Looking at '86 Impulse non-turbo. Cam belt advice?

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slickdizzy
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Looking at '86 Impulse non-turbo. Cam belt advice?

Post by slickdizzy »

Hello all, I'm a newbie to the forum, and was looking for a little bit of advice on an '86 Impulse non-turbo I'm looking at. The car is very clean, and runs and drives pretty well. It has 124,xxx miles on it. The engine does not appear to be original (yellow paint numbers on valve cover, looks like it was bought used from a parts dealer).

Everything on the car seems to be on the up & up, but the current owner claims he has no idea when the cam belt/timing belt was last changed on it. He says that he has had the car for about seven years and has never had it serviced - however it does have a new clutch and brakes. Would this be an interference engine? I don't want to have to find another if the belt breaks! Are there any warning signs? How hard is the job compared to other cars? (I've done it on Subarus before and once on a FWD Toyota).

Your help is much appreciated.
IZU069
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Post by IZU069 »

I'd change the belt. Prevention is better...

I think it's fairly straight forward - just the usual pain of removing the other fan belts etc.


I think the motor is interference, but even if not, it may be modified.

Do it.

Others can advise on the "reality" of changing the belt.
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Chris
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Post by Chris »

I agree with IZU.. Just change it. Nothing worse than broken down nowhere and having to ask a chick to borrow her stockings.


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vinnie55
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Post by vinnie55 »

Yeah I also aggree, if the belt goes, it could seriously fuck with your valves etc. It's not worth the damage.
and did you say he didn't service it for 7 years???? now that is a worry. I'd give it a full service quick smart.
that dosn't take much effort. I've had my car a month and I'm doing my service now just so i know it has been done....
Well actually more urgent than that because I took it to my uncle's workshop to get something looked at, and whilst I was there I got one of the blokes to give it a check over. he tested the fluids and they were all fucked.
My lil bro changed the break fluid today and apparently there were like.... lumps in it or something....
There is also a bit of brown in my radiator. I'm sooooooooo flushing the cooling system tomorow.
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wedgenut
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Post by wedgenut »

[/quote]86 Impulse non-turbo

Hold up just a second guys. Think for a minute, the key here is "NON TURBO" The non turbo cars are the G200Z motor, chain drive, no belt, no worries, move on and enjoy
So many cars, so little cash
IZU069
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Post by IZU069 »

IZU069 wrote:Others can advise on the "reality" of changing the belt.
Is that enough to save me? (D'oh!)
vinnie55 wrote:I'm sooooooooo flushing the cooling system tomorow.
After running for a week with a bottle of (cheap) hair shampoo? (For oily hair is best.)
But brown...? Using coolant?
FYI - I buy concentrate - much cheaper.
And concentrate means 100% coolant (glycol etc) - not 35% etc.
Why buy premixed 5% or 7% etc? (Do the money math. And why carry all that volume/weight?)
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vinnie55
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Post by vinnie55 »

yeah.... it's definately coolant in there. not like tap water or anything. just been left a while I suspect.
I often use concentrate because that's what's at my uncle's workshop.
this time I have premix as that's what my brother bought me.

(my lil bro is now an apprentice disel mechanic, so he needed a car to practice on :P)
= FREE SERVICE!
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