Reply #13: Some timing belts aren't too hard. Others are terrible. [View All]

[MineralMan]

One of the big problems is that you have to remove so much crap to get to the point where you can remove the cover over the belt. Then...you have to get all that stuff back on correctly. Oddly enough, the manual never seems to cover that very well, and amateur mechanics get themselves in all kinds of trouble when it comes time to reassemble all that crap they removed to access the timing belt cover.

I've done several timing belts, out of necessity due to poverty. I hate that job.

Working on cars used to be fun. I'm an old geezer, and I've done every job there is on a car. In the old days, with the 50s and 60s cars, the backyard or driveway mechanic could take on just about anything, from fixing the brakes to a complete engine overhaul (with the help of the friendly local machine shop). No more. A valve job is out of the question today. In fact, nobody does them any more, almost. By the time a modern car needs a valve job, the cost of doing one is more than the car is worth.

And you'll be down on your knees, praying to whatever deity you prefer, if you need to fix your car's heater. That's run by a computer, too, these days.

I hate cars! I used to love 'em. Now...I just hate them.