car is becoming a money pit- is this repair too much? please help, (pic of bill)

[RGdsmNewb]

Seriously i'm sick of fixing this car... i no longer have a garage and can't work on it myself. I got my serpentine belts replaced a week ago because they were squeaking like mad / snapped, and now a week later, they are still squeaking. I brought the car in and they now tell me that my crankshaft damper pulley is missing the rubber, and i need a new one... seems like something the shop should've noticed when they did the belts the first time.

I don't want to get ripped off here... is there anyway i can get the part for cheaper? they can get an aftermarket one for 150 or so which brings the cost down to 352.00, but i'm a student and am just getting destroyed financially lately.

Here's the reciept... can i get this done cheaper somehow?? Thank you very much guys.

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[Ravenous]

You don't need a garage for belt or pulley replacement and these are standard maintenance type things so I can't see any other car being cheaper or better from an economic standpoint.

 

[pauleyman]

No garage? Work outside. I did this repair in the parking lot of a bank so I could get home. THe install shouldn't bill more than an hour. If they have a 2 hour minimum or something they need to do two hours of work and this job isn't it.

 

[Tyeler18]

Can you get a buddy to let you use his garage? The belts are extremely easy to replace, and once you have them off it's 4 bolts to remove the dampner. I wouldn't want to do it outside in the cold that's for sure!

 

[Calan]

Get an OEM dampener from the dealer, and change it in your driveway. And don't cheap out and buy one from a parts store...go OEM only on the dampener.

Unless you want the car to turn into a money pit.

EDIT:

Ok... I second the friend with a garage thing. Didn't see that you were in Canada at first.

 

[RGdsmNewb]

are there any cheap aftermarkets one's that i could get, and which one would be good, please help guys.

 

[crash89]

Agreed on an OEM damper.. However you could get lucky and look on Craigslist and find someone local who has an extra one..

 

[Tyeler18]

No such thing as a cheap aftermarket. Fluidamper makes one but it's in the neighborhood of $300 last I looked. There's one other good aftermarket one, which was similiar in price. Otherwise get a good condition used OEM one. They go for $30-60 on average.

 

[Calan]

are there any cheap aftermarkets one's that i could get

However you could get lucky and look on Craigslist and find someone local who has an extra one..

And people claim that DSMs are money pits... I have no idea why this would be.

 

[Jesse2012]

Get an oem one for less than half of that. STM crank pulley

 

[snowborder714]

You might be able to find an OEM damper on eBay. My brother picked one up for ~$30 and it was an actual OEM unit, in the original box with the correct part number and everything. I can't see any difference between it and another OEM one I've got.

 

[Calan]

Get an oem one for less than half of that. STM crank pulley

Or if you would rather save another $15, EXTREME PSI : Your #1 Source for In Stock Performance Parts

 

[RGdsmNewb]

wow, tons of replies quick. Thanks bros. Yeah the mechanic told me not to drive the car at all cause the belt is all loose now... and it's like freezing outside here so not sure if i can do it myself, most of my friends have moved into apartments now. FML, 160 for labour is just for an hour i think. I left the car over night there to decide what to do.

So best case scenario is go with the OEM for like 160, then put the part back on myself? Otherwise 160 for labour is fairly ridiculous for removing four bolts..

Thanks again

 

[Ozyeclipse]

squealing boy i hate that any clutch issues.... kidding but seriously man up and do it outside its very easy to do or get a friends garage as stated above

if your whining about changing a belt then this isn't the car for you get a Honda
15 year old cars need parts of course right or u don't expect it to last forever...especially in a dsm

 

[RGdsmNewb]

are there any tutorials on how to do it yourself? do you need to have the car jacked up to do it ? Sorry, i'm extremely unaware, but would attempt it myself if it's pretty straightforward. Do i need special tools.

And yes, i should get a honda

 

[Ozyeclipse]

well its basic really basic tools would be a 12 mm wrench or socket if you can fit it in there btw are you having any other issues besides that and if you are replacing the pulley please..please torque it to spec its hard to get your hands on a torque wrench but its worth it trust me i've been doing this for 6 years and i.ve noticed a slight disbalance if not torqued right it can cause squeaking very badly 2

 

[Calan]

are there any tutorials on how to do it yourself? do you need to have the car jacked up to do it ? Sorry, i'm extremely unaware, but would attempt it myself if it's pretty straightforward. Do i need special tools.

