Timing belt question

I recently purchased a 2004 Aveo with 68,000 miles. I read on the forums that the timing belt should be replaced between 50,000 and 60,000 miles. I bought the car from a dealer who didn't know if the timing belt had been changed. My question is this: can I remove the upper timing cover without removing a lot of other parts, to check the condition of the belt? The local Chevy dealer quoted a price of $650 to replace the timing belt, tensioner and water pump. I would like to check the timing belt to see if a previous owner has already had the belt replaced, but don't want to remove the crankshaft pulley and a bunch of parts just to check. Any info on how difficult it is to take off the upper timing belt cover would be appreciated! Thanks!

Here is a very helpful tutorial on the steps to take to replace the belt--

http://aveodiy.blogspot.com/

Follow the steps down until you see the exposed belt. You might be able to skip some of the steps since you are not actually taking the belt off.

Good luck. I'd be very surprised if you find the original belt on an '04 with 68k on it.

Hello shilohin,
In my opinion, don't even consider the belt condition. I've seen brand new looking timing belts on Subaru's that have broken right in half. It's the mileage that counts. When in doubt, change it out. The cost of the repair outweigh the damage a broken belt will cause because it's an interference motor.

Toni

But Toni-- what if the belt had been changed at 59,999 miles? It would be a shame to replace everything with only 8,001 miles on it. Since shilohin doesn't know when or if the belt was changed, opening it up to look makes sense. If the belt is less than 10,000 miles old, it should still look pretty new. If it's never been changed, it should look pretty old.

But Toni-- what if the belt had been changed at 59,999 miles? It would be a shame to replace everything with only 8,001 miles on it. Since shilohin doesn't know when or if the belt was changed, opening it up to look makes sense. If the belt is less than 10,000 miles old, it should still look pretty new. If it's never been changed, it should look pretty old. if you replace timing belt change water pump to or if water pump go's bad you'll be tearing it back apart.

1st of all you need a special tool to change belt. the water pump is the tensioner and must be rotated with a special wrench to get tension. Make sure you replace the pump gasket also. becuase it will leak after moving pump. also yes easy access to view belt. there is a plastic cover over top of the cams on pass side. you can pop them off. careful not to break the covers. you might want to take the valve cover off for easy access. you can reuse the gasket as long as it doesnt tear.

also this engine is non interference. which means if you time the engine wrong or if the belt did break the pistons would not hit the valves!

also this engine is non interference. which means if you time the engine wrong or if the belt did break the pistons would not hit the valves!
This is incorrect.

Your timing belt should be replaced every 50-70,000 miles. Carmakers have specified the replacement intervals for timing belts. In order to maintain the mechanical integrity the engine needs to operate, [/URL]engine components must be in precise synchronization. If the timing belt is loose or improperly adjusted, it may "jump time" This results in a loss of synchronization and [URL="http://repairpal.com/engine";] (http://repairpal.com/engine)engine performance.

mcthumber is correct. It is an interference. If you take the 1/2 motor mount off on the engine side you can get a pair of water pump pliers in there to rotate the pump and set the tension on the belt. The special tool is a narrow open end wrench that's 1 and 9/16 inch. It's pricey for what they want -- $40.