Quote Originally Posted by etlsport View Post
bart, arent the idler and tensioner pulleys on the outside of the engine anyway? they could be done in a few hours without having the top of the engine off?

same with the radiator hoses, but with them you need to drain the coolant so it makes sense to do them with the water pump
No, don't confuse the "drive belt" (serpentine belt) pulleys with the timing belt pulleys. Furthermore, the serp belt and all of the outer pulleys do need to come off to get to the timing belt chamber, which by the way is on the front of the engine, not the top. Take a look at my how to. I go through everything on there that I removed.

http://www.nofuture.com/myvx/how-tos/tb/tbelt.htm

(Please tell me if anything odd happens when you visit that link, I had a problem with my ISP that should be resolved now)

I did remove some things that I didn't ultimately need to remove, but by doing so it made things much easier. The push tensioner MUST be removed to change the timing belt. And as illustrated in the video instructions, can be reused by compressing the tensioner rod in a vice, and then inserting a pin to hold it in place (which your mech will have to fabricate if he doesn't have one sitting around). The push tensioner is the part that keeps your timing belt taught on all the pulleys. If that part fails, BLAMMO! Your belt will come loose and bad things will happen. The water pump, being the main device that pumps coolant through your engine, is in my opinion a no brainer to change. Keeping your VX properly hydrated is VERY important. Furthermore, being that it is a possible source for leakage, should be changed and tightened up. To me, preventative maintenance is worth every penny. I would rather swap working parts out than struggle through and pay for fixing damaged parts. Not to mention the breaking down, getting stranded, getting towed, and getting taken to the cleaners by a mechanic who has to deal with your lack of preventative maintenance.

Seriously, not trying to scare anyone, just stating that there is a REASON why it is recommended to change these parts. I do not believe it is simply to make you spend more money. Am I talking outta my bunghole here?

Bart