2001 Neon RT at 90K Miles....timing belt plus....

[beachbrum]

All:

My 2001 Neon RT is slightly over the 90K mark so it's time for me to get rolling on the timing belt replacement.


As I am going to have the timing belt done, and they were going to be in there, I was going to have them also do the following:

Replace Water Pump
Replace Thermostat
Replace Radiator Hoses
Flush Radiator

Besides adding plugs/wires to this, is there anything else suggested at this time frame? Also, am I going overboard on what I want done above?

The other things I had in mind would be any sort of things to inspect for that are not normally in the owner's manual. BTW, brakes, alignment are fine.

Thanks for all your help.....hearing your experiences is always great!

[05hemiregcab]

are you mechanically inclined at all, have the time to do it? Cause alot of that you could do yourself and SAVE alot of money.. I tore a 97 sohc down and had it almost back together in 4-5 hours!

Get the haynes manual and go with it! Your not going overboard.. just being cautious I guess? radiator hoses.. I would say no.. but that is just me.. dont fix something unless it aint broke. Timing belt.. its close to time to change that, waterpump going out can cause more damage than good, so might as well replace them! Thermostat.. and radiator flush.. is the car overheatin or anything? have any problems with it in that aspect.. if not then I would really worry about it.. again that is just me. But if you have the money now and wanna do it.. then go for it!

Other things to check might be the timing belt tensinor (spelling?) pulley. Your regular belts since they will be off! motor mounts.

[beachbrum]

Thanks for the input.

Well, I am somewhat mechanically inclined and would only be a little intimidated by the timing belt. I'd probably be okay with the rest. My main issue right now is a lack of time and I'd figure I'd rather fork over the cash and go with it. This is my rtrusty commuter car and I fully expect 200K or more out of it. But I don't necessarily want to go overboard.

Here was my thought process:

I am at 90K and need my timing belt replaced
Since I am in there, may as well change the water pump.
I have 100K HOAT coolant and figured well this could be a good time to handle that as well
If I have the coolant drained then may not be a bad idea to replace the hoses and thermostat as well.

Car does not over heat at all, again it is the 100K mile mark creeping up.

I am going to get a quote and re-assess what I will or will not do. I am going to pay for the timing belt and H2O pump and then reconsider the rest.

All feedback is appreciated.

Thanks

[beachbrum]

So I got my Neon back. They did the following:

Timing Belt, Water Pump, Timing Belt Tensioner, Spark Plugs, Drain and Refill Coolant, Front Brake Pads and Rotors.

I tell you all, at 90K miles, this car runs about as good as it did when I bought it at 9K miles. It seems to accelerate better, definitely stops better, it even feels like it is shifting better.

Maybe I am getting carried away but the thing runs awesome and I am ready to go another 90K.

Wish I could do this all myself, could of saved some of the $900 I spent.