Checking timing belt and AC on potential used cars.

I'm in the market for a used car and prefer to throroughly check out a vehicle myself before having a mechanic check it out.

  1. Can you reasonably test an AC system through the temperature of the air blowing out of the vents? If so what temperatures at idle and at- speed should I look for (assuming ambient temperature is above 60 degrees).

  1. Is there signs you can look for on the timing belt to know if it was changed at the manufacturers' specified interval? (on late 90's Hondas, I know it was every 105K).

Thanks

Reply to
techman41973
Loading thread data ...

For your timing belt you can look on it to see if an aftermarket brand has been installed. The best thing to do is have it changed especially if it's an interference motor.

Reply to
m6onz5a

No. You need a gauge. But you can do a quick test to see if it works at all or if it's totally gone, and that's the most important part.

Ask the owner for a maintenance log. If he didn't keep a log, try another car.

You can look at the belt to see if it's cracked or not, but other than that you really don't know. My tendency would be to assume all belts and hoses were bad and need to be replaced, but that's just me.

--scott

Reply to
Scott Dorsey

Yes and no. There is a specific temperature curve for the temperature that should be coming out of the center dash vents based on the outside temp & humidity. It is different for different cars. Along with that, there is a table of pressures you should be seeing at the high and low sides based on outside temp & humidity. There is no simple answer if you ask the question that way.

On the other hand, if its a really hot day when you look at the car and the AC blows cold, its a safe assumption that its working, at least for a while.

A timing belt about to fail can look exactly like a brand new one. If the seller does not offer believable records, the only safe thing is to get it changed.

Reply to
E. Meyer

There are many variables, but less than 50F outlet temp at

1500 rpm is good, assuming you have airflow over the condenser and ambient is less than 100F. Idle temp is often close to outside ambient.

None that I know of. But if it looks frayed or cracked then it needs to be changed asap.

Reply to
Paul

A recently charged A/C may blow cold...for a bit. Closely inspect all A/C hoses and connections, if there is a leak you will see an oil stain, or an accumulation of dust sticking to the oil, whick is a sure sign of leakage.

Unless there are verifiable service records with the car, assume, like others have mentioned, that all belts (including timing) and hoses need to be replaced. HTH, Ben

Reply to
ben91932

One of the guys I know who have pickup trucks, he keeps a long stem temperature gage sticking in one of the airconditioning louvers on the dashboard of his pickup truck.I think it is a temperature gage like the kind some people use in their kitchen for checking the temperature of meat being cooked in the oven. cuhulin

Reply to
cuhulin

HVAC techs use those to check air temp coming out of vents.

nate

Reply to
Nate Nagel

MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.