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1G Advice needed on timing belt & clutch replacement kits

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XC92

Proven Member
1,570
357
Jul 22, 2020
Queens, New_York
I'm in the process of repairing and restoring my '92 Talon TSi AWD manual, and was hoping to get some advice about some parts kits I need to order, to make sure I get ones that are appropriate for my situation and of good quality.

First, it's been quite a while since I had the timing belt replaced, and it's well past time. It hasn't been 60k miles yet, but at least 10 years and probably longer, and dry rot has probably done its thing. I'll obviously order a kit since I'm going to want to replace the idlers, tensioners and water pump at the same time.

I'm looking at the Gates kit, which is around $130 at RockAuto. Is it decent quality, and is the included hydraulic tensioner OK or should I use an OEM one instead? Also, should I replace the seals even if they're not leaking, just to play it safe, and any other parts while I'm in there? Anything else to be mindful of when I undertake the job? I've replaced a timing belt before, on a 2010 Kia Rio LX, and it wasn't too bad, but this one's obviously going to be a bit more involved.

Second, I'm pretty sure I need a new clutch. The car actually hasn't been driven for several years because while the engine runs fine it stopped transferring power to the wheels in all gears, which to me means the clutch is probably shot. I won't know for sure until I drop the transmission and see what the old clutch looks like, but it's the most likely reason.

My Talon is stock, with the only new parts being standard maintenance replacement parts, e.g. pads, rotors, belts, etc. All the major components are OEM, no mods and none likely any time soon, and if I ever do mod it, I doubt it would put out much beyond 250HP, 300 tops.. Right now, though, it's putting out 195HP (nominally, of course).

I'm leaning towards the SBC Stage 1 K05048-HD), which goes for around $230. I understand that it's good up to around 300HP, and since I don't intend to mod the car any time soon, if ever, and don't race, at all, just drive somewhat aggressively (or so I'm told by family members), it's certainly more than enough clutch for my needs at present.

Is it a good choice for my situation, or would I be better off with a different and perhaps less "rugged" clutch? I know that many advise considering the ACT 2100, but it's over $100 more and seems like even more clutch than I need at this point. I'm willing to spend the $230 on the SBC, so saving money isn't a huge issue.

Also, If I do go with the SBC, should I purchase an OEM throwout bearing and not use the included one, as many have advised, or is the one that comes with the kit acceptable, especially for my needs? Also, how do I tell if the flywheel needs to be repaired or replaced? Do I need to take it out and take it to a clutch or transmission shop, or at least post some photos here?

The car needs a bunch of other work done, and as I have questions I'll make sure to post them here, but these are the two big ones right now. So far I've mainly been rebuilding and restoring the front and rear brakes and suspension parts, which mainly entails lots of derusting and cleaning and then painting to protect against future rust. But I think I've got a handle on this so I'm good there. Mainly I'd appreciate some input on the timing belt and clutch.

Thanks in advance, and if there's anything else you need to know about my situation, feel free to ask. Also, I realize that because the car hasn't been driven for several years there are a bunch of other things I'll need to do before getting it on the road again, like replacing the fuel, squirting some oil into the plug holes and turning the engine over by hand a few times, etc. Any other advice on this would also be appreciated.
 
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I would order the gates timing belt kit and just go ahead and order a complete kit that has all the gaskets and rings your entire engine will need. It isn't much more to get and it is all inclusive since your car has been sitting for awhile you may have issues with worn oil seals that need to be replaced, I especially had an issue with my Cam Angle Sensor seal. I am not sure if Rock Auto has that option but STM tuned does if they do not and they have been for the most part my main go to for DSM parts. When you go to do the timing belt you will have the best access to most of these seals and you might as well replace while you go.

As for the clutch South Bend according to others makes the best clutch for our cars. I have a street clutch kit from them with upgraded and beaded flywheel and my clutch feels amazing. I ordered my clutch stuff from TMZ performance. I would also replace your master and slave while you're at it. As for your flywheel you do not have to replace it unless it shows excessive wear but I think it would be best to get it resurfaced with the clutch refresh
 
I would order the gates timing belt kit and just go ahead and order a complete kit that has all the gaskets and rings your entire engine will need. It isn't much more to get and it is all inclusive since your car has been sitting for awhile you may have issues with worn oil seals that need to be replaced, I especially had an issue with my Cam Angle Sensor seal. I am not sure if Rock Auto has that option but STM tuned does if they do not and they have been for the most part my main go to for DSM parts. When you go to do the timing belt you will have the best access to most of these seals and you might as well replace while you go.

