Timing belt replacement. To water pump or not??

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Johnny248

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Time to change the timing belt on the 08 Spectra 2.0l. Debating whether or not to replace the water pump at the same time. Nothing wrong with the one that is on there now, and just thinking why fix it if it isn't broken? Its an easy enough engine that if for some reason it fails later on, it's not a big deal to go and replace it.

Thoughts?

Also, I generally like the OEM belts just because they have timing marks on them, but I can get a Cloyes or Gates kit with idler and tensioner for less than the OEM belt itself. Does anyone know anything about Hyundai/Kia engines that would be a bad reason not to go aftermarket with it??
 
I replaced the timing belt and plan to replace the water pump at the next change.

Frankly I'd replace with the Gates belt, that's what I did anyway.
 
An Auto 7 part would be from the OE supplier and there's a good chance it would be a genuine Kia part with an Auto 7 sticker on it.
 
Gates kit and bosch waterpump. Cheap and usually better than OEM quality.

My vehicle requires a tbelt every 50-60k... I do a waterpump and tensioner and seals everytime. Why? The same reason I replace the accessory belts at the same time.

Last thing I need is any of the above halting a roadtrip or offroad adventure.

Cheap insurance and a great time to replace Rad hoses and flush cooling system.
 
I did my own belts on my '05 Accent at 70K. Took about 3 hours with little help, and left the original water pump in. I'm at 90K and just inspected recently.
I did the test procedure per spec in the FSM (which is available online), and the water pump had no play, nor any coolant visible on the exterior.

I purchased the Gates full timing kit, which included tensioners, and a GMB water pump. Belt was US-made and bearings were OEM GMB (Korea). Serpentine belts were Bando. Parts in total was under $100.
The original bearings were still good, so I'll save them as backup. Same goes for the new replacement water pump.

I live in Southern Nevada which sees 30-110 degree temp range during the year. Surprisingly, the original belts were only glazed and cracked, but not very brittle nor dried out.
I also own an '09 Elantra Touring with the 2.0 G4GC engine, which will soon be getting the same work done.
 
If the wp is timing belt driven, do you eant the possibility of a siezed wp causing a broken belt and bent valves. ALWAYS replace the wp.
 
Very unlikely a water pump will just fail on you. Just keep an eye on things and when you start seeing coolant than you know its time to change it.
 
I did the timing belt on our Subaru a month ago or so. Got the Gates kit that came with a new water pump. With this particular kit, the Gates belt did have timing marks just like the OEM belt.

As far as whether or not to replace the water pump, if it's really that easy to get to then why not leave the original? Usually they're replaced along with the timing belt out of convenience rather than actual need.
 
It's the same amount of work with or without the water pump. I'm too darn lazy to have the water pump bolts that exposed and not do it. Count me in on the change it side.
 
Originally Posted By: SuzukiGoat
Gates kit and bosch waterpump. Cheap and usually better than OEM quality.


Not by a long shot. The pumps are junk Chinese made with the Bosch name on it. I've seen too many Chinese pumps (of various brands) start leaking shortly after installation, including my own Bosch pump on our Hyundai. I was duped into buying the name, because you know, Bosch is a big respected figure in the industry. Not again.
 
Would this be the first replacement? How many miles are on it? How often has the coolant been changed if ever?

Another thing to consider is if the WP does leak onto the timing belt, you'll have to replace the timing belt again.

Have you searched online Hyundai parts dealerships for the parts? I usually save ~ 40% going that route.
 
Originally Posted By: benjamming
Would this be the first replacement? How many miles are on it? How often has the coolant been changed if ever?

Another thing to consider is if the WP does leak onto the timing belt, you'll have to replace the timing belt again.

Have you searched online Hyundai parts dealerships for the parts? I usually save ~ 40% going that route.


It has about 90k on it. I inspected it about 10k ago and in all honesty the belt still looks perfect. No cracks or wear showing but it's just a preventative thing.

If the pump does go bad at some point, it means doing the job over again. That part is not a big deal for me. I've replaced many timing belts over the years. Mainly on Mitsu engines, and this 2.0l Kia engine is a pretty easy one to work on. I just don't know how I feel about replacing a perfectly good OEM pump that has never failed, and still has 100k + left on it in place of an aftermarket part. Ive had china pumps go bad and leak, as well as reman oem pumps.

