service list

[Pastry]

my car's an 88 2.5 8v. I got it with 66k on the clock after being well looked after but not driven much for the last 10 years or so. It had been recently serviced and the oil was clean so I just had it inspected.

its been fault free for 3.5k ive driven it but recently in the scottish monsoon season its started taking a while to catch after being sat in the pouring rain for 2 days unused. Last time it did this i took it out for a blast and it cleared up.

it has made me contemplate the issue of its first service under my ownership. i'd like to get the usual suspects sorted, and have decided to go with motortune in shotts which has had good mentions here and there.

so i'd like any advice on what of the following i should/shouldnt get done, any advice on ballpark prices would also be appreciated;

1. timing belt - only done 16k miles ago but over 5 years so agewise its overdue.

2. fluids - engine and gearbox oil clean at purchase, thinking of swepco for gearbox and good semi 10w40 for engine (its used less than a litre since i got it), both covered elsewhere in depth. others are brake fluid power steering fluid and coolant. probably get them all done.

3. plugs, also poss distributor cap and rotor arm.

4. water pump - think its still on its 1st.

5. oil/air/fuel filters.

anything ive missed? anything ott?

 

[PSH]

Timing belt certainly if not changed for 5 years as you say.

Fluids yes as you state... 10/40 tends to leak to much from my car but this does differ for all engines I know some here get on with it fine. Have only heard good things about swepco but havn't used it myself...yet

yes I would change plugs , dis and rotor

water pump..change it

yes to all filters, don't forget the fuel filter in this list

as for anything else...do balance shaft belts same time as timing although any good garage would do this anyway, also allow for new steering and alternator belts too. 66k is nothing for these engines but it's very low for such a car, too low in fact , worth checking everything thats rubber as it will be very brittle now, more so with such a low mileage car.

Pete

 

[pauljmcnulty]

If the belt is over 5 years old I'd not even turn the key! []

It might sound OTT, but 4 years is the maximum. I've only known a few actually break in my years around the cars, but they were all over four years old and not by much. Get it done ASAP, they should check rollers, oil seals etc. at the same time for you. I agree with Pete about the water pump, but again they will advise you.

Swepco gets good reviews, but any change of gearbox oil helps. Check the leads, dis cap and rotor arm as well as they are sensitive to this.

 

[Pastry]

just checked the service record and its actually 4 years/10k since the belts were done, i'll still get it done ASAP.

 

[pauljmcnulty]

ORIGINAL: Pastry

just checked the service record and its actually 4 years/10k since the belts were done, i'll still get it done ASAP.

Phew, had me worried there! [&:]

Seriously, I know it's boring to bang on about age being important with belts. Why should a belt that's only done a few thousand miles be about to fail catastrophically because it's 49 months old, not 48 months? I don't know; but there have been engines damaged by belt failure, and there is a history of this being between 4 and 5 years old. Hence, I tend to be a bit paranoid about it.