As for the clutch South Bend according to others makes the best clutch for our cars. I have a street clutch kit from them with upgraded and beaded flywheel and my clutch feels amazing. I ordered my clutch stuff from TMZ performance. I would also replace your master and slave while you're at it. As for your flywheel you do not have to replace it unless it shows excessive wear but I think it would be best to get it resurfaced with the clutch refresh

Gaskets and rings? You mean for the engine? Does a car that's been sitting around for several years, undriven with the engine not operated, tend to need new ones? I wasn't even thinking of doing anything with the engine beyond squirting some oil in the plug holes and of course replacing the oil, filter and belts. Should I at least first remove the valve cover to see if it's pretty rusted and corroded in there?

Or did you mean seals and mistyped (I tend to do that a lot)?

Thanks for the advice on replacing the master and slave cylinders. Should I also replace the fork and fork boot, and maybe fulcrum while I'm at it? I was definitely going to flush and replace the fluid, of course.

Btw, what do folks mean by "street"? Is that everyday driving, on streets? Or is it a form of racing, be it organized or ad hoc (e.g. see hot car at light, exchange looks, rev engines, gun it on green)? I know absolutely nothing about racing beyond the occasional Indy 500 or NASCAR viewing.
 
I meant it comes with EVERYTHING! I think I paid $36 extra for it. Most of the stuff it comes with you probably won't need to replace like head gasket but you can't beat the price and it's nice having them all incase of failure.

I don't think it would hurt to replace the fork and fulcrum while you're at it, it is another breaking point.

When I referred to street clutch I was just being lazy because I didn't want to look up what clutch options I put in. Basically you can tune the Southbend clutch for what driving style you embody from daily driver to race-only. I went somewhere in between there because I intend to have 400 whp and a bigger turbo so I wanted a clutch that could put up with abuse but still have a "stock-ish" feel for the street
 
OEM Tensioner ALWAYS.
 
I meant it comes with EVERYTHING! I think I paid $36 extra for it. Most of the stuff it comes with you probably won't need to replace like head gasket but you can't beat the price and it's nice having them all incase of failure.

I don't think it would hurt to replace the fork and fulcrum while you're at it, it is another breaking point.

When I referred to street clutch I was just being lazy because I didn't want to look up what clutch options I put in. Basically you can tune the Southbend clutch for what driving style you embody from daily driver to race-only. I went somewhere in between there because I intend to have 400 whp and a bigger turbo so I wanted a clutch that could put up with abuse but still have a "stock-ish" feel for the street

Actually, last time I checked there appears to be a leak, although I think it's the valve cover, not the head gasket, so some of those extra parts might come in handy.

Here's a photo of the whole engine compartment, if it helps, and if there's anything else that's obviously in need or repair or replacement (other than the battery, of course):

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Note that I absolutely intend to clean all this, derust the exhaust manifold heat shield, remove leave and crud, etc. This is a totally "before" photo I took before I started any work on it.
 
I'll throw my opinion in. I've been using the gates kit with two belts and three pulleys. I use an oem hydraulic tensioner and always have. Mitsu does not make these parts so they source them. As long as the tensioner bearing are from reputable companies i don't mind. Oem is typically ntn or nsk etc. Top end and front engine gasket sets are fairly cheap and would contain all the seals you could need. Then you will have extra gaskets for later should you need them.. Stick with name brands. Felpro etc. Yes i would do all the front engine seals. If you're doing a clutch do the rear main seal too. its right there. As far as clutches go pick whatever suits the car and your driving style and the power level you need. I like South bend.

I'm in the process of repairing and restoring my '92 Talon TSi AWD manual, and was hoping to get some advice about some parts kits I need to order, to make sure I get ones that are appropriate for my situation and of good quality.

