How to replace timing belt on kia Rio 2001?

Answer 1

In your search you will find several websites with step by step directions, I know because I did, however, I will tell you what they don't tell you, I know 'cause I found out the hard way. One site said that it was a 2 or 3 hour job. They are not talking about you, if you have a nice assortment of sockets and wrenches (including a torque wrench and a breaker bar) and if you are able to identify most "under the hood parts" you can get this done in 4 or 6 hours. Not counting tool shopping and internet researching, it took my wife and I a total of 20 hours (head scratching and lifting our spirits off the floor included) to change the belt. It was definitely a bonding moment, after all, I sat through the whole Titanic movie without copmplaining (at least when it first came out). My first hurdle was to remove the "belts" (drive/accessory/whateverthey'recalled). I removed the P/S pump by taking out the windshield liquid container so I could access a long screw that can only be accesed by a hole in the chassis underneath it. The second hurdle was the water pump pulley, if it's not the water pump then is something else, bottom line is, it's a pulley and it has 3 small screws. Since I couldn't figure out how to keep that pulley from spinning and I did not want to use anything abrasive like jamming a Baseball bat or a crow bar in it, the easiest way to get them out, which was also great when assebling time came up, is to bore a hole (I used a 1/4") in the inner side panel. Before drilling the hole, I had struggled with those 3 screws for almost 2.5 hours, I had gotten 2 out using one of the other screws as leverage but the last one was pure hell, after boring the hole, the third screw was out in less than a minute. Putting them back on took me a whole 5 minutes. The third hurdle was to losen the big bad nut, you will know which one once you get to it. I followed these recomendation, figure out which way does the wheel turns (forward), set the socket (22 mm or 21) and jam the breaker bar either against the ground or against the suspension bar, bump the engine by "trying to start it" turning the key and letting go. As a precaution, I made sure that I had both feet in the car and that nobody else was around. The fourth hurdle is when you reach the timing belt, get a long break, relax or do anything that will clear your head. I was tired by the time I reached it but kept going, I found my marks, I made a couple more of my own I followed the webstructions to the T and when I removed the belt I ended up with the biggest NO-NO of timing belt replacement, the cams moved and, since I was sitting down, my heart sank all the way to my arse. I ended up with misaligned cams and if I didn't get a heart attack is because my wife would have noticed that I had messed up! Being that I had nothing to lose, I called it a day and went to bed (it was almost 4:00 am) the following day I saw a ray of hope in what I had once considered unscrupulous advice. If the cam only moved a couple of teeth or so, you might be in luck, you could turn it backwards by hand (find a way to keep it in place though). One way of making sure that you're on TDC (Top Dead Center) is by removing the clossest spark plug to you and placing a long screwdriver in the hole. TDC is where the screwdriver reaches its highest point. Double and triple check everything before assembling it back. Cross your fingers and start your car. Mine worked and as of this day, I feel proud whenever I tell the guys that my wife helped me change my car's timing belt and they don;t even know what I am talking about.