mileage of timing chain for pontiac

[amitannee]

firebird ?
do i need to change timing chain,water pump or anything else for 1999 pontiac firebird 1999,having 98700 miles on it.....wat will the cost for changing brake pads in this car.......please help

 

[kylelee08]

you should have change it at 90,000. When you do decide to get it changed, the water pump will need to be taken out in order to do change the timing chain, because if it goes out you will have to buy a new engine. That will be costly.

 

[goat]

it sholud only cost about 300

 

[wde3477]

Timing chains typically should not need to be replaced for the life of the engine.

Timing belts are another story - there is a manufacturer's spec regarding mileage, typically between 60,000 and 100,000 miles. This is an important maintenance item - should the belt fail, you will be dead-in-the-water. Additionally, with some engines there is catastrophic valve damage as the timing is lost and the valves crash into the pistons. Not a big problem with American cars, but rice-burners are notorious for this type of damage.

Need to know what engine you have to determine whether it has a belt or a chain. Being a Firebird, I would suspect a chain.

The brake pads themselves are about $15-$30 per axle. However, if a shop does the work - look to pay quite a bit more due to labor and markup, particularly if they recommend turning the rotors - probably on the order of $80-$150 per axle, depending on the scope of work.

Water pumps generally don't get replaced until they show signs of failure, which is typically a leak. The coolant quality is important, in that the anti-freeze also serves the purpose of keeping the seal lubed.