preventative maintenance

J

jmailhot

New member
heres a friendly reminder for you all to do preventative maintenance.

I had just started a trip from maine to minnesota in my 2000 RS. I was fairly confident that everything was in good mechanical condition. However, 180 miles into the trip, on 495 in Mass, at 75 mph, 5:00 traffic, my engine stops!!!

I manage to get to the side of the road, wait forever for a tow, and find out that a tensioner pulley bearing kicked the bucket. The cranckshaft position sensor looks like it got shot with a pellet gun!

I wish that the last time I had my timing belt cover off that I would have changed the pulleys, maybe the water pump etc... instead of giving a butt load of cash to some lame garage in Milford!!

p.s. thanks shorty for answering my questions and looking up part numbers when I was in a pinch

 
that's worse than we were thinking though. Hope it's done/getting done soon. How many miles are on the car, if you don't mind.

 
140k

I bought it used at 90k, no hard copies of maintenance records, just the dealers word that everything was up to par.

 
did the timing belt slip??? if so that's super bad ju ju

im sorry man
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140k

I bought it used at 90k, no hard copies of maintenance records, just the dealers word that everything was up to par.
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I bought a car that the used car dealer said was up to par also. The noise that was present from the day I bought it turned out to be a wheel bearing. Which destroyed a hub. I also ended up having a head gasket done, and something about the tensioner or guide bearing? and/or seal.

Before anybody spends money on mods, they should have the car gone over and fix the stuff that really needs it.

 
at 140k, you can expect to start seeing failures like that tensioner. they're not unusual, certainly not something to blame a used car dealer for!

the way to spot bad tensioners is to run the car until fully warm, like a 20-mile highway jaunt. then pull over and shut car down. feel the pulleys and tensioners (carefully) they may be quite hot, but shouldn't be noticeably hotter than surrounding parts. if one pulley or tensioner is hotter than others on same system, then it's suspect. if heat is more towrd center of pulley, then it's def toast, or will be soon.

replacement before failure is ALWAYS cheaper than replcement afterward....that's why it's called "preventive" maintenance!

 
work done.

back on the road.

The idler pulley that has teeth fragged and sent molten bearing material every which way. I had the shop replace all 3 idlers and the tensioner, that was expensive!

I drove through the night to Ohio with dim headlights because I have a shitty alternator! that's an easy fix, I'm on my way to advance now.

 
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