So I decided that I would do the belt. It was last changed at 70K miles, now 155, so the time was right. But like everything else on this car, I’ve been foiled by rust. There are 14 bolts in the timing cover, I have a painful memory of each and every one. The ones on the left side cover simply crumbled when I turned them. The cover is off, no idea how I’m going to it it back on. That side has captive nuts in a plastic backing plate, so maybe I can poke out the debris and use nuts and bolts in some creative way. The right side is bolted directly to the block, 11 bolts. Half of them came off like they were supposed to. The others…oh my. I ended up breaking up the timing cover, then using a variety of tools to cut away the pieces stuck under the bolts. Then each bolt came off with a different tool: bolt extractors of three different styles, channel locks, lightning wrench, stud puller, hacksaw, dremel., heat gun, aided by flashlight, borescope, mirror. Except for one, which insists on being mated to the block 4ever. For that one, I cut off the head and it will have to survive as an alignment stud. I tried to remove the radiator to make more room, but the bracket bolts are solidly rusted. I tried to move the compressor out of the way for better access, but only three of the bolts cooperated. The last is stuck there, mocking me.
Tomorrow I will install the new timing belt, everything is open and ready for me. I have new timing case covers, belt kit, and water pump. I’m considering not installing the pump, I have to sleep on that. I figure reassembly will take a couple of hours. Disassembly has taken five days.
I don’t know what they put on the roads that caused the car to corrode like this. What’s amazing is that the body isn’t badly rusted. But get underneath, and it’s a different story. This is likely its last winter. I liked it well enough, but the struggle with rust is getting to me.