Get your hands on an FSM. It has every instruction you'll ever need to work on your DSM.

(There are download links available, but I don't have them handy).

 

[RGdsmNewb]

how far do you guys think i can drive the car ? My place is like 30 km from the shop i have it at... is it risky or?

 

[Calan]

how far do you guys think i can drive the car ? My place is like 30 km from the shop i have it at... is it risky or?

If the dampener (crank pulley) has started to separate, it's extremely risky. If they are just trying to get money from you, you may be ok to drive it a while.

You really need to inspect it yourself, or have them show you why they want to replace it.

 

[born2tune]

Get your hands on an FSM. It has every instruction you'll ever need to work on your DSM.

(There are download links available, but I don't have them handy).

returning the favor
http://www.lilevo.com/mirage/Manuals/4G63 Turbo Engine Overhaul Manual GR00008000-11C.pdf page 11C-16

 

[hazmat6135]

Ok. This is super simple. Step 1: Get a new shop. They are rediculous. Step 2: Tell them to put the belt back on right free of charge since they clearly messed up the first time. Step 3: Drive the car home. Step 4: Get a used damper off someone on here or buy a new one from extremepsi or stm. Step 5: Loosen the alternator tensioner (12mm) and take off the belt. Step 6: Jackup the drivers side of the car and take off the front wheel. This is not neccesary but makes it much easier. Step 7: Take off the splash gaurd that has a hole in it. Not the one in the fenderwell. Step 8: Use a 14mm socket and remove the 4 bolts that hold on the crank damper. (Easier if you leave the car in gear or use an impact) Step 9: Install the new damper and doe everything reverse for instalation. And from now on when the new belt squeaks a little pop the hood and check the tension. Tighten it a little and problem solved. Every one of these cars I've seen has had a belt squeal. If you use a good belt and some belt conditioner you will have this problem alot less. If you use a cheap belt and no conditioner you might end up adjusting it once a month. This is probably the easiest fix you will see with these cars and if your trying to save money you will def have to pick up a book and learn how to do the "little" things yourself. Good Luck!

 

[RGdsmNewb]

If the dampener (crank pulley) has started to separate, it's extremely risky. If they are just trying to get money from you, you may be ok to drive it a while.

You really need to inspect it yourself, or have them show you why they want to replace it.

They showed me saying that the rubber just came off the crank pulley. Does this mean it would be decently safe to drive or? Shouldnt they have noticed it was screwed when they replaced the belt originally?

returning the favor
http://www.lilevo.com/mirage/Manuals/4G63 Turbo Engine Overhaul Manual GR00008000-11C.pdf page 11C-16

Thank you.

 

[Calan]

...
They are rediculous
...
...
...

hazmat6135 - The intent of your post was in the right place, but the execution of it somewhat negated it's benefits for a lot of readers. The best information in the world is useless if paragraphs and step-by-step instructions are jumbled together and hard to read.  

Please, PLEASE find the enter key, and press it once in a while.

 

[snowborder714]

If they showed you that the rubber came off the damper, then they would've handed you back a damper in two pieces.

You should be able to at least inspect the pulley yourself. We can only tell you how to do it. If you want to do this yourself, we can help. If you don't want to for whatever reason, just take it to a shop (preferably one who doesn't charge you so much).

 

[crash89]

How bad does it look?? Does it look worse than this??

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This was mine before right as I replaced it. It had started squeaking a bit different than it normally did and it was my DD.. Never really thought much of it until it got louder and louder and a lot more consistent, not just upon startup.. I drove it all over with the occasional pull or two, 300 miles a week or so.. However, as soon as I found out what was actually making the noise (the balancer coming apart) I only drove it to and from where I NEEDED to be and no more hard pulls. Take it easy to get where you need to go and you should be ok

As far as changing it, you'll need a 12mm socket and a ratchet and a 12mm wrench. basically it..

Loosen the alternator tensioner and remove the belt, remove the 4 12mm nuts on the damper. Install in the opposite.. Thats it. You can most likely turn the wheel all the way left and fit your arms in there to remove the damper.