Thank you so much for this video. I have a 2003 Neon SXT, 2.0L and I followed these instructions and was able to change my timing belt, water pump, alternator belt, and power steering belt in a matter of hours. You saved me a lot of time and money. I've used your videos before on other cars I've owned, and you always save me loads of money by showing me exactly what to do. I have very little mechanical experience, and am still able to work on my car thanks to you. Much thanks to you my friend.

Excellent ! This is one of the best videos I've seen on this topic. Congratulations Rich

This is the only video that shows how its done step by step. Thank you so much.

Excellent video. You showed us what to look for as the job progressed and how to address it. Other videos I've watched don't go into the detail you do on this repair. Kudos to on your attention to detail.

Great video. Used it as a visual workup before working on a 2005. I didn't remove the radiator hoses or the power steering bracket. So for those that don't want to make a mess, you can do it without taking the radiator hoses off. Everything else was spot on. I had access to a factor manual too, but seeing it done is always much more helpful. Thanks! :)

Thanks for the tips. They helped us a lot on the timing belt/water pump replacement in our '04 Neon SOHC w/ P.S. and A/C. My twin brother and I have worked on cars all our lives as hobbyists and professionals. We both found your video very helpful, especially with the Auto Zone tool part no. 27139 and the T55 torx bolt. The job took us about 9.0 man-hours. Thanks again.

This video was extremely easy to follow along with. And you left nothing out. Thank you so much!

Awesome video! Was a great help. By following these instructions (and one other source), I got timing back on track, replaced the timing belt, tensioner pulley, and water pump replaced. After replacing motor mounts, the transmission mount, and a few other odds and ends, the Neon is now running better than it has in years!! Thank you for you help, good sir.

Great Video love the step by step not skipping the in-between and clear video -audio this is my project today thank you Sir !! much appreciated !!

Car has 176,000 miles with original tensioner, water pump and pully. Did not see any piston/valve damage. There was a small indentation on #1 and #4 piston about the size of your nephews but those were old... I imagine from when the belt broke for previose owner. He changed the belt and head gasket but nothing else from what I can tell. IT LIVES TB Cover(30) Tensioner(87) belt(40) head gasket(70) intake/exaust gaskets(20) water pump(42) Pride in getting it done. Priceless!!! IT'S ALIVE!!!

The neon timing belt job is not one of my favored ones to do.

the man who painted the right way to pay attention and get it right thank you for your time have a nice day

@karlakatie1522 I do not have a video on the s-series at this time if i have to do one i will video it.

Extremely helpful rich. Great video and excellent details. Thanks a bunch for sharing. Ive got to do one on an 01 neon 2.0 tomorrow. Makes it a ton easier knowing what im getting into. Thanks again!

this video saved my bacon. the gf was driving our 05 sx 2.0 and the car died while she was coasting after some trouble shooting we found that the timing belt had broke. with your video and my bosses shop with all the tools i needed the job took me 8.5 hours including clean up. and i am no mechanic by any means. thanks so much for the awesome vid

you sir, saved me alot of stress. Doing this and water pump Sunday, and with your video I am now confident i can do it.

I have a 2004 Neon and I cant express enough that when you do your timing belt please REPLACE the water pump, cam and crank seal, and the timing tensioner as well as the engine mount which I'm sure is broken because it's common for the (vibration Neon) as I call it. Just a little FYI from a skilled technician. Great video though very informative. Get the entire timing replacement kit everything is included

Another great one Rich! I had to do alot of this because a year ago my water pump on my neon went. A big , big job Rich

Thank's for your answer Rich! Again, awesome video. So detailed. Still a little apprehensive about doing the job, but with your awesome instruction, I think I can get it right with the timing belt install, thank's to your little trick of backing the tension pulley off a few teeth. When tension is put on, and the belt moves, the pulley lines up properly. Logical, but not obvious. Great tip.

Thanks again! Love your vids. I'm trying to keep my neon running forever. And thanks to you, it's still going.

Richpin. Thank you so much for the video! You could have saved me hundreds. I never would have had the gumption to change my water pump without your video and the one from autotech. I watched it backwards and forwards so much that I started thinking in that Boston, is it?accent. Can't thank you enough. When I got to my water pump I decided it wasn't leaking (it had been changed twice by the same mechanic the last just about 4k ago) so I changed the thermostat housing instead HA! But I wouldn't change the experience being that I was on vacation and want under pressure to get out done. Thanks!

Oh no, I have to do this tomorrow. Thanks for showing the process. More thanks for having this in HD.

@CARRICK6423 If you or anyone else need to know what the tensioner looks like in the adjusted position i will shoot you a link of a picture i took of it. I just ran out of room on the video.

Who knew Peter Griffin was a mechanic lol

great video. i did the water pump and timing belt in 6 hours i followed your steps. thank you. i charged $130 bucks to do it.