First, it's been quite a while since I had the timing belt replaced, and it's well past time. It hasn't been 60k miles yet, but at least 10 years and probably longer, and dry rot has probably done its thing. I'll obviously order a kit since I'm going to want to replace the idlers, tensioners and water pump at the same time.

I'm looking at the Gates kit, which is around $130 at RockAuto. Is it decent quality, and is the included hydraulic tensioner OK or should I use an OEM one instead? Also, should I replace the seals even if they're not leaking, just to play it safe, and any other parts while I'm in there? Anything else to be mindful of when I undertake the job? I've replaced a timing belt before, on a 2010 Kia Rio LX, and it wasn't too bad, but this one's obviously going to be a bit more involved.

Second, I'm pretty sure I need a new clutch. The car actually hasn't been driven for several years because while the engine runs fine it stopped transferring power to the wheels in all gears, which to me means the clutch is probably shot. I won't know for sure until I drop the transmission and see what the old clutch looks like, but it's the most likely reason.

My Talon is stock, with the only new parts being standard maintenance replacement parts, e.g. pads, rotors, belts, etc. All the major components are OEM, no mods and none likely any time soon, and if I ever do mod it, I doubt it would put out much beyond 250HP, 300 tops.. Right now, though, it's putting out 195HP (nominally, of course).

I'm leaning towards the SBC Stage 1 K05048-HD), which goes for around $230. I understand that it's good up to around 300HP, and since I don't intend to mod the car any time soon, if ever, and don't race, at all, just drive somewhat aggressively (or so I'm told by family members), it's certainly more than enough clutch for my needs at present.

Is it a good choice for my situation, or would I be better off with a different and perhaps less "rugged" clutch? I know that many advise considering the ACT 2100, but it's over $100 more and seems like even more clutch than I need at this point. I'm willing to spend the $230 on the SBC, so saving money isn't a huge issue.

Also, If I do go with the SBC, should I purchase an OEM throwout bearing and not use the included one, as many have advised, or is the one that comes with the kit acceptable, especially for my needs? Also, how do I tell if the flywheel needs to be repaired or replaced? Do I need to take it out and take it to a clutch or transmission shop, or at least post some photos here?

The car needs a bunch of other work done, and as I have questions I'll make sure to post them here, but these are the two big ones right now. So far I've mainly been rebuilding and restoring the front and rear brakes and suspension parts, which mainly entails lots of derusting and cleaning and then painting to protect against future rust. But I think I've got a handle on this so I'm good there. Mainly I'd appreciate some input on the timing belt and clutch.

Thanks in advance, and if there's anything else you need to know about my situation, feel free to ask. Also, I realize that because the car hasn't been driven for several years there are a bunch of other things I'll need to do before getting it on the road again, like replacing the fuel, squirting some oil into the plug holes and turning the engine over by hand a few times, etc. Any other advice on this would also be appreciated.
Let me add a little more. I bought that SBC stockish clutch years ago. Its not enough for aggressive driving. Act 2100 or a better SBC are good choices. Ive had them all and SBC has been my favorite. Use the oem throw out and replace the fork and fulcrum ball. On the flywheel just ask us. It will need machined no matter what you do.
 
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Ah, I get it, so if I'm replacing the seals on a TB job, I should order a complete seal & gasket set that includes them, along with some other parts that I might or might not need in the future but which even if I don't need them ends up being a good value, right? (And chances are that I'll need these eventually given the age of the car and that it hasn't been driven for several years.)

What about the clutch release bearing? What comes with the SBC kit or OEM?

...I see you answered this immediately after I posted. What's wrong with the hydraulic tensioner & release bearing that comes with each kit? Lower-quality bearings that could make the whole thing fail eventually? And is there a market for these unused kit parts, on eBay or Craigslist, or do I just throw them out?

And, the 300HP-rated Stage 1 SBC clutch kit might not be a good choice if I drive aggressively? Just to be clear, by aggressive, I mean I like to do things like get up to speed quickly out of an intersection when the light turns green instead of slowly as most people do, or merging quickly when entering a highway instead of using up all the ramp and waiting till a nice driver lets me in.

