Elantra 2000, timing belt replacement

Ooo, man, be careful here.

I was once able to change a timing belt on a Korean-built Pontiac. And when the dealer did it, it was a very uncomplicated $70 job. But that engine was not an interference engine, and there was plenty of room to work - you had to move or remove virtually nothing to get to it. I think the same is true of the old VW Fox engine.

But this is an interference engine in a much more cramped area. It will still be easier than some V6's I have had to face, but you have to know what you are doing.

If you don't yet have a free HMA account, get one. All the schematics you need should be in there. In fact, for a job like this, I myself probably wouldn't settle for less than actually buying the Elantra service manual. It makes sure you do the job right.

Also consider changing out the water pump while you are at it. You will virtually have it in your hands to get the belt off, making replacement fairly easy - and about the only time you would want to do it. The part (and necessary gasket) should be able to be had for less than $50, almost as cheap as the timing belt itself, according to my research.

Finally, take a long look at the condition of the timing belt tensioner pulley. Just to be safe, you may want to go ahead and replace it regardless - like the water pump, that is the only time you would ever want to replace that. Some auto parts stores sell a timing belt component kit that has the belt, the pulley, all you need for the job(except the water pump and gasket). I think the security is a small price to pay.

Hope this helps.

I'll just add a little to what the good reverend posted.

Your largest difficulty will be removing the crank pulley bolt. If you have an impact gun or a means to hold the engine from turning, this should not present a problem for you.

This timing belt is one of the easier ones to replace. Since you have timing belt experience, I doubt you'll have much problem. I have no experience with the Fox, however.

And lastly, the timing belt pulleys rarely fail on this engine. But, like Tom says, it's still a good idea to give them a spin and make sure they're okay before installing the new belt.

Thanks for the tips. I will buy an impact wrench, but not sure about the capacity. I have the choice between a 250 feet.pound an a 450. Is the smaller one powerfull an off.

Thanks.

I'd think 250 ft. lb. should be enough, but it's difficult to know for certain without trying to remove the bolt with the wrench. Because of the way impact wrenches operate and are rated, their rating isn't the same as how tight they'll torque a fastener.

Excuse me for being late.

May I suggest a method I used to remove the crankshaft bolt on my 1992 Elantra. I am not sure it is usable on your 2000 Elantra.

First of all, check if the crankshaft pulley turns clockwise when you look at the bolt.

If so, it permits us to use the starter power only: remove the fuse that feeds the engine computer so that there is no more injection nor plug firing.

Use a box wrench, an extension, and a bar (being French-speaking, I do not know the exact words to describe these tools). Make sure the tools are set so that no one will be hurt nor the car will be damaged.

Just turn the ignition key to the starting position for a fraction of a second, and Voil?!

Hopefully it will help you or someone else.

Finally i completed the job, here is a little summary of the main difficulties for a novice:

- I found that the 250 ft.lb impact wrench was powerfull an off to remove the crank bolt. Additionnally the impact ratchett was very usefull to work within the limited space of the motor region.

- Also i made a wood box to support the motor before to remove the motor mount. I did it such that the weight is supported around the oil pan on the screws. The oil pan of this model tend to rust in my region and it may not be able to support this weight.

- To find good visual indications of the Top Dead Center (TDC) the online shop manual was a good help. It was possible to visualize the relative position of the crankshaft pulley and the camshaft pulley at TDC.

- After the timing belt replacement and before to start the motor the most important thing to do is probably to ensure that the motor is at TDC and manually do two complete rotations of the crankshaft pulley (One motor cycle) and check again the TDC.

- Ensure to have the good tork on the idler pulley and tensioner pulley before to reassemble

- Ensure to have the good tension adjustment on the timing belt. This is difficult for a novice that don't have the feeling of what is too tight and not an off tight. The hyundai spec for my model was 4 to 6 mm of deflection with a 2kg push. This was helpfull but here the experience is probably the best friend.

- To finish i found that the bearing of the idler pulley was worn and i replaced this part also. The car actually have 150 000km.

Thanks all.