New timing belt, dealer installed, wallet squeals like a pig

[RacerX]

I dropped over $1400 earlier this week for a new timing belt installed by a local Chevy dealer. Granted, this included the tensioner and pulley and few other little things (valve cover gaskets, injecter o-rings, one new injecter, had them install the rear sparkplugs and wires for me since they had the plenum off), but it's still an "ouch".

 

Further putting a hurt on me, I drive off with it and the low-end felt weak as hell. I'm thinking at this point "Oh no. I've read stories about people getting their timing belt replaced at a dealer and the low-end is gone afterward!" At this point I start talking to myself (I'm not crazy, just an ex-machinist) and come to the conclusion that the computer just needed time to adjust to the new characteristics of the engine (less slop in the cam timing, etc.). So, I just procede to drive it like I normally do, but keeping it away from PE and WOT as much as possible to keep it in closed-loop mode. Sure enough, it started coming back after about 30 minutes, and the low-end shortage was gone after hour.

 

It's definitely faster now then before I had the work done, except today at lunch time when it was stricken by a misfire caused by the dampness of melting snow. It's been doing this for a while now, and I was waiting to see how new plugs and wires (Rapidfire plugs and stock GM wires) would do. Obviously, it's not them, so my attention is focused on the ignition coils, for which I plan to swap out the Jacobs coils in favor of the original GM coils this weekend. If that doesn't work, I'll be talking to myself again.

 

By the way, I think the original timing belt held up fairly well, lasting me over 88,000 miles. It was about 1/8" thinner and developing cracks all over the place, so I got nervous and made the decision to keep the car and get it fixed.

[z34_nut]

[Canada]

Don't go with aftermarket coils......even the *performance* models......either keep what you have, replace with Delco, or get it properly diagnosised before you start shotgunning parts.

[RacerX]

Well, I have Jacobs coils on it now, and I still have the original GM coils, so there's no cost to me to go blind on that one.

[Guest Anonymous]

I dropped over $1400 earlier this week for a new timing belt installed.

 

Been there. It sucks. ESPECILLAY when the car is gone for two weeks and you have no other car to get to/from your full time job.

[J]

I dropped over $1400 earlier this week for a new timing belt installed by a local Chevy dealer..

AHHHHHH i could of had it done at my buddies shop for less than half that!!!!!! with the tensioner and pulley. OUCH!!!! Good to see you taking care of it though

[Andrew]

Don't go with aftermarket coils......even the *performance* models......either keep what you have, replace with Delco, or get it properly diagnosised before you start shotgunning parts.

 

I knew about those Accel coils sucking, but what about MSD, particularly the blaster's for my car. are they any good??

 

:EDIT: Nevermind, just read another post that answered this question :/EDIT:

[GP1138]

Buying aftermarket coils for our cars is basically wasting money. The stocker AC Delco coils make plenty of spark, and are plenty durable. Just like stock plugs and wires are the best for our vehicles.

[RacerX]

The MSD coils might be good, but from now on it's all GM ignition compontents for me. As for the Jacobs coils, they look like stock coils, which is likely why the dealer didn't comment on them like they did when I had Accel coils. And until I swap the coils and see how it fairs for a week or so, I'm not going to say anything bad about them. There might well be something else wrong with it.

[Turbocharged400sbc]

ow! looks like a big hit for a T belt but then you had the other stuff and parts! if you know the quick way you can do the Tbelts on the 3.4LDOHC in less than 4 hours easy. I went used car shoping for a friends brother and got him a great deal on a 93 Grandprix with the DOHC with a pretty good oil leak at the rear heads Cam housing gasket where high pressure oil goes to the cam journals etc. car is in great shape (9.5 outa 10) so soon I will be taking her down to the block and going through the heads, intake and exhaust manifolds, along with any other maintance (one sqeaky rear strut mount thats it! and maybe a tbelt, oil pump drive Oring and WP etc) that is needed, got the price down to 2000$ with an imaculate interior!

They are great cars and great engines! just alittle expensive if you cant do the work yourself lol

unless your running boost or Nitrous you do not need a hotter spark than what factory ignition components can deliver, was the car missfiring at startup or after you started driving for a bit in the snow/wet weather? it is possible that one of the delco wires is faulty, or a plug ceramic got a small crack in it during instalation.

since you have the coils throw them on and see if that fixes the problem, but remember if voltage leakage is the problem you may still need to replace parts that have carbon tracking on them, or the voltage will still find a way to ground.

 

I would recomend spraying everything down with soapy water before doing the coils and with a friend loading up the engine in D or R you will see a lightshow (dark garage helps!) where your ignition voltage is leaking.

The 3.4LDOHC can leak voltage on the portion of the ignition cables/wires that are inside the head/cam carriers so dont rule this out. I have had brand new wires be faulty before even AC Delco's.

 

Good luck with the diagnosis!

 

regards James

[dsgrntld187]

Ouch, is that how much it costs to replace the t-belt on a LQ1? It cost me 550 to do mine on my Talon. The timing and balance shaft belt, new head/valves, everything 550. I was hoping maybe an LQ1 would be like that

[paulo57509]

Racer, I like your topic heading. I read it aloud to the guys here at work and we all cracked up.

[HokemBokem]

Damn 1,400 just for timing belt and some other small things? :shock: :shock: :shock:

 

 

It cost me almost that to have my engine rebuilt. I didnt know it was so much work to replace the timing belt on those things.

[RacerX]

unless your running boost or Nitrous you do not need a hotter spark than what factory ignition components can deliver, was the car missfiring at startup or after you started driving for a bit in the snow/wet weather? it is possible that one of the delco wires is faulty, or a plug ceramic got a small crack in it during instalation.

since you have the coils throw them on and see if that fixes the problem, but remember if voltage leakage is the problem you may still need to replace parts that have carbon tracking on them, or the voltage will still find a way to ground.

 

I would recomend spraying everything down with soapy water before doing the coils and with a friend loading up the engine in D or R you will see a lightshow (dark garage helps!) where your ignition voltage is leaking.

The 3.4LDOHC can leak voltage on the portion of the ignition cables/wires that are inside the head/cam carriers so dont rule this out. I have had brand new wires be faulty before even AC Delco's.

 

Good luck with the diagnosis!

 

regards James

 

The plugs and wires are all new, and this problem predates their installation. One thing I noticed, though, is there's a bit of grime and oil residue on and around the coils and ICM, which may be contributing to this problem. Obviously I'll have to clean that mess when I swap the coils.

[Turbocharged400sbc]

Thats sounds like a good starting point! spray her down with soapy water and load it up in gear and see where the light show is...

 

good luck, James