I don't "launch" or pop the clutch after revving the engine, don't burn rubber, or redline in each gear before shifting. I'm just somewhat more aggressive than most everyday drivers in their Accords or Foresters with their kids in back, but would probably look like one compared to many folks here who race. Would the Stage 1 SBC still be too little clutch for my driving style?
 
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Ah, I get it, so if I'm replacing the seals on a TB job, I should order a complete seal & gasket set that includes them, along with some other parts that I might or might not need in the future but which even if I don't need them ends up being a good value, right? (And chances are that I'll need these eventually given the age of the car and that it hasn't been driven for several years.)

What about the clutch release bearing? What comes with the SBC kit or OEM?

...I see you answered this immediately after I posted. What's wrong with the hydraulic tensioner & release bearing that comes with each kit? Lower-quality bearings that could make the whole thing fail eventually? And is there a market for these unused kit parts, on eBay or Craigslist, or do I just throw them out?

And, the 300HP-rated Stage 1 SBC clutch kit might not be a good choice if I drive aggressively? Just to be clear, by aggressive, I mean I like to do things like get up to speed quickly out of an intersection when the light turns green instead of slowly as most people do, or merging quickly when entering a highway instead of using up all the ramp and waiting till a nice driver lets me in.

I don't "launch" or pop the clutch after revving the engine, don't burn rubber, or redline in each gear before shifting. I'm just somewhat more aggressive than most everyday drivers in their Accords or Foresters with their kids in back, but would probably look like one compared to many folks here who race. Would the Stage 1 SBC still be too little clutch for my driving style?
Yes the compete kits are a better value.

Non oem bearings and the hydraulic tensioner are generally inferior. Yes they can fail early. Don't throw away anything simply don't buy them. There are belt kits that don't have the hydraulic tensioner included.

The OEM throwout bearing is plastic coated. All of the aftermarket kits include the metal sleved bearing. It will chew up the aluminum sleeve on the bellhousing. If you can find an aftermarket plastic lined bearing fine but good luck. Easier to just get the oem. If you find an aftermarket it probably is the oem and likely more expensive.
More on the least expensive SBC. It drove fine but I do occasionally launch etc. It made it a year or so. It just wasn't enough. I bought a stronger SBC as a replacement.
 
Yes the compete kits are a better value.

Non oem bearings and the hydraulic tensioner are generally inferior. Yes they can fail early. Don't throw away anything simply don't buy them. There are belt kits that don't have the hydraulic tensioner included.

The OEM throwout bearing is plastic coated. All of the aftermarket kits include the metal sleved bearing. It will chew up the aluminum sleeve on the bellhousing. If you can find an aftermarket plastic lined bearing fine but good luck. Easier to just get the oem. If you find an aftermarket it probably is the oem and likely more expensive.
More on the least expensive SBC. It drove fine but I do occasionally launch etc. It made it a year or so. It just wasn't enough. I bought a stronger SBC as a replacement.

Thanks. I checked RockAuto and they sell a version of the same Gates kit w/o the HT or WP for $64. After adding the Gates WP for $25, that's $50 less than the complete kit with HT & WP. I assume that OEM HTs sell for not much more than $50? Also, is the Gates WP ok or should I get the AISIN for $40?

As for the throwout/release bearing, all the clutch kits I've seen include the aftermarket one, so I'd either have to sell or just not use it, or buy the clutch, PP, pilot bearing & alignment tool separately. I haven't priced these out yet so hopefully I won't take a huge $ hit there, but whatever it costs, I want good parts in there.

Btw, since the engine hasn't run for several years and given that I'm replacing the TB (along with the WP & 3 other belts), is there anything else I should be checking, replacing, adjusting, oiling, etc., before I try to start and run the engine? Should I remove the valve cover to squirt some oil in there and make sure that nothing's stuck, broken or rusty, or is squirting oil into the plug holes enough?

And should I do a compression check after the new TB & WP are in, and doing all the above first, before putting the plugs back in (which I'm replacing with NKG Iridium ones, and probably the wires too) and starting up the engine?
 
Skip the iridium.
You're going to have the timing belt off anyway. That would be the time to prime the oil system. No reason to do anything else up top.

