I was on my way to work at 6:30 thismorning and the engine died.:-\

Pulled over and tried the starter,... Cranks ok but sounds different and doesent fire:banghead:

I lifted the hood and removed the Disty cap, cranked the motor again and noticed that it hadnt moved. Grrrr

So i rang mum and i drove her car to work.

 

Is it possiable to re-do the belts while the engine is still in the car or is it easier to remove the engine (my tappet cover gaskets, oil pump and oil pan seals need replacing soon)

 

Looks like I am gonna be driving the Commodore for a short while, (I cant get over how differnt it feels to drive, 3.8ltr V6, a RWD and Power Steering, takes a little getting used to)

 

Cheers

 

 

Gannon

Timing belts can be changed with the engine in the car. It is easier to do them with the engine out of the car but it's not worth pulling the engine if you are going to do just the timing belts. The oil pump seals, came cover gaskets and oil pan can be done with the engine still in the car. You should also consider replacing the water pump and cam seals while you're doing a timing belt replacement.

Bad luck with the timing belt... and having to drive a commodore. The part numbers for new belts (gates) is t299 and t300. They're about $80 (trade). I got a pair of Subaru belts for $100 (trade). So if you can get your Subie dealer to give you trade... because your mate gets stuff at trade (15-20% discount) - you could order in from the U.S. though postage is insane in most cases

 

I just bought the majority of the oil seals + timing belts for around $220, if thats where you want to go. The water pump is not big deal to do later if the bearings are travelling ok. Get a dealer one though, i bought a powermax one and it just doesn't fit in snug with the timing covers like my old Subaru pump did.

 

You also might want to do the PCV valve while you're doing this kind of maintenance. Last time i asked for one it was a 6 week order from Japan so you might want to get onto it quickly, though it won't be a hassle to do with the engine in the car. (if they can't find it tell them to look under the anti pollution section, it took them ages to get it for me)

 

Good luck with it, hope its back on the road soon...