Replacing parts before they fail

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So I got a timing belt job coming up on the Mitsubishi, and got my shopping list together. A lot of the items possibly don't "require" replacement, but I have an OCD and only want to be in there once and forget about it for the next 62,000 miles.

Being this is BITOG, how many people replace wear and tear parts before their time, because they're pulling them off as part of another job or they're just easily accessable? As an example, if I'm replacing a serpentine belt, I replace the tensioner and idler pulley as well, so I don't (hopefully) have to deal with a jammed pulley or loose tensioner down the road that'll probably damage the belt.

If anyone's interested, here's my list:

- Timing Belt
- Crankshaft Seal
- Camshaft Seal
- Timing Belt Tensioner
- Timing Belt Tensioner Spring
- Timing Belt Tensioner TTY Bolt
- Crankshaft Sprocket
- Crankshaft Sprocket Flange
- Coolant Pump
- Crankshaft TTY Bolt
- Crankshaft TTY Bolt Washer
- Serpentine Belt Tensioner/Idler
- Serpentine Belt
- Power Steering Belt
- AC Compressor Belt
- Thermostat
- Radiator Cap
- Coolant
 
That is what I do when getting into something deep as it doesn't take much longer to install the new parts as compared to redoing the labor later.
 
Originally Posted By: Chris142
Why replace the sprockets? Those are normally non wear parts


It's made of softer metal - if it's hard to pull off, it usually breaks. They're not expensive either, so it's good to have one at hand in case the one on there doesn't make it.
 
I agree 100%- replace everything -within reason- that could possibly fail while you are in there.
 
There is no such thing as changing a timing belt before it's time. When it's time comes,, it's too late. They're always a life-limited part due replacement based on either time or mileage.

Change everything in there while you have it apart and always use OEM parts. You'll regret cheap aftermarket on something like this.
 
Similar parts list when I had the indie mech change the timing belt in my 01 Toyota Tundra V8. I don't have to worry about the front cam/crankshaft seals leaking and the water pump failing (original pump was leaking though the weep hole.)
 
How hard is it to replace the alternator?

When I had the timing belt replaced on my oldest daughters Kia van, I did the very thing you're wanting to do, only I told him as well, "while you're in there, replace the alternator" as the alternator is buried deep within the innards of everything else.
 
OCD is best treated *elsewhere*.

I replace things as necessary, or if I'm in there and part of that particular job requires me pulling some other wear item....like if I was in an engine with 75k miles to change a head gasket I'd go ahead and change the H2O pump.

There's no limit to what you can change out, the issue is if you're doing it for you or the car. My experience is that for those who do it for them, they're never really satisfied, anyways.
 
Originally Posted By: Bluestream
Replace the whole car, then you will have everything covered


ROFL. Good one!

Are you doing the timing belt job yourself or are you paying a shop/stealership to do this job? I think you are replacing way too many parts. When I did my own timing belt, I only replaced the T/B, water pump, coolant of course and accessory belts. No issues with either job (I replaced both timing belts in 2010).

If it gives you peace of mind, then do it.

Regards, JC.
 
I have the starter and alternator rebuilt at 60 K and then every 50 K there after.

For the alternator new bearings and brushes.

For the starter new bendix, and brushes. And the groves between the conductive sections of the commutator on the armature get cleaned out, and the holes that the armature shaft goes into get cleaned out and new grease.

Also take a close look at the harmonic balancer to see if the outer section is moving away from the inner section. The rubber between those sections brakes down and the outer section shifts so it is not in line with the proper path for the serpentine belt.
 
Originally Posted By: JC1
Originally Posted By: Bluestream
Replace the whole car, then you will have everything covered


ROFL. Good one!

Are you doing the timing belt job yourself or are you paying a shop/stealership to do this job? I think you are replacing way too many parts. When I did my own timing belt, I only replaced the T/B, water pump, coolant of course and accessory belts. No issues with either job (I replaced both timing belts in 2010).

If it gives you peace of mind, then do it.

Regards, JC.


I agree. I do not even replace the WP unless the bearing feels rough. My experience is limited to Toyota and Honda vehicles, but WP's are almost 100% good for two TB's.
 
Originally Posted By: GreeCguy
How hard is it to replace the alternator?

When I had the timing belt replaced on my oldest daughters Kia van, I did the very thing you're wanting to do, only I told him as well, "while you're in there, replace the alternator" as the alternator is buried deep within the innards of everything else.


