98 4.0 Timing Belt Replacement Cost
#1
98 4.0 Timing Belt Replacement Cost
Hi,
I need to decide tonight if I am going to drop some cash on a 98 Ranger with the 4.0 tomorrow. I believe it is due for a new timing belt- preventative maintenance- and its not something I am ready to attack myself.
With that said- about what can I expect a shop to charge me for this?
I ask so I can factor it into my estimation of the vehicles value/price.
Note: I specifically withheld all the juicy details about the truck so as not to derail you guys! I will tell all about the ride once I feel good about the timing belt question. :) BAIT!
Thanks,
B
I need to decide tonight if I am going to drop some cash on a 98 Ranger with the 4.0 tomorrow. I believe it is due for a new timing belt- preventative maintenance- and its not something I am ready to attack myself.
With that said- about what can I expect a shop to charge me for this?
I ask so I can factor it into my estimation of the vehicles value/price.
Note: I specifically withheld all the juicy details about the truck so as not to derail you guys! I will tell all about the ride once I feel good about the timing belt question. :) BAIT!
Thanks,
B
#2
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#7
Right right. I am looking for the "drop it off at a shop that isn't a dealer" price- rough estimates are fine.
I am not sure if I will do it myself or not- but I want to get a sense of the reasonable max price so I can factor it into if I should buy the rig or not. I *love* the truck and it is in great shape- but the miles are high and this hasn't been done.
I am not sure if I will do it myself or not- but I want to get a sense of the reasonable max price so I can factor it into if I should buy the rig or not. I *love* the truck and it is in great shape- but the miles are high and this hasn't been done.
#8
#9
The guy was pretty reasonable and what I am thinking is I would like to get the price adjusted to cover the work (or some part of it) as the truck is right at my budget limit. This is why I just need a rough figure. If the work might cost 750, I'd try to get at least 500 off... If the work would be less than 250 I probably won't worry about it...
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#16
Oh man, that is awesome news.
Well, given that... And given that I am ready to pull the trigger after one more daylight looksee tomorrow- any last minute "make sure to check this" thoughts?
I drove it and it drove very well and felt very torquey at the low end- it did feel like it lost steam around 4k... It didn't feel like there was anything wrong- more like the motor was just designed to pull more at lower RPM- but maybe I was feeling what I wanted to feel?
Thanks again guys!
Well, given that... And given that I am ready to pull the trigger after one more daylight looksee tomorrow- any last minute "make sure to check this" thoughts?
I drove it and it drove very well and felt very torquey at the low end- it did feel like it lost steam around 4k... It didn't feel like there was anything wrong- more like the motor was just designed to pull more at lower RPM- but maybe I was feeling what I wanted to feel?
Thanks again guys!
#17
I drove it and it drove very well and felt very torquey at the low end- it did feel like it lost steam around 4k... It didn't feel like there was anything wrong- more like the motor was just designed to pull more at lower RPM- but maybe I was feeling what I wanted to feel?
Thanks again guys!
Thanks again guys!
#18
The 4.0 has a timing chain, as mentioned earlier. Always has. It's a no-maintenance item for most folks unless you get really really high in mileage. Forget about it.
Timing belts really were a trend started by the Japanese automakers in the 1980's and 1990's and the trend has been toward chains and away from belts for the better part of the last decade. In general, they went to them because they're quieter than a chain, cheaper, and it allows a regular interval for seal and water pump replacement. The replacement of a timing belt is very expensive on front-wheel drive vehicles due to the sideways layout of the motors. It's less of an issue on longitudinally mounted motors because there's plenty of space, but you basically have to tear off the front side of the motor...it's a huge operation on any car and I wouldn't charge less than $500 even on the easiest car...some cars (specifically FWD luxury cars from Lexus, Audi, etc.) the cost can be $1500 for a simple change of the belt due to the hours required. Be glad you don't have one.
