Has anyone changed the timing belt on there TJ and done it themselves.. This is more directed at the Mechanically mined or mechanics on the forum.. Is it really a hard job.. ive heard that it involves alot of labour..??

How hard is it really to do..??

What special tools we need(other than us:D)..??



All The Breast
Jason :D

Hey mate
I got a 99 TF magna and i have just had the timing belt changed it was 30000km over due because of the situation of the timing belt and casing it is near impossible to do it without a hoist especially if you are going to change the pulleys as well. i took mine a week after i bought it to a local mechanic and it cost $550 to replace the belt and all pulleys, mind you make sure you shop around becasue i was getting quotes up into the $1200-$1500 TO fix it. It took them a whole day and it isnt really worth doing it urself considering the actually kit for it is about $250

Good Luck

Hoist makes things heaps easier.

that said, same guys just put it up on ramps, undo a couple pf engine mounts, and actually jack the engine up a bit. This opens up a bit of a gap to work in. But yeah, awful job, and not one to be taken lightly. All those timing kits on eBay are there for a reason - i.e. guy buys kit, realises he can't do the work, Mechanic refuses to use supplied parts (as the get a trade discount, so they pocket the profit there too).

If my mechanic refused to use a supplied part, he wouldn't be my mechanic anymore, but I digress....

Make sure you put everything in (full kit is $250 from Repco) and make sure you get ALL oil seals/gaskets etc replaced. A couple on here have not done the oil seals, driven 20km from their mechanic and ended up with the contents of their sump on the road. For under $20, the extra seals certainly give peace of mind.

Also get the water pump checked out (removed and inspected) while they have the timing cover off.

Should be looking at $300 worth of labour.... so anywhere from $500 to $600 would be the price you are after.

Hope it helps ... JASON!