I ran the car on the interstate and everything checks out perfect. I replaced the timing belt, water pump, all four drive belts, upper/lower rad hoses, spark plugs, and air filter. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I went back into the timing belt compartment to check the torque on the cam & intermediate gears since I had removed them earlier to inspect the oil seals. I used a strap wrench to hold the gears while I torqued them. Also, since the new timing belt had "slipped" while I was tightening the gears the first time, I took off the new belt and inspected it very carefully to ensure its integrity since it did slip over two teeth on the intermediate gear. The belt was just like new. So...after I buttoned everything back up, the '89 automatic test drove perfectly. Boy..the thing really runs smooth to have 176k miles on it. It's amazing how these cars run so good.

I figure I'll check all the belt tensions this weekend or so...even the timing belt tension. Just about ready to wave to my daughter as she drives off to college in it next month. The only thing I really need to do is the exhaust...but the catalytic converter rattles..and I don't know if I should just save the $$ for the tuition.

Cabbie2169