How to Inspect a Timing Belt on a PT Cruiser

How to inspect a timing belt on a PT Cruiser, I show you in this video how to remove the upper timing cover so you can properly inspect the condition of your timing belt. I also give you some tips for inspecting your timing belt that will help you determine how much longer you can run it before replacement is required.

[@crazybusdr4ever]

Thank you Matt for sharing this video. It saved my nerves.

[@CarswithNash]

crazybusdr Glad to hear, happy cruising!(-:

[@jhuntosgarage]

Very good Matt. Thanks for sharing!

[@Romalainen]

Thank you Matt! Ive got my PT cruiser after falling in love with the design, then problems started... so far, with your videos, I've managed to keep it running without spending a penny! THANK YOU! God bless, from Israel!

[@CarswithNash]

That’s so great to hear, glad you are enjoying it!😎

[@marvind21castillo47]

Thanks for your help Matt I really appreciate

[@marvind21castillo47]

Thanks for your help Matt

[@johnwilkerson2195]

I think my 03' pt cruiser jumped time very helpful video thanks 👍

[@MickeyMishra]

I did not know you could do that. Whoa! Cool!

[@andysaunders3708]

Got quoted NZ$3000 to replace cambelt. "The engine has to come out". Nah. Thanks for the vid, as it makes me realise that the zip ties on the a/c pipes and other lines off to the side mean that someone's been it there before. Gonna follow your instructions, as a/c blows warm anyway. Cheers.

[@CarswithNash]

I have taken the engine out to do it before on a car with A/C so that I didn’t have to discharge the system. But that is the only reason you would do that, there is plenty of access to get at everything in the car.

[@redemptusrenatus5336]

Thanks for this, Matt. I have to take a look and see what's happened to my '05 PT Cruiser. Long story follows: Heard a weird "full balloon being let go without being tied and whizzing around the room making silly sounds" noise when making a left turn on my way home and then a grumbling noise from under the hood. I didn't realize those sounds came from my vehicle at first as it was middle of the day and noisy out but when I was halfway down the street near my home I could hear it was my PT. I reversed into my parking spot and then shut her off as I could smell an odd smell and the grumbly noise was terrible. Coolant was on the curb in a puddle making a trail back to my parking spot and then I turned the vehicle on once more to loud grumblies just long enough to retrieve the fault codes. Got a P0016 Cam/Crankshaft position sensor readings not plausible. I ordered the cam and crankshaft position sensors thinking it was just "limp-home mode" the vehicle went into as it'd happened before in 2013 and I changed them back then. But when I turned the vehicle on to listen again, this time the noise sounded really bad and engine would shake erratically, unlike what I was used to when my motor mounts were all shot. I put my hand on the timing belt cover and it felt like something was rattling around in there. I couldn't see where the coolant leak might have been but initially thought the noise might have been the water pump bearings and later thought perhaps that could have caused the timing belt teeth to get chewed up if the water pump wasn't spinning right. I wasn't sure how I would inspect the belt without taking everything apart but your video made it look very straightforward. I'm hoping it's not the timing belt and things didn't go kaboom... mostly because I can't afford to have it fixed. I suppose we'll see what happens.

[@NefariousEnough]

Thanks!!

[@crusinscamp]

It is possible to remove the power steering hose without making a mess. That would provide a little more clearance. First use a fluid transfer pump to lower the power steering fluid in the reservoir as much as possible. Be careful there's a fine mesh brass screen in there. Then disconnect the high pressure hose at the rear of the reservoir and draw out more fluid so it gets below the level of the large diameter hose on the front of the reservoir. Then you can remove the large hose on the front of the reservoir without making a mess. I gotta get to mine, they're overdue.

[@andysaunders3708]

Thanks heaps!

[@CarswithNash]

No problem!(-:

[@maryclark6672]

Hi Matt, do you still plan to do a video soon, replacing a timing belt on a PT Cruiser? My 2005 PT Cruiser convertible (manual trans, non-turbo) has 105K miles on it, so it's overdue to have the belt replaced, and I trust your videos. I'm trying to decide whether or not to do it myself, because of course it's extremely expensive to pay someone. Thanks!

[@CarswithNash]

Sorry I don’t see it happening, this PT was sold and all our others have newer belts on them. On PTs with AC I actually drop the entire powertrain out the bottom and leave the A/C compressor zip tied to the car so I can leave the A/C charged. I can’t predict the future however so if I do end up in a position to do one I will certainly make a video.

