Quote:
|
Originally Posted by lvavenger
i've got a 98' 2.0L avenger. i'm in the process of replacing the timing belt and head gasket. how in the hell do you remove the three bolts that hold the plastic and metal piece that covers the timing belt??!?!  the bolts are like 6-7 inches long, and it hits the engine bay wall before it can be removed. i'm guessing the engine has to be dropped or raised completely. is this correct?? it's driving me  |
Don't you love it? I bet that the Dodge engineer that designed this changed his name and moved out of the country because there are a LOT of Avenger owners looking for him. And it's not to buy him a beer.
You are correct; you need to raise the engine. If you're lucky enough to have a hoist, it's not too bad, but a jack and a block of wood under the oil pan will work as well. It helps to unbolt the front engine mount as well (which only takes a couple of minutes). This will allow you to lift the engine enough to clear the TWO front bolts for withdrawal.
The third bolt towards the back is the worst. There's a couple of things you can do. One is to jack the engine high enough, but this is very difficult and may require removing all the engine mounts. (It also puts a strain on some vacuum lines and the throttle cable so you may need to remove them first as well.) The second is to remove the little plastic plug in the fenderwell and maneuver the engine around until the bolt can be withdrawn through it. The third is to carefully cut or drill your own hole in the fenderwell and withdraw the bolt through that. If you do this, be careful of the various pipes (I beleive that they are for the purge system) that might be in the way.
I've done this job a couple of times and ended up cutting a small hole in the fenderwell. Some people think that its a really bad idea to cut into the car like that, but it made the job so much easier I haven't regretted it. YMMV.
Have fun!