Just buy the clutch all inclusive and throw away the included bearing. When you change enough clutches you can make a sculpture out of all the alignment tools you've collected. I think i threw out about 10 of them.
 
No Iridium? They're only a buck or two more per plug at RA, so I figured why not. Which do you recommend, then? I assume still NKG, right?

Also, OEM TOBs aren't expensive, around $40, so no big extra expense there. But OEM HTs are pricey, around $140 based on a quick Google check. I'm saving $50 by not getting the kit with a HT, but that's still $90 more. I'll get it, just wondering why they're so expensive. Any chance I can keep the original one that's still on the car? It's probably not the one that came with the car as I had a TB recall replacement over 20 years and ~50-60k miles ago (yes, I'm the original and only owner and the car still has under 80k miles) and I assume they put in a new one especially given that it was a recall. Can it be rebuilt?
 
It will cost more. 140 is about right. It is what it is.
No they can't be rebuilt. No the recall did not include it. Ngk bpr6es is good on a stock car.
Last statement. 1 owner....80k....is it for sale? :)
 
Heh, be patient, someday. Maybe. :p

I'm surprised I've held onto it this long, to be honest, but I've not needed or wanted something newer, fancier or roomier, and as you know it's a nice car, for all sorts of reasons, even the stock version (so long as stock means turbo, AWD & stick), and hard to let go of.

The fact that I've driven it twice cross-country and back, through 40 states plus BC, and seen much of this country's great natural sights with it, makes it even harder to let go of.

Are these expected to ever be true "classics", like a '57 Chevy or '69 Mustang, and featured in one of those classic car auctions like MECUM? Or are they viewed more as "fun" cars but not classic material?

It will cost more. 140 is about right. It is what it is.
No they can't be rebuilt. No the recall did not include it. Ngk bpr6es is good on a stock car.
Last statement. 1 owner....80k....is it for sale? :)

As for the rest, thanks again. An additional $90 seems like cheap insurance. Plus I think I've seen it a bit lower, perhaps as low as $110 on Amazon.

When I start the TB job, I understand that I have to raise the front and support the oil pan with a jack & piece of wood, which I'll have to do as well when dropping the transaxle and replacing the clutch assembly. Can I work on both at the same time, say if I'm waiting on parts for one or the other and don't want to waste time? Or should I do one before moving onto the other?

I've got a bunch of other questions on other things I need to do with the car to get it back on the road, e.g. new pad/rotors, fluids, rust protection, etc., but I'll start new threads for those.
 
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As for the rest, thanks again. An additional $90 seems like cheap insurance. Plus I think I've seen it a bit lower, perhaps as low as $110 on Amazon.

When I start the TB job, I understand that I have to raise the front and support the oil pan with a jack & piece of wood, which I'll have to do as well when dropping the transaxle and replacing the clutch assembly. Can I work on both at the same time, say if I'm waiting on parts for one or the other and don't want to waste time? Or should I do one before moving onto the other?

I've got a bunch of other questions on other things I need to do with the car to get it back on the road, e.g. new pad/rotors, fluids, rust protection, etc., but I'll start new threads for those.
Doing both at the same time will depend on your skill level and available tools. I see no advantage to doing both at the same time with the possible exception of being able to hold the flywheel if needed if you don't have air tools. I do so its easy fir me to take off the crank bolt or whatever else is necessary.
 
Doing both at the same time will depend on your skill level and available tools. I see no advantage to doing both at the same time with the possible exception of being able to hold the flywheel if needed if you don't have air tools. I do so its easy fir me to take off the crank bolt or whatever else is necessary.

Well the advantage is that I'll have the front end up and the oil pan supported, which both jobs require. Otherwise not much crossover, I realize. However, looks like I'll be replacing a bunch of seals, so that lets me get most of them at the same time.

I have an impact wrench so getting the crankshaft bolt should be fine, but getting it back on to the right torque setting is going to be hard without a way to lock up the flywheel with a pry bar or such, and having the clutch out will make access to it easier.