[@CarswithNash]

If you hire someone to replace your belt make sure they replace the cam and crank oil seals at the same time, if they don’t they will leak before the next belt.

[@maryclark6672]

@@CarswithNash thanks so much for the reply! I appreciate your videos. They’re very helpful.

[@rickspearman344]

@@CarswithNash , cam seals should also be checked, the water pump changed and idler pulley, and the tensioner. Or you'll be doing one of them in short order. Been on THAT road before. Expensive and time consuming job. Cheaper if your paying yourself, than a shop.

[@MickeyMishra]

@@rickspearman344 Agreed.

[@leeturner1838]

thanks!!!!

[@CarswithNash]

Lee Turner You’re welcome!(-:

[@daddy0772]

I appreciate the tutorial. It is still difficult to work on. I am looking for a clear Timing Belt cover like you can get for Mitsubishi EVO. MOPAR really missed an opportunity with this car. So much of it is engineered and designed amazingly. So much looked like they were in a hurry towards the end and ran out of money. eg; shoving a 1990's 2.4L in sideways, reversing the Neon manifold to cover the plugs, placing the firewall and floorboard about 8 inches more forward than it needed to be. All of these elements resulted in some ridiculous service issues. Other than those things, I love the two PTs that I own. I just need to install a lift to correctly service them.

[@CarswithNash]

Daddy0 Glad it was helpful for you, I plan to do a full timing belt replacement video in the spring as my ‘04 is due. I agree a more powerful engine would have really improved these cars, but at least the 2.4 is a pretty solid engine, at least they never put a 2.7 in it lol!

[@daddy0772]

Great. Looking forward to it. Wish you had a shop close to Louisiana or Florida. Most performance shops in our area focus on V8s and trucks, yeehaw.

[@warrenrhen721]

I just watched this video but I thought I saw one on replacing the belt and what other things I should replce while I'm doing the belt. Where can I find that info

[@ericfrazee4946]

Matt...great vid, you covered everything of importance...One question. What was the mileage on the Cruiser?

[@CarswithNash]

That Cruiser was around 110k miles at the time, the belt had been replace but not the oil seals, very important to replace those seals with every belt or they will leak and ruin the new belt.

[@appalachiangirl6877]

Hey question just got my worked head fixed timing belt' and warped head too'=went to drive my 03 PT out of the garage and it backfired and the battery went dead twice before I could partially get it back in the parking lot = over 1500 so far ' :'( ?????????? Help????? Any thoughts?

[@robertinabell2941]

How can I get you in real time to fix my pt cruiser? 😊 I need help and you look like you know what your doing. Seriously need your help!

[@CarswithNash]

Sorry I’m lucky if I can find time to reply to these comments most the time. I do try though so if you want to try and type your problems here that is about the best I can do for you.

[@efrainvazquez340]

quick question. Could installing a new clutch throw the timing off? I'm getting P0344 codes after having a new clutch put in . Thanks for the info.

[@CarswithNash]

Efrain Vazquez Nope, I mean if the belt was worn out already it’s possible it could slip during the clutch change as you do have to rotate the engine, but that is not the mechanic’s fault if that’s the case. If your belt is nice and tight it absolutely can’t go out of time just from rotating the engine.

[@miaschellejohnston2173]

Have you replaced the timing belt yet on a PT GT? Needing to do it soon but would like to watch a video from you.

[@CarswithNash]

Sorry I haven’t made that video yet, the car in this video will be the one I do it on. The car in the video is very easy because it doesn’t have air-conditioning, when they do have air-conditioning I normally find it easier to just drop the engine out, That way I leave the air conditioning connected and I just zip tie the AC compressor to the car’s structure and leave it all connected, I just unbolt it from the engine and leave it with the car and then drop the engine out the bottom and then while I have it out I replace all the oil seals and everything too. I’ve done it as a unit with the transmission attached and I’ve also done it with just the engine and leaving the transmission hanging in the car either way is about the same amount of work. If you have access to an A/C machine to evacuate the system and recharge it after then of course it is easy to do it in the car because you can move those lines out of your way but with them there it is next to impossible to gain enough access.

[@miaschellejohnston2173]

@@CarswithNash thank you so much for your help and responding so quickly. My husband and son are both into HVAC commercial and residential so I will have access to a vacuum and ability to recharge the ac system. Thank you again!!

