of the tensioner pulley. Now use your hands or carefully use a prybar to pull the tensioner pulley towards the rear of the car. You'll be fighting the spring. When it's as far as you can go, hold it and tighten that bolt again. The belt should now pretty much just fall off.
Grab your new belt, and put it around all the sprockets just like the old one went. Make sure that both the crank and cam sprockets are matched with their timing marks. They must be exactly right, so be careful. The marks are obvious and hard to miss. Also keep in mind the belt must be tight on the side facing the front of the car, with no slack whatsoever. All the slack must be on the other side, facing the tensioner. When it's ready, loosen that bolt on the tensioner a little bit, maybe half a turn or less. The pulley will press against the belt. At this point the timing marks should still be right, with no slack in the belt. Use a wrench to rotate the crank 720 degrees clockwise. This is the moment of truth. BOTH TIMING MARKS SHOULD BE EXACTLY MATCHED UP, ON THE TOP AND BOTTOM!
If they are, great, tighten that tensioner pulley bolt and put everything back the way you found it. If they don't match, remove the belt and try again.
As I said before, assuming you have some mechanical skill, you'll see what has to be done once you have the timing cover off. This is really one of the easiest motors to change the belt on, so don't worry too much. If it's your first time, alot a full day for the job. Again, I HIGHLY reccomend the use of air tools. It will reduce what is normally a rediculous, several hour struggle to remove the crank pulley to a matter of 5 seconds. With the money you save not paying a mechanic to do this job, you can buy yourself a compressor and some impact tools. You may be able to rent an electric impact gun, too.
Hope this helps a bit.
EDIT: Dsmjeffro I just read your post, you make a good point. I don't suggest messing with the balance shaft belt, because that can certainly happen easily. Most people never replace that as preventative maintenance, since the worst that happens if it breaks is you get vibration, which tells you it broke. Also I noticed you're in Lindenwold and a service writer-- Where at? I'm a tech at Runnemede Toyota.
Last edited by mcgarvey; Jan 18, 2008 at 07:16 PM.
Newbie
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 5
Likes: 0
From: US
I just bought an 02 lancer ES, getting ready to change this timing belt with 105k on the stock one. To my knowledge its never been changed by the first owner.
I called my local dealership and they priced the following:
Water pump $143.66
Timing belt $105.00
Timing belt tensioner $57.19
Labor and parts to change it all out: $479.95
I added up those same parts from a local auto parts store $200 (instead of almost $300 from dealership)
I'm pretty sure I couuld do the job myself, seems simple enough. Thing is, I work two jobs (one of which is 7 days a week) and I'm not sure I could take the car down, switch the parts, and have it back on the road in time to go back to work.
Question 1) Do you think its worth it to buy the parts from the dealership vs. the local auto parts store? I guess seeing as how those factory parts lasted this long, I might could see spending the extra $$ to get
parts.
Question 2) Are the bolts going to the water pump protruding into any water jacket holes in the block?
Question 3) Are the seals/gaskets on the timing cover reusable or should I get new ones?
Thanks for the help!
I called my local dealership and they priced the following:
Water pump $143.66
Timing belt $105.00
Timing belt tensioner $57.19
Labor and parts to change it all out: $479.95
I added up those same parts from a local auto parts store $200 (instead of almost $300 from dealership)
I'm pretty sure I couuld do the job myself, seems simple enough. Thing is, I work two jobs (one of which is 7 days a week) and I'm not sure I could take the car down, switch the parts, and have it back on the road in time to go back to work.
Question 1) Do you think its worth it to buy the parts from the dealership vs. the local auto parts store? I guess seeing as how those factory parts lasted this long, I might could see spending the extra $$ to get
parts.Question 2) Are the bolts going to the water pump protruding into any water jacket holes in the block?
Question 3) Are the seals/gaskets on the timing cover reusable or should I get new ones?
Thanks for the help!
