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A little history. The timing belt snapped on my way home. The car is an '85 "DL" without the "240" insignia, but that's what it is, with a B230 engine. Had the car towed to a general repair shop who said they could fix it. They got it running after three days, but it idled too slowly and often died unless I applied more throttle. They also claimed to have installed a required timing belt "kit" that included a new belt tensioner assembly. The bill was $500.
After talking to a few mechanics, I concluded that the TB was at least one tooth off, maybe more. The shop didn't want anything more to do with the car, saying they did all they could do. OK, fine. I have a Bentley book, so I dug in to check the timing. I found the old original belt tensioner still in use. I think I'll go there this week and ask them to estimate its age, then demand a refund for the new one I paid for but didn't get.
The main problem now is getting the crack pulley bolt off. It's unbeliveably tight. I don't have the correct tool (#5284) and seriously doubt the shop had one either. So I used a very stout C-clamp and prybar to hold the pulley while using a three-foot cheater bar on my 1/2" ratchet drive. I bent the C-clamp and the bolt didn't budge. (It's not a left-handed thread, is it??)
Anyway, the TB does look new, but that's all. Is there any way the shop could have installed the belt without removing the harmonic balancer and lower TB cover?
Thanks for any help on this.
Ted2
1985 DL four-door sedan
85,847 miles
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