300M - serpentine belt (& sway bar update, why no aftermarket service manual, etc)

It is very easy to change while you are having the timing belt changed. 60K seems like an average life for the serpentine belt and is the recommended replacement interval for the timing belt.

The factory service manuals are available for sale to anyone who wishes to buy them. Why one earth would you want crap from Chilton or Haynes when you could have the real thing?

I would replace the antifreeze every two years. Battery is getting a little long in the tooth. If I was driving it I would run it until it quit but if a family member was driving it I would go ahead and replace it. Not sure what the interval is on your plugs.

Steve B.

Umm - no - both my '99 FSM Maintenance Schedule B and the Gates Timing Belt Guide show 100k miles for timing belt interval (actually Gates guide shows 100k, 102k, or 105k depending on year).

Bill Putney (To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my address with the letter 'x')

Yep - so make sure you torque it to spec. I have to wonder if some of the reports of noise from end links is from a nut loosening and that play.

Since you say the bushings are red, I'm guessing they are the aftermarket bushings shown in my initial post in this thread on the 300M Club forums:

are good bushings.

The serpentine belts (2) are usually replaced based on certain criteria (cracks, missing ribs, etc.). FSM Schedule B says to tighten belts every 15k miles (hardly anyone does until they give trouble, i.e., make noise), inspect at 60k miles and replace if necessary. Generally, to replace, the radiator top cross member should be removed to give access to area between front of engine and radiator. Nothing major, but not insignificant either when you're paying someone by the hour to do it.

You should have the tensioner pulleys replaced too. The pulley bearings do go bad - should be considered preventative maintenance to replace those when replacing the belts. (mo' money - mo' money)

I do not like any aftermarket manuals, so I'll stay quiet on that question.

Battery - that's a judgement call, but you're probably due. Do pre-emtively, or wait for it to fail - your call. If you can afford $100-110, consider an Optima or Deka battery primarily due to battery being buried in fender well and a slight PITA to get to - you'd like to replace it and forget it for the remaining life of the car..

Plugs - FSM Schedule B says 100k miles - BUT, judging from my personal experience with my Concorde and that of many on the 300M Club forums, you're definitely better off replacing plugs at 65 to 70k miles. Your fuel mileage and idle and running quality start going down beyond that. Waiting until 100k miles is penny wise and pound foolish IMO.

Coils - No reason to replace those pre-emptively. They don't generally gradually deteriorate - they suddenly fail or get intermittent, and you can't predict which ones will. Wait for them to go bad - not unheard of for them to fail, but I'm at 165k miles on original coils - no reason to replace until/unless they fail.

Rad coolant - FSM says 100k miles. Might ought to consider maybe at 75 or 80k miles. USE **ONLY** G05 TYPE COOLANT. Replace thermostat at same time.

Thermostat is hard to get to (way down low on driver's side of engine), so are headlight bulbs (fascia/bumper must be at least partially removed).

Bill Putney (To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my address with the letter 'x')

I just tightened it to the point where I wasn't breaking the 3/16" socket that kept the bolt from turning.

You would think that at least they'd put some knurling or ridges on the back-face of the nut.

Yes, same exact bushings.

I take it that there is nothing to keep aligned when taking off/putting on the new belt(s) ? (unlike, say, a timing belt or chain).

What - do they squeal? Or seize? Are they a common after-market item?

Not that I want to start a long thread about manuals, but when I bought the 300 I was dead set on buying the FSM. First time I went to the parts dept (to buy the bra, wind deflectors, trunk liner, mud flaps, etc) when I said I wanted the FSM they handed me a pamphlet with a phone number and said to call them. Well, unless it's something I really really need, I'm not going to dick around with a telephone order (I like the instant gratification of actually physically receiving something when I make a decision to buy a discretionary item).

That was 6.5 years ago, and if I had the FSM I can say that I probably wouldn't have cracked it open. And at this point I'm not going to spend $100 for a picture of where the serpentine belt goes.

Regarding battery and coolant (and maybe even the belts) - is it more useful perhaps to consider age (rather than milage)?

That doesn't sound right - whenever I've replaced mine, the clamping friction has eliminated any turning of the stud while the nut was being tightened. FYI the torque for those nuts is 70 ft-lbs - slightly under what you'd use for the wheel lug nuts. If you don't think you hit that, you might want to re-tighten.

Also, if it's the TRW (OEM) type end links (vs. the Moog type), I could have sworn it was a 5/16" (8mm) hex on the stud end).

That would cost too much. :)

That is correct.

Both - more often just noise, but they definitely do occasionally lock up. The belts can make noises that you wouldn't think they would too. Seen a lot of posts on Chrysler/LH forums where replacing belts and idlers fixed peculiar engine noise problems.

Are they a common after-market

Yes - but pay attention as you install - one of the aftermarket pulleys I tried to put on my Concorde had slightly fatter outside dimensions and would have scraped and jammed up against the bracket if I had not been paying attention. A little grinding took care of that.

That's your decision - you have the consequences.

If you have a one-time or medium-term need for info. right out of the FSM, you could spring for a 1 year subscrioption from

That will give your immediate gratification - don't even have to get in your car or pick up the phone.

That's a judgement call on the battery depending on whatever philosophy works for you, one of which might be wait 'til it fails or starts showing signs of getting ready too. On the LH cars, one early warning sign on the battery is that instrument cluster warning indicators start acting flaky. On coolant, be conservative in your decision to replace - when in doubt, replace - again - using G05 only.

Watch for engine cooling fan failure around 80 to 110k miles depending on your climate and driving conditions. They are designed to wear out (bearings, make rattling noise at spin up and spin down, lock up, blow fuses).

Bill Putney (To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my address with the letter 'x')

Another sign of aging battery is the power seats start getting extra slow and noisy moving forward and back with my fat rear end on it.

To check your battery, clean the terminals and cable clamps, then make sure it is fully charged and then park the car. Then run the lights for about 10 min; perhaps a bit longer if it is hot out. If it still starts you have enough reserve capacity to keep it for a bit longer. If it is hard to start or just won't turn over then you lack reasonable reserve capacity and need a new battery before you get stuck. NAPA, Wal-Mart and Sams Club sell good sealed batteries at reasonable prices. Those real expensive batteries you might see with spiral designs, offer no real advantage for the average car owner, in my opinion.

Richard.

By the way, in the 300M if you are not going to install the battery yourself you might just get one from the dealer so it is installed properly. I've seen Sears mess up easy installations. I would not let them try on the

300M.