Major Timing Belt Service?
 

Hey everyone, wanted to get some opinions and reviews for those who did this. Did the car feel a lot smoother and somewhat quieter? I'm about to change a good amount of stuff. Such as the Idlers/Pulleys, the 3 belts, water pump/oil pump, front crank seal, t stat/gasket and timing belt guide.

The car should not get any smoother or quieter unless some of your old components have failed or if you have skipped a tooth on the timing belt. The new idlers may be a little quieter, but its not something you'll really hear. This is stuff you have to do as preventative maintenance rather than in response to a failure or bad sound ;).

-- Ed

The answer will vary depending on how worn the old parts are on any given car. In some cases it may not make much difference, in others it may.
With my car it did in fact make a noticeable difference. I just did mine a few weeks ago @103K (belt, idlers, w/pump) and the engine is significantly quieter, smoother and peppier. The bearings in the old idlers were definitely shot, and the belt may have stretched somewhat although that's hard to determine. I didn't bother trying to measure or compare it to the new one. The marks were lined up before I took the old belt off but that doesn't mean they were in perfect time with the engine running.

Thanks. I'm just waiting on all my parts to come in and start working on it.

Actually, depending on the car, it will run smoother, less noise, etc.

On several cars, mostly WRX/STi models, we have found that the timing belt was installed incorrectly at the factory; timing marks 2-4 teeth off.
The small idler pulley...between the tensioner & left intake sprocket...is prone to failure and makes a ton of noise.

Yeah thats what I have researched as well. The small little roller.

[QUOTE=EQ Tuning;2896033]The car should not get any smoother or quieter unless some of your old components have failed or if you have skipped a tooth on the timing belt.
-- Ed[/QUOTE]

I think we're all agreed here ;)

-- Ed