[@charlessanders1342]

Are these engines non interference?

[@kaseyb283]

Well since you have mentioned that hole on the cover, do you think I could use my inspection camera that has led lights to check the timing belt without even having to remove the cover?

[@CarswithNash]

Absolutely, I have heard of people doing just that.

[@kaseyb283]

@@CarswithNash awesome! Going to give it a try. Thanks!

[@kaseyb283]

@@CarswithNash using inspection cam worked perfect btw. Just been trying to troubleshoot and inspect everything. Looks like I’ve got a bad fuel pump dang it! ☹️

[@CarswithNash]

@@kaseyb283 I would bet you don’t have a bad fuel pump, check the grounds that are down beside the engine mount on the right hand side of the engine bay, not that easy to see one on top of the engine mount but the one that screws to the inside structure of the engine bay and it is over by the front of that engine mount, that is your fuel pump ground and it is probably corroded up. I have actually never heard of a fuel pump failing in one of these cars, normally people misdiagnose and they replace the pump and still it doesn’t work so then they find the real issue.

[@kaseyb283]

@@CarswithNash I actually replaced my fuel pump and it’s up and running amazing now. But I keep getting the battery light coming on during driving. I had the battery tested and alternator. They said it’s a bad battery but I find that hard to believe. I’ve tested with it my multimeter with the car off and on and also on with the accessories. The voltage is perfect. Could it be something else?

[@JustinPVlogs]

Hey, when you go to put the motor mount back after inspecting do you need to jack up the engine at that point?

[@CarswithNash]

Yes I actually have a video that shows you how to align them, just skip ahead it’s in the middle somewhere. kzbin.info/www/bejne/mX7SnYugjN19h9k

[@JustinPVlogs]

@@CarswithNash Thank you!!

[@JustinPVlogs]

@@CarswithNash Sorry one more question lol, when you size out the zip tie for the gap inbetween the middle of the hole and that bolt, I should measure before taking out the top motor mount initially right?

[@CarswithNash]

@@JustinPVlogs Nope because it might not be right to start with, make it the exact length I mentioned in the video, I can’t recall but that is the spec.

[@JustinPVlogs]

@@CarswithNash Ok sounds good, and do I need to loosen that left bolt on the lower mount to do this or can I do it with just that upper mount bolt loosened?

[@lofishawty5901]

hi Matt, we recently had problems with our timing belt and a lot of other people tried to fixed it but made it worse, so i’m taking it upon myself to fix the belt and go from there, how would i fix the belt ?

[@CarswithNash]

SKXL You’d need to completely replace it, something I intend to make a video on but unfortunately have not yet. Basically you need to remove all the engine mounts from the right side of the engine bay, there’s one fastener hidden under a round plastic cover in the right wheel well, it’s a T55, with those all off you can move the engine up and down enough (have it on a jack) to access the other parts you need to remove, you will need a 3 jaw puller to remove the balancer pulley. It’s important to line up the timing marks prior to removing the old belt and vital that they line up when installing the new belt. I’d also strongly recommend replacing the water pump and cam and crank oil seals as well as the timing belt tensioner and idler, all at the same time. It ends up being a pretty big job and that’s why it’s best to do everything while you are in there, I always change the thermostat and radiator cap at the same time and then you’re set for awhile on that major service. Good luck and just comment here if you run into any issues, I’ll do my best to talk you thru it.

[@palalaska9]

@@CarswithNash Do you do house calls to Alaska by chance? Our only vehicle just died last night :( Was told the timing belt snapped. I am not sure if the cover was taken off. Is there a visual way to see a broken timing belt? Also, it happened while driving at maybe 40 MPH, trying to figure out if its a non-interface. If you have any input please let me know. Thank you!

[@CarswithNash]

@@palalaska9 The valves cannot contact the piston but they can contact each other if the cams get out of sync with each other. You’ve got about a 90% chance that it’s fine in my experience. There is a little inspection plug on the front of that cover that’s really easy to get out and you might be able to see a broken belt through that with the bright flashlight. Also the engine will have a different sound when it’s cranking than normal. Good luck, hope it all works out for you.