I had the same issue when I replaced the TB on another car, and ended up using the impact wrench to tighten it, which I realize is not the right way to do it. I have torque wrenches and pry bars, along with all the other tools I'll likely need. No TB tools, though. Are those really necessary?

But, what I was really asking is whether there's a reason to NOT do both at the same time.

UPDATE: Just took a look at the 90-94 parts catalog and it seems that which HT you need depends on the car model date. Up to 5/1/92 it's MD164533. After this date it's MD190988. The former is readily available, but the latter appears to be really hard to find.

My Talon lists a May '92 build date. It doesn't give a specific date, but I assume it's not 5/1/92 (which I suspect really means 4/30/92, which is a cutoff date for various other parts). So I might end up having to buy the kit with the HT and take my chances.
 
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The tb tools are nice. Cheap too..

You're overthinking the crank bolt. Its a manual car. With wheels on the ground juat turn them to one side, put the car in first gear then tighten away. You can't move the car so you can't move the crank very far. Easy to torque with a torque wrench. Nothing special required.

You need to verify if you have a 6 bolt or 7 bolt motor. Should be 7 but yiure on the line. That will determine which tensioner you need.
 
The tb tools are nice. Cheap too..

You're overthinking the crank bolt. Its a manual car. With wheels on the ground juat turn them to one side, put the car in first gear then tighten away. You can't move the car so you can't move the crank very far. Easy to torque with a torque wrench. Nothing special required.

You need to verify if you have a 6 bolt or 7 bolt motor. Should be 7 but yiure on the line. That will determine which tensioner you need.

This obviously only works after I replace the clutch, otherwise the engine freewheels. Which means that I should probably do both jobs at the same time. Was going to anyway, unless told why it's a bad idea.

Also, since it's AWD I don't need all 4 wheels on the ground because the prop shaft should block the crankshaft from turning with the car in 1st gear with the rear wheels on the ground. Or would that put too much stress on the transfer case or something else in the drivetrain?

I'm hoping that it's a 6 bolt, and guessing that it is. I did the oil pan check a while back and IIRC it was the 6 bolt style. I'll soon find out for sure.
 
This obviously only works after I replace the clutch, otherwise the engine freewheels. Which means that I should probably do both jobs at the same time. Was going to anyway, unless told why it's a bad idea.

Also, since it's AWD I don't need all 4 wheels on the ground because the prop shaft should block the crankshaft from turning with the car in 1st gear with the rear wheels on the ground. Or would that put too much stress on the transfer case or something else in the drivetrain?

I'm hoping that it's a 6 bolt, and guessing that it is. I did the oil pan check a while back and IIRC it was the 6 bolt style. I'll soon find out for sure.

No you need all 4 wheels on the ground. The center diff doesn't lock up that easily. You won't stress anything in the drivetrain. Engine puts out much more torque than you can with a torque wrench.
Given what you stated yes I would do both at the same time. Wouldn't hurt to put the crank bolt on with a gun a setting 1 or something just to get it on there and then finish with the torque wrench once it's on the ground. If the engine is completely freewheeling you broke something good. Possibly broke the hub out of the clutch.
I'm not sure if I would do this first or after the job, maybe both but I would get a gallon of simple green, an assortment of brushes and go to town. Engine bay looked pretty nasty.
 
No you need all 4 wheels on the ground. The center diff doesn't lock up that easily. You won't stress anything in the drivetrain. Engine puts out much more torque than you can with a torque wrench.
Given what you stated yes I would do both at the same time. Wouldn't hurt to put the crank bolt on with a gun a setting 1 or something just to get it on there and then finish with the torque wrench once it's on the ground. If the engine is completely freewheeling you broke something good. Possibly broke the hub out of the clutch.
I'm not sure if I would do this first or after the job, maybe both but I would get a gallon of simple green, an assortment of brushes and go to town. Engine bay looked pretty nasty.

By "stress" I meant in the sense that you generally don't want to move one axle and not the other, e.g. towing with one end but not the other on the ground. But as you said torquing down the crank bolt is not the kind of stress where that becomes a worry, and since I can't rely on the center diff to truly lock the front axle, I'll need all 4 wheels on the ground.

