Do I need to replace timing belt/water pump on a time table if I don't drive much

[pete6032]

2001 Civic. Last timing belt and water pump replacement was at 99,000 in 2012. Currently have 135,000. My maintenance manual says to do the timing belt and water pump every 7 years or every 110k miles. It's close to 7 years now. This is a costly maintenance item so I'm wondering if I really need to do it every 7 years.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Yes. The material ages and cracks.

 

[mindless1]

That depends on how many more years you *hope* to get out of it. If it's only going to be a couple before selling, I'd wait. Then you'd be pissed if it failed before then. If it were newer so not sticking to the maintenance interval detracted from resale value more, I would replace it now.

As far as costly, yeah that's the problem with owning older vehicles unless you DIY most of the repairs. There are videos.

 

[NutBucket]

Just do it. Better safe than sorry.

 

[Aben]

Yes, it's very vital

 

[Jimzz]

I usually go by the 10year/100k for that motor.

If the last job used good parts then its probably still fine. But if they used a gates water pump or Chinese bearings then I would do sooner.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

I had started a discussion in the last month or so suggesting "sub-threads" for new versus used cars. there are a lot of folks here with an obsessive love for their old vehicles, like me. I've known a lot of mechanics who enjoy maintaining their older vehicles. It's a completely different mindset.

I also have a friend with a 2002 Civic, who has no intention of giving it up -- if he can help it. He's in Maryland, and they exempt seniors from rigorous smog-test requirements there. He says he uses a quart of oil every 1K miles, but the Civic runs great.

Old or new or in-between -- it is best to follow the workshop manual schedule for timing belt replacement. You will be sorry if your water-pump wears out, locks up or freezes. The engine could overheat. I'm mostly familiar with '79 through '83 Civics, and the technology has changed a lot since those old days, but a water-pump is not an expensive part, even if the steps required to replace one lead to a few hours in labor charges. Some cars have the waterpump located under the timing-belt cover. Especially in that case, it would be wise to replace the belt and the pump at the same time.

If the timing belt stretches and breaks, you have a 50-50 chance of greater misery, since engine damage can result. Sometimes it happens; sometimes it doesn't. It is therefore a necessary routine replacement expense. My old Trooper requires timing-belt replacement every 60,000 miles. I've got about 32,000 miles left on the previous replacement, and I will adhere to that schedule.

But time as well as miles-driven can take its toll. That's why tire-dealerships will only service tires less than maybe 7 years old, regardless of the mileage on them.

Keeping an old car can seem troublesome and expensive. However -- and I've proven this to myself many times -- if you track the necessary repair and maintenance expenses, just about everything short of an engine overhaul is less expensive than buying a new car because you didn't like shelling out several hundred in repair expenses on the old one. You must, of course, have plans to keep the car for a few more years -- at least -- depending on the particular repair costs.

Sometimes you can spend money on an old car with high hopes, and then find that the expense was "sunk cost" and a loss you would rather have avoided. My 94-year-old Moms bought her Toyota Corolla in 1983, and kept it running tip-top for 33 years. In 2016, we took it in for a tune-up. It seemed that over a two-year period, we'd spent about $1,000 for cumulative repairs that were just plain necessary -- assuming we'd keep the car for a few more years. Afterwards, the car would just "get up and go" -- very peppy. But the mechanic noted that an emission control part's rubber diaphragm had dried out and broken. It would be necessary to have it replaced to get through California emissions test. New ones were no longer available; junk-yard part replacements for something like that would be risky and troublesome; and California was still offering $1,000 for cars in "Cash for Clunkers".

So we just "let go" of a peppy little ride, and put the $1,000 in the bank. I was later informed that -- given the markets for salvage cars -- somebody in another state with less stringent emissions standards was probably driving the Corolla.

 

[squirrel dog]

Pete , how does the car look overall , like nearly new , or like old and worn out ? Same for the interior , good or not so good . ac and heat still work , if it looks good and all the subsystems work I would do the mait on it . You will never get all he money out of it , but you will have dependable transportation .

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Pete , how does the car look overall , like nearly new , or like old and worn out ? Same for the interior , good or not so good . ac and heat still work , if it looks good and all the subsystems work I would do the mait on it . You will never get all he money out of it , but you will have dependable transportation .

I'm on the extreme of this perspective. Here's the short story.

My brother was a chef at a mountain resort and wanted a 4WD vehicle, so my mechanic sold him a '95 Nissan pickup 4WD in 2010. "Mechanic owned; adult-driven" -- the engine had been overhauled, 5-speed tranny fitted with new clutch plate and throwout bearing, new alternator, etc. Doesn't use a drop of oil -- "gits up and goes" -- great for hauling stuff to the landfill and other chores when we need it. It's been driven an average of 1,000 miles per year over 9 years -- 9,000 miles on those parts.

But it looks like a castaway in an Appalachian hoarder's front-yard -- a rust bucket. Paint all oxidized; patches of surface rust on the cab around the sunroof. Rust beginning to form on the edge of the hood.

The developing news: my brother had to retire a year after he acquired the truck -- for medical reasons. Two years ago, diagnosed with a circulatory problem with prospects of amputation for his left foot. See where this leads? He can't work the clutch pedal without real pain and discomfort. I let him use my auto-trans SUV. But we need the truck as a backup ride until I can buy a low-mileage replacement for it with cash up front in about a year or two. I've been eyeing something like a 3-year-old Suburu Forester.

We've been informed that we can get at least $3,000 for the truck because it's a 4WD, but I want to treat the rust and get it painted. MAACO estimates $1,900 for the entire job. I can treat the rust and repaint it myself. I'd done this before, but I don't have a paint-sprayer that's suitable. I can get an Earlex HV5500 for $280 after shipping, and the primer, basecoat and clearcoat -- just enough of two quarts each -- for another $250. After stripping the old paint and prepping the garage, I estimate about 3 to 4 hours and done. Incidentals like drop-cloths, gloves, paint-stripper, thinner-reducer, masking tape -- budget another $100, and I can beat MAACO by nearly $1,300. I already have the necessary respirator and safety glasses.

Meanwhile, the mechanic recommends a new timing belt. $135 for the belt and waterpump kit; labor makes it $600. We'll get more than our money out of it later, considering that we spent $4,000 initially, kept it for 9 years, and the purchase price is no longer relevant.

People either budget periodic vehicle replacement as they manage their money and many in the mainstream will just buy new vehicles. Or, they save the money and adopt this alternative used-car and DIY mindset -- which I've followed a good part of my life. It all boils down to what you want to do with your money, and whether you can do "other things" and suffer the inconvenience.

 

[squirrel dog]

I'd fix it .

 

[BonzaiDuck]

I'd fix it .

Ditto to that. But there are different psychologies about cars and money: someone told me "You need to get a new car" because I shattered the rear window with his old TV when we went over a bump on the way to the recycler. It cost me $300 for the window.

I can see where someone might say "Oh, no! $600 for a new timing belt! I need a new car!" It happens all the time. And -- it's their choice and their business.

 

[truckmech]

You have a great car. I just traded mine in after 320,000 mi. This was the best car I ever owned, and I'm a 40 yr. mechanic. (age 65). The 01 civic hx had the original clutch, starter, alt. ac never touched and still got 43 mpg at trade in. Hated to let it go, but needed a truck. You could push it over the 7 yrs. a little bit but if your keeping it I would change the belt and water pump soon.

 

[zinfamous]

Yes. The material ages and cracks.

this.

there's a reason it's mileage OR years.