[@palalaska9]

@@CarswithNash Thank you so very much for getting back to me! I messaged the guy that took a look at it for me, he said he took the cover off enough to see it was broken and there was either oil, antifreeze or both on the cover. Stressed out to the max right now, I am disabled and my daughters are looking after me, its the car that does all for my family. Will a compression test tell if the valves are ok? That is the next step, trying to figure out how to make this work out :) Please be safe and take care, you sound like my neighbor in Canada :) Been a tough time these last couple years, cheers to better times ahead for us all

[@palalaska9]

@@CarswithNash BTW, I really like your channel. You are so calm and explain things very well. This PT (2009) has been through Alaska winters outside without a headbolt heater, snow, minus 40+ belowF and 100MPH windstorm of recent days. Just studded tires, making sure fluids are serviced regularly and parking out of the harsh Alaska summer sun. They are great cars.. bummed the timing belt broke but fingers crossed, all works out!

[@gabrielsmagicktome]

Wait, how the fuck does it not have air conditioning? I thought that in the 2000's AC is something that comes with a vehicle by default. Now I better check my PT cruiser that I just. to see if I have AC lol.

[@sljs1010]

My mother has a 2005 pt cruiser with 77000km (47000miles) She doesn't drive much are the belts still ok usually after 16 years? thanks

[@Just1American1966]

The timing belt on the PT Cruiser seems to be engineered to fail within 500 miles either way of 100 thousand miles. Mine was no exception; it hadn't failed yet, but was almost shredded when it was pulled at just over the 100K mark. There are two accessory belts that, between them, run the power steering pump, alternator, water pump, and AC compressor. These belts on your car should be inspected, as that is very low mileage for that model year and, depending on climate and environment, could be subject to dry-rot from lack of use. Typically, I have had them last well over 50K (some even made it to twice that.) All this reminds me that it's been maybe 65K since I looked at the ones on my own PTC. ;-)

[@vincentspurgo1362]

Bonjour sur mon tableau de bord est apparu le pictogramme défaut moteur mais celui ci tourne très bien c'est quoi le défaut ? mercî

[@blueplasma5589]

No, the cover hook is out of the frame, couldn't see what you're pointing at sir. Is this a interference valve engine?....valves only may, huh

[@CarswithNash]

In my experience there’s about a 90% chance your engine will be OK if the belt breaks, in rare cases valves do get bent, likely related to the RPMs the belt breaks at.

[@lilianneesquiera6054]

Hi Matt, may I please ask, how many miles was on this PT when you inspected the belt?

[@CarswithNash]

Lilianne Esquiera That belt only had 30k miles since I changed it last, I was more concerned with how much oil was getting on it from the leaky seal in this case. I would recommend changing the belt every 60-70k miles & as well changing the water pump, tensioner & idler pulley & cam & crank oil seals all at the same time, I will be doing a video on the entire process when I have a chance to do it on my ‘04 (which has A/C). I’ve seen the belts break as low as 75k miles so I wouldn’t push one much past 60k miles myself & age is a factor too if you’ve got an original belt on a low mile car you may wanna change it more based on age.

[@kmath50]

@@CarswithNash I have owned 3 vehicles with the 2.4 engine. The O.M. says to change the belt at 105,000 miles. With the two that I changed, the water pumps started leaking at 20,000 miles before that. so that belts where changed at the same time.

[@CarswithNash]

Kirk Matheson Yep, just like I say the recommendation in the manual is too high.

[@laurentpenot2656]

I don't get the trick, of the plastic cover partially *opened* on it's lower section... it's not waterproof ??? dustproof ???

[@CarswithNash]

Nothing should be open, sounds like you are missing something or something is broken if it is open on the bottom. These covers literally have a rubber gasket on them, if they are all in good shape they do seal.

[@laurentpenot2656]

@@CarswithNash the plastic cover has a strange shape. through the video I surely don't understand the way it is built. I had just a weird thinking about the sealing of a plastic cover used for such critical components 😁 thanks for your return 😉 I now need to find your video about the spark plugs interval because you mentioned the important fact that Chrysler had changed it 🧐

[@gradyhernandez4699]

I have 3 PT cruisers one is convertible

[@CarswithNash]

Grady Hernandez Yes they are addictive, many people have multiples.

[@appalachiangirl6877]

@@CarswithNash 03 ?

[@andysaunders3708]

They're a non-interference engine, correct?

[@CarswithNash]

Valve to piston contact is not possible but valve the valve contact can happen but rarely does, if you break a belt you have about a 30% chance of bent valves in my experience, just depends how high it is rev’ing when the belt breaks etc.

