1996 Plymouth Breeze

ASTAB

MEMBER
1996 PLYMOUTH BREEZE
4 CYL
AWD
AUTOMATIC
11,700 MILES

The car has a oil leak. The service station states that it needs a crankshaft seal and a camshaft seal and as long as that is bveing done have the water pump replaced and the timing belt.
Is that a correct process? Should I have all those repairs done?

1 Reply

CARADIODOC

MECHANIC
33,752 POSTS

Do you trust their judgment? It sounds to me like they are trying to save you some future aggravation and expense. To get to those seals, the timing belt must be removed. There should be no additional labor to put on a new belt vs. Putting the old one back.

At 117,000 miles, you probably don't need a water pump yet, but you will eventually. If it is driven by the timing belt, it would be penny wise and dollar foolish to not replace it. 95 percent of the work will already be done to get to the pump. If it starts to leak in a year or two, you'll be paying for the labor to do this job a second time.

The exception would be if you have already had the water pump replaced. If the antifreeze hasn't been replaced in the last two years, this would be the time to do it. Acid builds up from normal combustion gases getting into the cooling system, and additives like water pump lubricant and corrosion inhibitors wear out.

Caradiodoc