but instead i bought almost $400 worth of OEM parts online for my 90,000 mile tuneup.






hopefully it won't rain tomorrow, so i can get this over with.

i'm gonna be changing the:

1. timing belt
2. timing belt tensioner
3. tensioner spring
4. water pump
5. dizzy cap
6. dizzy rotor
7. alternator belt
8. power steering belt
9. AC belt
10. radiator fluid
11. thermostat
12. spark plugs
13. spark plug wires
14. valve cover gasket kit
15. oil and filter
16. radiator fluid
17. oil (duh)
18. cam plug
19. and do a valve adjustment

Phew. I'm tired already... good thing I got a HELMS manual to help me do it.

it would cost me anywhere between $1200 to $1500 to get all this done at the stealership...

 

with that list, i'm surprised that the stealership wasn't going to charge you like 5 grand! lol, i might be in your shoes in about a year or so doing the same.

 

I've got a timing belt change looming in my near future. I took care of some of that other stuff when I bought the car, so I should be good on that for a while. It really needed it, so I figured what the hell.

Good luck on that one. Hope it's clear for you.

 

my car's a 03 sdn lx im about to take it in for an oil change... im gonna tell the guy to do synthetic. i also wanna have him change the break, transmission and power steerin fluid. do i need all this? when should i put in spark plugs? should i get one or all of these done?

 

UPDATE: i didn't even get halfway done today. lol.

i got a late start. then i had to let the engine cool down at my dad's place. then i had to run around and get parts for my uncle's car to change his oil.

after dealing with that, i started taking the engine apart and valve cover off.

to make a long story short. I got the timing belt, timing belt tensioner, tensioner spring, water pump, AC belt, PS belt and alternator belt in today before it got dark.

i woulda got more done but I lost a vital part to the crank pulley (woodruff key) and nobody a replacement. so after driving around for an hour, naturally i found it underneath the car.

so i put most of the engine back together.

tomorrow, i get to do the valve adjustment, change the cam plug, install the valve cover, swap plugs and wires, dizzy rotor and cap, change thermostat, then new oil and coolant... PHEW.

my freakin' knuckles hoight!!1 from all the tight spaces underneath the subframe....

 

BTW, i redid the math. all the stuff i'm doing this weekend woulda probably cost more than $2,000 at the dealership. jeezis.

i shoulda went to auto mechanics school....

 

picking this thread up, can anybody point me to a good precedure for changing timing belt? I am a new guy here, and so far , I havnt found any other posts on this. Im sure they are around, somewhere...........anyway, Thanks in advance!!
Joe

 

buy a manual at your local auto parts store for like $15