With a chain, though, no one ever changes their water pump or their seals so the engine will blow because of overheating or will just start leaking until the person gets rid of it for fear of a $1200 timing belt job. It's a crap shoot, but in general, you'll get more years of trouble and maintenance free life from your vehicle with a CHAIN than a belt...no worrying about changing a belt every 60,000 miles. If you ignore the belt, it will eventually start stretching, screwing up the timing, running poorly, and eventually it will snap. Depending on the motor, that could mean the engine just stops (non-interference engine) and you're broken down or it means the engine is blown (interference engines) from the valves impacting. And it's not like the dealers are screwing people over badly...these jobs take 10 hours sometimes and are a huge mess with so many bolts and screws...it's really a lot of patience and organization. After doing a few of them, it becomes easier.
With a chain, the tensioners can go bad eventually, but the chain is pretty much good for the useful life of the vehicle...don't mess with it unless it's messing up on its own. Chains wear out slowly. I've never had to change on on any car that had them. My 1993 Nissan 240SX has a chain and I had to replace a chain guide on it, but never the chain itself...and it's 17 years old now and just shy of 200k miles.
My 1999 4Runner had a timing belt and it required changing every 60k miles...$550 including seals and a new water pump...that's about the cheapest and easiest timing belt change you can imagine...rear wheel drive, lots of room. A timing belt significantly increases the cost of ownership of any vehicle and I won't own a car with one, quite frankly. I'm done dealing with that nonsense.
Timing belts really were a trend started by the Japanese automakers in the 1980's and 1990's and the trend has been toward chains and away from belts for the better part of the last decade. In general, they went to them because they're quieter than a chain, cheaper, and it allows a regular interval for seal and water pump replacement. The replacement of a timing belt is very expensive on front-wheel drive vehicles due to the sideways layout of the motors. It's less of an issue on longitudinally mounted motors because there's plenty of space, but you basically have to tear off the front side of the motor...it's a huge operation on any car and I wouldn't charge less than $500 even on the easiest car...some cars (specifically FWD luxury cars from Lexus, Audi, etc.) the cost can be $1500 for a simple change of the belt due to the hours required. Be glad you don't have one.
With a chain, though, no one ever changes their water pump or their seals so the engine will blow because of overheating or will just start leaking until the person gets rid of it for fear of a $1200 timing belt job. It's a crap shoot, but in general, you'll get more years of trouble and maintenance free life from your vehicle with a CHAIN than a belt...no worrying about changing a belt every 60,000 miles. If you ignore the belt, it will eventually start stretching, screwing up the timing, running poorly, and eventually it will snap. Depending on the motor, that could mean the engine just stops (non-interference engine) and you're broken down or it means the engine is blown (interference engines) from the valves impacting. And it's not like the dealers are screwing people over badly...these jobs take 10 hours sometimes and are a huge mess with so many bolts and screws...it's really a lot of patience and organization. After doing a few of them, it becomes easier.
With a chain, the tensioners can go bad eventually, but the chain is pretty much good for the useful life of the vehicle...don't mess with it unless it's messing up on its own. Chains wear out slowly. I've never had to change on on any car that had them. My 1993 Nissan 240SX has a chain and I had to replace a chain guide on it, but never the chain itself...and it's 17 years old now and just shy of 200k miles.
My 1999 4Runner had a timing belt and it required changing every 60k miles...$550 including seals and a new water pump...that's about the cheapest and easiest timing belt change you can imagine...rear wheel drive, lots of room. A timing belt significantly increases the cost of ownership of any vehicle and I won't own a car with one, quite frankly. I'm done dealing with that nonsense.
#19
Right right. I am looking for the "drop it off at a shop that isn't a dealer" price- rough estimates are fine.
I am not sure if I will do it myself or not- but I want to get a sense of the reasonable max price so I can factor it into if I should buy the rig or not. I *love* the truck and it is in great shape- but the miles are high and this hasn't been done.
I am not sure if I will do it myself or not- but I want to get a sense of the reasonable max price so I can factor it into if I should buy the rig or not. I *love* the truck and it is in great shape- but the miles are high and this hasn't been done.
If you guessed the 430$ quote was from ford you were right! they gave me the best price, so i ended up doing it myself with a buddy on a sunday afternoon.
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