Btw, I took a look at TB tools and while not super-expensive, they're more than I'd like to spend for a job I may not do again for years, if ever since I'll probably sell or give away the car before it's time.

I had the same thoughts when I replaced the front wheel bearings on a different car a while back, whether it was worth spending $70 or so on a bearing kit since it's the sort of job I'd rarely do. But that decision was easy because the alternative was taking the knuckles to a shop to get them pressed off and the new ones on, and at $40 a bearing that would have been $160 (or $80 if I took the old ones off the brute force way), so I got the kit and am glad that I did because I can use it on the Talon when it's time to replace the bearings (they appear to be good for now, no play at all).

Anyway, since I'm getting a new tensioner with the pin in, can I get away w/o these tools, maybe use a long 8x1.25 bolt instead along with decent angled snap ring pliers for the eccentric pulley? I'm not one to skimp on tools and have a pretty decent collection of them at this point, but I try to avoid buying semi-pricey rare-use ones unless I absolutely have to. Hell, I even loaned out a brake caliper kit from Pep Boys a couple of times even though it's only $20 on Amazon, since I'll rarely use it.

As for the engine bay, as I said above, it's been a while since I cleaned it, and I intend to get to it, but only after all major work is completed. I may have to replace at least the valve cover gasket as there appears to be a leak there. Hopefully not the head gasket. One step at a time...
 
Yes you can make the tb tools. Long bolt or all thread works fine. I had that for years also. I've used snap ring pliers also but I'm telling you after doing 50 or more of these belts the tools solve SO much frustration. I've actually bought them twice because I lost them one time. If you don't want to spring for it at least make the pin tool and the long bolt. You can probably do it all for less than 10$ and half an hour in the garage if you have a little know how etc. I still prefer the OEM tools but the aftermarket ones work well.

VC gasket is toast. Headgaskets are rarely if ever a source of oil leaks in my experience. Once clean things will be obvious if they leak.

Look to the vendors on this site for parts. extremepsi, jnz tuning, boostin performance etc etc.
 
Do you know what kind of rod or bolt I'd need, in terms of length, diameter and type of steel? I have a tap & die set including the needed 8x1.25 die, so I can make my own. I did notice that the "real" tool has a slightly narrower threadless area from the tip to the threads. Is this necessary or can the threads start from the tip?

The eccentric pulley tool's just $10 so I might spring for that if you say it's much easier to use.

I'll get a new VC gasket. I assume it's not expensive or hard to replace. I actually took the plug cover off today to take a look inside the plug holes and see if there was crud or oil in there. They looked clean, so I tried to take one out to look further and see its condition, but my 5/8" socket was too narrow. Some googling revealed it to be 13/16". So, yet another tool to buy. Oh well.
 
Its narrow just so you don't booger up the end when it presses against the arm. You can grind a regular bolt down. Just has to long enough to be convenient. You can see where it goes through the side plate, screws through the motor mount then contacts the arm. Guessing about 8".

Any 13/16 socket will do. You'll just have to fish the plug out with needle nose.
 
A plug socket's rubber gasket won't grab onto the plug to remove it? Should I get a magnetic one?

Btw, I took off the top TB cover today while looking at the plugs and it looks like the belt's in good condition. Of course that means little as there could be missing teeth where I can't see them. But when the engine did run, I don't recall any strange noises indicative of TB issues.

I'm not saying that I don't need to replace it, just that I MIGHT be able to run the old one for now and just do the clutch replacement (after squirting oil in the plug holes and manually turning the engine over a bunch of times to distribute fluids and make sure everything seems ok before starting it up).

I'm thinking maybe do the clutch job now, then put the TB job off for a few weeks. Of course it's starting to get cold here in the NE, and I probably don't want to be doing a TB replacement when it's in the 40's and 50's. I did that last year and it was a pain with all the cold metal.

But, the clutch is what's really keeping the car off the street and I recently found out that where I'm keeping the car stored won't be available for much longer (the person who lived there just passed away and their children are probably going to sell it--I live in an apt and don't have my own driveway).

So, if I can get the car moving, registered, insured and inspected, I can park it back on the street and do the rest of the work there, as I've done with our other cars so far.

Here's some images:

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