I didn't do a lot of searching, but I found the OEM belt for sixty something dollars. When you add idle and tensioner pulleys it starts getting expensive. Throw a water pump on top of it and then, well you know.

I don't know what pump the Gates kit comes with. We used to use a lot of GMB replacement pumps and had very good history with them, but that was also a few years ago. I vaguely remember people complaining of their quality in more recent times.

As far as Auto 7, I've bought parts before from them and they were oem bagged parts.

Going with an A7 Pump and Gates Kit, Im at about $130.
Gates kit w/pump about $101
 
I say that replacement of the water pump is inversly correlated with how difficult of a job it is to get back in there and remove the pump. The easier it is to get at, the less likely I'd replace a working pump on the first TB service.

On my A6, it's about 6 hours working solo to get to the point where I can remove the water pump, so it gets replaced at every TB job. Same for the thermostat. Terrible design to put a $12 thermostat behind all of the accessories and timing belt stuff.
 
Originally Posted By: Johnny248

It has about 90k on it. I inspected it about 10k ago and in all honesty the belt still looks perfect. No cracks or wear showing but it's just a preventative thing.

If the pump does go bad at some point, it means doing the job over again. That part is not a big deal for me. I've replaced many timing belts over the years. Mainly on Mitsu engines, and this 2.0l Kia engine is a pretty easy one to work on. I just don't know how I feel about replacing a perfectly good OEM pump that has never failed, and still has 100k + left on it in place of an aftermarket part. Ive had china pumps go bad and leak, as well as reman oem pumps.

I didn't do a lot of searching, but I found the OEM belt for sixty something dollars. When you add idle and tensioner pulleys it starts getting expensive. Throw a water pump on top of it and then, well you know.

I don't know what pump the Gates kit comes with. We used to use a lot of GMB replacement pumps and had very good history with them, but that was also a few years ago. I vaguely remember people complaining of their quality in more recent times.

As far as Auto 7, I've bought parts before from them and they were oem bagged parts.

Going with an A7 Pump and Gates Kit, Im at about $130.
Gates kit w/pump about $101


Would definitely get on the timing belt replacement (60K recommended, most pre-'12 Hyundai/Kias). Interference engines can be quite a headache when it comes to routine maintenance. Then again, I live in NV where the temp changes can hurt rubber.
Like I posted earlier, I did my Accent at 70K and the original belt still looked good. Water pump was solid so I left it. Any aftermarket parts from GMB, Gates, or Auto7 (repackaged OEM goodness) should last a long time plus have PERFECT fitment.

Try finding the part number for the kit and cross-checking FrugalMechanic.com, RockAuto, or Amazon. No chain stores nearby had the parts in stock, so I ordered from Amazon. Plus I had a $25 gift cert, so that brought the price down even more.
 
I would definitely skip the Gates pump, which will very possibly be a Chinese white-box special. I've read here where the Gates pump in a kit was a no-name Chinese pump. I've also personally purchased a Gates pulley that was no-name Chinese junk and failed very soon. I would trust an Auto 7 pump before a Gates no-name pump tossed into one of their kits. The rest of the kit may be fine, though.

It actually is a tough decision, but I think you're leaning in the right direction. I suppose it all depends on how long you plan on keeping the vehicle. If you're in it for the long haul, replace the pump with a quality unit. If you are going to keep it for just a couple years, maybe consider leaving it.

When I did the belt on the Beetle, I replaced the pump. It had the OE pump with a plastic impeller (not good), and it's a huge job on that car because of the Beetle's stupid shape, so I didn't want to have to redo it.
 
The manual says 60k severe, 90k normal intervals. at 90k the timing belt actually looks fine and really doesn't need to be replaced yet, but I like to maintain vehicles so....

anyway, I found this kit on eBay that says to have Korean made parts. Don't know anything about the brand, but the kit even comes with drive belts for $75 which seems like a steal to me. I'm leaning toward this kit. Korea usually makes some decent parts...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Engine-Timing-Be...fec&vxp=mtr
 
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