timing belt replacement
 

Hi,
Is anyone familiar with timing belt replacement on Elantra GT 2004? Does the motor need to be lifted and if not what needs to be removed besides alternator, air con-pum and belts?

Is this too much of a challenge for a weekend mechanic?

Thanks in advance,

Gerry

RE: timing belt replacement
 

Hyundai very cunningly designed the right engine mount to fit in the center of the timing belt arc, so you will need to support the engine weight and remove the mounting bolt from the body side, to get the old belt off and the new on. Its not a huge job to replace the belt, but plan on the better part of a day, theres a number of bolts close to the bodywork. http://www.hmaservice.com shouldgive you the details for replacing the belt.

RE: timing belt replacement
 

From another forum:

OK, so i decided to change my timing belt on my 02 Elantra GLS this past weekend as I am at 94,000 miles and had never changed any of the accessory belts let alone the timing belt. I decided I would change all three accessory belts (Power Steering, Air Conditioning and water/Alternator), the timing belt, the timing belt tensioner, and the water pump if I was going to have everything apart anyway. This should ensure I will not have to go back in there until I get rid of the car (should go another 94,000 miles). Note to those who would say I was negligent in not changing the timing belt sooner, belt wear is most often associated with age rather than mileage. Since recommended belt change is at 60K miles which based on the average driving rate of 12K miles a year, a timing belt should last 5 years regardless of mileage. (My belt still looked in great shape when I took it off).

I bought all Hyundai OEM parts which cost about 250 bucks from my dealer for the water pump, gasket, timing belt, tensioner, and three accessory belts. OEM is more expensive but nothing beets OEM in terms of guaranteed fit and function...they designed the car after all.

To anyone debating whether they can do this themselves, if you can turn a wrench and take your time, you can do it. This was by far the biggest job I have ever done and I only had hand tools (no air tools) and I was able to do this with only a few snags. Took me a day and a half to finish the job. This included stopping to celebrate St. Patricks day with some green beer and also replacing a wheel stud that broke off when removing the tire (Thanks to Dennis Hyundai of Dublin for crossthreading the damn lugnut when they did my alignment last month....F___kers!)

There have been several other installs posted so I'll hit the highlights (snags) of my experience and try to provide some tips.

1. Take your time and remove as much stuff as you can. It will take some extra time but the extra space to work in will make the actual timing belt job easier and quicker. I took out the entire radiator assembly (I had to drain coolant for the water pump any way) and the Alternator. I unbolted the P/S pump and pushed it to the side. See the amount of room to work in when this stuff is gone below:
http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/7023/dscn06720yh.jpg
http://img385.imageshack.us/img385/6018/dscn06746ys.jpg

2. Removing the engine mount: You have to remove this anyway in order to change the belt but you can also use this to your advantage. I put a jack with a large baord under the oil pan and took off the mount. However, once the mount is off, you can jack the engine up higher to access things easier such as the water pump pulley bolts or drop it all the way down (to the point the jack no longer supports it...it will not fall) to access the crack pulley easier.

http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/5607/dscn06796xa.jpg
Engine jacked up with Engine Mount Removed


3.First Snag I hit was trying to remove the Crank Shaft Pulley. I was able to get the crank shaft pulley bolt off easily by using this method. Put a socket with a breaker bar on the bolt and lay the breaker bar end on the forward car frame. Pull the Fuel Pump Fuse and quickly crank the engine with the ignition. Since the engine rotates clockwise, it should pop the bolt right out...mine did. However, once the bolt was out, the pulley would not budge off the shaft. After an hour of tugging, pulling, hitting and cursing... I posted in this forum for help and was told to use a pulley puller. Got one the next day and it came right off in two mintues....SWEET! Another tip for the crank pulley is for the reinstallation. Fitting the pulley back on the shaft can be tight. If you soak the pulley in hot water for 20 minutes prior to installing, it will expand enough that putting it back on the shaft and lining it up with the key will

RE: timing belt replacement
 

5. Water Pump: This is such an easy thing to do while everything is opened up, it would be stupid not to do it.Once all the bolts are removed, just tap it with a hammer and it will begin to pop off. Have a bucket handy as the coolant that is trapped in the engine will drain right down the side of the engine. The old pumped looked in good shape but I'm sure it would not last another 94K miles. Use a drill with wire brush or dremel with similar attachment to remove old gasket material...this is important for good seal. Use permatex on both sides of the new gasket. This job is a piece of cake if you already have everything else opened up for the timing belt.

http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/2059/dscn06848nq.jpg
Coolant draing from Pump

http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/3362/dscn06850hm.jpg
Old and new pumps (new pump on right)

http://img452.imageshack.us/img452/489/dscn06871yb.jpg
Mounting surface before removing old gasket

http://img452.imageshack.us/img452/2862/dscn06909zl.jpg
Pump and new timing belt installed

Everthing went back together as easy as pie. I would definately try this again if I have another vehicle requiring this.

RE: timing belt replacement
 

Very good detailed how-to [sm=smiley20.gif]

RE: timing belt replacement
 

Yeah, I snatched it from another forum. The guy who wrote it said to share it as necessary.

RE: timing belt replacement
 

You fellows: zierk 0310; doohickie and joshewuhhhave been most helpful, and as they say: a picture is worth a 1000 words. I will lock-in a couple ofdays, just in case, and will go at it myself. I'll let you knowhow I managed when completed.

Many tanks,
steppenw7

RE: timing belt replacement
 

Hi Fellows,

As I wrote yesterday, a picture is worth a 1000 words, but post facto and studying the information I came up with a further question. This may sound silly, but whyshould the crank pulley need to be removed? Is it because the water pump is being replaced because, once the tension is off the timing belt it should slide easily off the crank pulley as well as the cam. Am I totally off the track?

Gerry

Tensioner and water pump
 

Can any one please explain me what is Tensioner. I am going to get my timing belt, waterpump, gasket, and three accessory belts replaced tomorrow by a local mechanic. All the parts cost would come up to $200 without tensioner. Will the mechanic charge me extra for the engine coolant as the coolant comes off during the water pump change.how reliable is it to buy parts from advance auto parts and use them in my car as my mechanic buys parts from them. Please advise me accordingly as this is my first car repair and I am trying to get the repair done in a best way.
Thanks!

The tensioner is a spring loaded device that keeps tension on the belt to keep the belt tight. If you are replacing the belt, you should replace the tensioner.