A water pump at the local auto parts store where i live was only $50, i also got a Gates high performance belt for about $50 also...not sure about the tensioner but the first two things you could def get on your own for cheaper.
Evolving Member
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 386
Likes: 3
From: South Jersey
Don't try to rush the job, you could mess up your engine big time. Plan on borrowing a car for at least a day, or arrange alternate transportation. The biggest hassle will be removing the crank pulley, so try to do that first before you get in too deep.
To answer your questions:
1. It's up to you whether to buy the OEM parts. I personally believe they are a rip off at that price and are not much better quality than a comparable aftermarket replacement. If you are extremely concerned about the quality of the belt, buy a Gates Racing timing belt (Approx $50-- still cheaper than OEM). Gates also produces a tensioner that seems to be of very high quality. As far as water pumps go, just avoid remanufactured and make sure that whatever you get is a new part. Nearly every water pump out there will last you 100k miles if your cooling system is properly maintained. Premature water pump failure seems to occur almost exclusively on cars that do not have their coolant changed yearly. Just go for whatever aftermarket pump you can find that is new and not rebuilt.
2. That's a good question and I honestly don't remember. Pick up a tube of threadlocker just in case.
3. The timing cover is not really "sealed" in the true sense of the word. It has little foam rubber trim pieces around the covers to act as a moisture shield. They are reusable, don't even worry about them. If you wanted, you could run the engine with no timing cover at all. Those seals don't really do much of anything.
I know you want to do the job right the first time, a view I share with you, but you really don't need to worry about it that much. Contrary to popular belief, timing belts do not usually break except under extreme abuse-- even with 100k or more miles. The tensioner bearing often fails long before the belt. I have changed probably hundreds of timing belts in my career and it always appears this way. Also, timing belts and water pumps on lancer are extremely straightforward to replace and if your water pump develops a shaft seal leak in another 50k miles, it's not the end of the world. Others will insist on OEM parts but I fail to see the point. I really don't believe that the additional price is worth it.
Check out rockauto.com for good deals on aftermarket parts. Avoid mitsubishiparts.com-- they take forever to get even the most routine parts and to them, customer service doesn't seem to exist.
To answer your questions:
1. It's up to you whether to buy the OEM parts. I personally believe they are a rip off at that price and are not much better quality than a comparable aftermarket replacement. If you are extremely concerned about the quality of the belt, buy a Gates Racing timing belt (Approx $50-- still cheaper than OEM). Gates also produces a tensioner that seems to be of very high quality. As far as water pumps go, just avoid remanufactured and make sure that whatever you get is a new part. Nearly every water pump out there will last you 100k miles if your cooling system is properly maintained. Premature water pump failure seems to occur almost exclusively on cars that do not have their coolant changed yearly. Just go for whatever aftermarket pump you can find that is new and not rebuilt.
2. That's a good question and I honestly don't remember. Pick up a tube of threadlocker just in case.
3. The timing cover is not really "sealed" in the true sense of the word. It has little foam rubber trim pieces around the covers to act as a moisture shield. They are reusable, don't even worry about them. If you wanted, you could run the engine with no timing cover at all. Those seals don't really do much of anything.
I know you want to do the job right the first time, a view I share with you, but you really don't need to worry about it that much. Contrary to popular belief, timing belts do not usually break except under extreme abuse-- even with 100k or more miles. The tensioner bearing often fails long before the belt. I have changed probably hundreds of timing belts in my career and it always appears this way. Also, timing belts and water pumps on lancer are extremely straightforward to replace and if your water pump develops a shaft seal leak in another 50k miles, it's not the end of the world. Others will insist on OEM parts but I fail to see the point. I really don't believe that the additional price is worth it.
Check out rockauto.com for good deals on aftermarket parts. Avoid mitsubishiparts.com-- they take forever to get even the most routine parts and to them, customer service doesn't seem to exist.