[@mostlymoparih5682]

Okay I'm here.

[@mostlymoparih5682]

Easier to work on the Cruiser or your Neon?

[@mostlymoparih5682]

Good ending seeing as it was hot out today.

[@CarswithNash]

MostlymoparIH Lol, your faithful attendance is appreciated! The Neon is about the easiest car to work on I’ve ever owned, the PT is easy but at the same time it is time consuming, everything is a multi step process & yet each step is simple & easy, for me it is the enjoyment factor vs. frustration more so then the time it takes me. It also depends what you are used to & tooling, these FWD Mopars just seem to be the easiest thing for me to maintain with my shop, my dad had a 2000 Cirrus prior to his ‘05 PT, the Cirrus was also very nice & did an amazing job protecting him when he hit a moose at night, that was the only reason it got replaced.

[@mostlymoparih5682]

Yeah but they should of put the battery in the trunk. Your trans in the Neon its the 31TH/A670, correct? That stands for 3speeds, load range 1, Tranverse, and Hydraulic. Thanks for the info.

[@mostlymoparih5682]

Battery in trunk comment was for the Cirrus.

[@geo8841]

How many miles on this car?

[@CarswithNash]

115k miles currently.

[@MRTuning704]

Aren’t timing belts the best?

[@CarswithNash]

M&R Tuning Actually I don’t mind them, chains can be an issue too, I lost a 351W because the timing chain broke, blew the block apart. Also had a Nissan with a chain that ate a hole thru the front cover & caused a massive oil leak. When I got my ‘90 Town Car the chain was rattling so I had to change it. The belts are normally easier to access so I always just change them when I get a car & then I know it’s good.

[@jamesschnelleii5350]

09 pt cruiser doesnt want to keep running changed the alternator and battery !!!

[@CarswithNash]

Does it have any codes? How long does it typically run for before it dies?

[@marvind21castillo47]

Whis is the time for pt cruser

[@CarswithNash]

Marvin Castillo Sorry I’m not following... Are you asking how to set the timing?

[@marvind21castillo47]

Yes, buddy

[@CarswithNash]

Marvin Castillo Sorry for my delayed reply... If you’re changing a belt, you rotate the engine till the marks line up, the cam marks will only line up every second revolution. The lower timing belt pulley has an arrow that corresponds with an arrow directly behind it in the casting, the cams will say on the pulleys which way is up, so with them facing up & the bottom mark lined up then the 4 marks on the cam pulleys should line up in a straight line (a straight edge will make this easier). Once the marks are lined up you can remove the old belt & just be careful not to turn anything while it is off. When you put the new belt on & tension it that lower mark will end up advanced, so the prevent that you turn the crank back slightly before installing the belt & then when you tension it the mark should line up (about 2 teeth back normally) There is some trial & error involved in getting the marks perfectly lined up. I will be making a video on the entire process probably next spring.

[@santosgarcia6332]

Can I have it in Spanish

[@CarswithNash]

There should be Spanish subtitles available I believe. If not I don’t know what else you could do, I don’t speak Spanish so sorry I can’t help you out there.

[@chriswood3771]

I have a PT cruiser 2009 with 10700 miles sitting in my yard won't start spins over either timming belt or tpim ridiculous biggest piece of shit cars it was left to me as a gift I have never heard anything goodabout them known for blown head gaskets running hot electric fan going out should I go on

[@CarswithNash]

Chris Wood I beat on my PT’s like they owe me money every day and they are still some of the best cars I’ve ever owned... Maybe give the car a half a chance before you write it off because of a bunch of stupid media hype... I’ve heard of plenty of them still going strong with double and even triple that mileage. I have never had a head gasket issue, they are no more prone to head gasket issues than any other aluminum head, iron block engine, if you overheat them they’re gonna pop a gasket, that is almost a given with any engine that is built like that. Your best bet would be to get a scanner and scan the car or you can do the key dance method to retrieve the code from the gauge cluster. There should be a code if something like the crank position sensor or cam position sensor has failed which would be a likely cause for a non-start. If it’s been sitting a really long time you may just have to crank it for a very long time to get the valve lifters pumped back up, they tend to drain out on these engines if they sit for a long time and it can sometimes take 15 minutes or even longer of steady cranking to get them pumped back up so that the valves actuate properly.

[@ryanlengacher]

You sound Amish

[@CarswithNash]

Ryan Lengacher I’m not...