Alternator's a snap to replace. Very easy access to it.

Originally Posted By: Noey
OCD is best treated *elsewhere*.

I replace things as necessary, or if I'm in there and part of that particular job requires me pulling some other wear item....like if I was in an engine with 75k miles to change a head gasket I'd go ahead and change the H2O pump.

There's no limit to what you can change out, the issue is if you're doing it for you or the car. My experience is that for those who do it for them, they're never really satisfied, anyways.


I time things out. When I have a job like this at hand, I time it between November - March, otherwise it's too hot to work outdoors on an engine at 120+ F. If I can get stuff out the way now, I won't have to deal with it during the peak of the summer.

You go out for a drive in summer and park your car, it's still too hot to work on 4 hours later.

Originally Posted By: Bluestream
Replace the whole car, then you will have everything covered


I take it you must have been a fan of Obama's C4C then?

Originally Posted By: JC1
Are you doing the timing belt job yourself or are you paying a shop/stealership to do this job? I think you are replacing way too many parts. When I did my own timing belt, I only replaced the T/B, water pump, coolant of course and accessory belts. No issues with either job (I replaced both timing belts in 2010).

If it gives you peace of mind, then do it.

Regards, JC.


I do my own work - I stopped trusting shops and dealers here after they messed up jobs I thought were best left to them. The last time the dealer replaced the timing belt, they never touched the crank seal, because they couldn't remove the sprocket and didn't want to change it. Five months down the road, I got a leaking crank seal that literally cover the belt and everything else in oil - not good.

To give people just a feel of what it's like to operate a vehicle in a dusty 120+ F environment - your rotors will be glazed sooner rather than later, unless you religiously blow them out with compressed air at least once a month. Expect your tensioner/idler bearings to get jammed up with fine sand within a time span of 3 years tops. Regardless of what belt you use, expect cracks to appear on the ribbed side within 2 years. You don't replace your air filter every 3,000 miles, prepare to budget for a new MAF sensor. The same goes for your radiator, which you'll need to either blow out with compressed air and a pressurized water from a garden hose.

The average life expectancy of a vehicle here is about 250,000 km (157,000 mi) before people start rebuilding engines and transmissions. I've got 400,000 km (250,000 mi) on this Mitsubishi on the original drivetrain, granted I did pull the heads to replace the valve guides, which wasn't really required at the time. It also burns no oil between intervals, which is not exactly common for a 6G72 that usually ends up puffing blue smoke out the tailpipe sooner rather than later. I must be doing something right.
 
I'm not sure the thermostat is an interval-replace item only because there are so many junk replacements. You would presumably get a genuine OE one, though.
 
Wow, every 50k? I'm still using the original ones at 303k. Starter makes noise though, it does have a bad bearing now. Some day it will replace it, been a year now.

Originally Posted By: JimPghPA
I have the starter and alternator rebuilt at 60 K and then every 50 K there after.

For the alternator new bearings and brushes.

For the starter new bendix, and brushes. And the groves between the conductive sections of the commutator on the armature get cleaned out, and the holes that the armature shaft goes into get cleaned out and new grease.

Also take a close look at the harmonic balancer to see if the outer section is moving away from the inner section. The rubber between those sections brakes down and the outer section shifts so it is not in line with the proper path for the serpentine belt.
 
When my mom's 1994 Mitsubishi Expo and dad's 1995 Honda Accord had their timing belts changed, the water pumps failed about 20,000 miles later. My parents were again stuck with all that work.

That was many years ago. After many other people suffered this problem, many repair shops would not replace a timing belt without replacing the water pump at the same time.

Replacing the pulleys also makes sense. I once dealt with a Chrysler PT Cruiser that had a pulley fail, then shred the timing belt.
 
Originally Posted By: JimPghPA
I have the starter and alternator rebuilt at 60 K and then every 50 K there after.

For the alternator new bearings and brushes.

For the starter new bendix, and brushes. And the groves between the conductive sections of the commutator on the armature get cleaned out, and the holes that the armature shaft goes into get cleaned out and new grease.

Also take a close look at the harmonic balancer to see if the outer section is moving away from the inner section. The rubber between those sections brakes down and the outer section shifts so it is not in line with the proper path for the serpentine belt.


Must be driving GM vehicles.

290k miles on my factory Honda alt and starter
220k on my factory Yota's
 
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