Newbie
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 5
Likes: 0
From: US
Thanks for the help guys. I went ahead and ordered some parts online from partsamerica.com for $165 and went ahead and did the 2-day priority shipping to get them here before the weekend. Gonna borrow my buddies air compressor and impact to help speed the process.
In the past week I've ordered new serpentine belts, spark plugs, wires, 02 sensor, air filter, pcv valve, front brake pads, valve cover gasket (was leaking), and changed the oil/oil filter. Gotta have this thing reliable as possible since its my daily driver.
I know the previous owner had the transmission fluid changed last year, and I have receipts showing they changed the oil pretty religiously every 3000. I'm hoping I can get another 200k out of this thing.
In the past week I've ordered new serpentine belts, spark plugs, wires, 02 sensor, air filter, pcv valve, front brake pads, valve cover gasket (was leaking), and changed the oil/oil filter. Gotta have this thing reliable as possible since its my daily driver.
I know the previous owner had the transmission fluid changed last year, and I have receipts showing they changed the oil pretty religiously every 3000. I'm hoping I can get another 200k out of this thing.
Evolving Member
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 386
Likes: 3
From: South Jersey
I realize your parts are already ordered, but just to add to the base of knowledge on this forum: All Mirage 1.8 timing components are fully compatible with our lancer engines. Water pumps too. Because the Mirage has been around longer, aftermarket manufacturers seem to have a bigger selection for it. When looking for parts for my Lancer, I usually do a search for the same parts for a 99 Mirage 1.8 and check if anything additional is listed.
Just wondering, what brand water pump did you get?
Just wondering, what brand water pump did you get?
Newbie
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 5
Likes: 0
From: US
Got a head start on the project this weekend. I started to change the brake pads and found the rotors to be toast. Too thin to get them turned.
Anyone know what size socket is needed to get that crank pulley off? Biggest I had was a 21mm.
Thanks for the help.
Anyone know what size socket is needed to get that crank pulley off? Biggest I had was a 21mm.
Thanks for the help.
Last edited by 02 Lancer Guy; Apr 6, 2008 at 06:56 PM.
Not sure on the size, but next time you order car parts...check out this gem of a site! www.mr-auto-parts.com GL!
Newbie
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 5
Likes: 0
From: US
Hey guys, finished up the timing belt install. I went to Sears and bought a Craftsman 26 gallon air compressor for $288 and it came with a set of air tools. I also purchased a set of impact sockets for about $90 (needed a 22mm and no other set that I could find had one this size, and I couldn't find one by itself in that size, either). Unfortunately, the 1/2" drive air impact couldn't break loose the crank pulley bolt, and thats when I realized it was only rated at 200 ft lbs of torque. I went back to Sears and saw one rated at 300ft lbs for like $40, but for around $80 I got one rated at 400 ft lbs. If I were to do it over again, I would have just purchased the bigger compressor (33 gallon) for the same price as the 26 gallon, only it doesn't come with the air tool kit. Live & learn I guess.
Anyway, the impact rated at 400 ft lbs broke it loose in a split second and following the step by step instructions from mcgarvey, it was pretty straight forward. I ended up spending about $100 more than the dealership wanted for parts and labor, but I have some kick *** new tools for the garage to show for it. (not to mention the knowledge I gained from doing it myself)
Oh yeah, that 106k belt looked almost new! (Wasn't missing any teeth, just had one worn spot on the outer edge)
I don't know if there is a limit to the # of attachments I can post up here, but I took some pics for those of you that were contemplating doing it yourself.
Anyway, the impact rated at 400 ft lbs broke it loose in a split second and following the step by step instructions from mcgarvey, it was pretty straight forward. I ended up spending about $100 more than the dealership wanted for parts and labor, but I have some kick *** new tools for the garage to show for it. (not to mention the knowledge I gained from doing it myself)
Oh yeah, that 106k belt looked almost new!
(Wasn't missing any teeth, just had one worn spot on the outer edge)I don't know if there is a limit to the # of attachments I can post up here, but I took some pics for those of you that were contemplating doing it yourself.