Thx for the vid. Worked like the usual nightmare on my gunky '03 sxt ;). If I never do another timing belt it'll be too soon. Fortunately mine broke in two separate pieces while accelerating to avoid an accident on the interstate, so now I can replace my head too. Good times.

Rich thanks again for taking rime to answer my questions. You have a great weekend

This guy has the best videos for vehicle repair. I've stumbled across a few of his videos and I always recognize the accent. I just went ahead and subscribed.

Thanks Rich! I gained some great tips from your video such as using a 17mm wrench on the belt tensioner and using a mirror to adjust the belt properly. Car runs like a top again after having a P0016 code (belt looked like it was very close to the marks but still set the code and put into limp mode)

Used this to help change my timing belt, tensioner, and water pump. Thanks! Should note that on my 05 the sleeve on the mechanical tensioner was not given on the replacement part from AutoZone so we had to re-use the old one and make it work. Did this so it came together easier later.

Very instructive and thorough vid, Rich. Reminds me of changing the timing belt and water pump on my 2001 honda civic. I am not as handy and experienced as you so the job took me one day and a half. I thought honda belt may be the worst on earth to work on. But after this vid, I know dodge should earn this title :P

I love these videos, I'd just like to mention, because it can't be said enough. NEVER ROTATE THE TIMING BELT BY ANYTHING BUT THE CRANK SHAFT PULLEY!

Since I first saw this posting (originally I was looking for help to access the cam and crank shaft oil seals for changing) I have now followed Richpins' video three times to change the timing belts on the wife's, daughter's and our son's Neons. I decided to do this after seeing Rich's comment about the interference engine, and considering the mileage on all three cars was in the 130,000 - 150,000 Km (80,000-95,000 mile) range so the belts were getting to a point of high risk - the cars are 03, 04, 05 and I suppose age as well as mileage must affect the belt life. One timing belt was visibly showing deep cracks all around the belt, the other two were worn but fair condition. I sleep better now that they are all changed. (change a $40 belt now, or a whole engine later!) The point: sometimes we learn something important while looking for something basic. Thanks Richpin.

@deadman12078 There are two covers a front and back cover you need the back cover to align the cam sprocket.

@fenixans Yes the 01 is supposed to have the hydraulic tensioner

This car's needed a lot of work Rich. Glad I have a GM.

thanks for the video, this helped with taking everything off.

You are te best. I watched your vid this morning and it turned out to be right on. you saved me hours of figuring out what the best order of dissasembly and how to get out those tuff bolts. Thank you for this vid, i wish i could send you a case of beer. your the best!!!!!

@dminstk The water pump and belt are the same but the tensioner is different.When it comes to time everyone is going to work at a different pace that being said i'll say 8-10 hrs to do the job.

@Usalogic If the belt is to loose it could skip on the sprockets.To tight it accelerates the wear on the belt and pulleys.

Hi rich, thanks for the help. I think ill try to loosen the rockers first b4 going at the cam. I am also so replacing the waterpump and tensioner. Again thanks for your expert advice on doing this the safest way. Have a great weekend

Excellent video Richpin, I needed help getting to the top (cam) and bottom (crank) oil seals for changing; your posting made the process stress-free. Knowing ahead of time the accessory pulley bolt would be too short for reinstalling the pulley, I was prepared (bought a 12mmx1.75 x 110mm grade 8 bolt ahead of starting the job) tips like this really made the work go well.The only information I would add for viewers - if you need to remove the crank (bottom) timing-belt-cog/sprocket to access the oil seal behind it; this can be done using a flat style puller plate and three 6mm x1.0 pitch bolts. I had grade five bolts and all went well easing each a small turn each until the cog came free. This cog is keyed to the shaft - don't loose the key when pulling the cog free, and don't let the shaft turn as you will loose the timing alignment.Great post.

This was very helpful. I had a hydrolic tensioner and replaced it with a mechanical tensioner. Bearings on my tensioner fell out so the steel outer wheel was spinning around the plastic bearing race. Hydrolic tensioner was about shot too. Car still ran great even with 2" of play on belt. Only modification I had to make to make mechanical tensioner work is make a larger hole in the "new" plastic inner timing belt cover. Otherwise the braket did not sit flush and belt would fall off half way.

That was it Rich. I didn't have it flat when I put it on. Thank you!

@fixinggrace Had to put a tie rod end on at the same time also.

Great how-to video! I'm about to do this. Thanks!

You are correct about the location of the motor mount # 2947.# 3050 is a transmission mount and on that vehicle i believe it is located on the top of the transmission.

recently did my wife's 04 and that cam gear gave me fits. Very nice that you showed that tip on your video. Manual on these says belt is good to 105k. Did mine at 95 and the aftermarket belt will be done after 60k on it. I make it a point to buy the timing belt kit that includes the water pump. While you've got it down, you may as well change it. Outstanding video. Wish I'd seen it b4 I started. BTW, Blue point makes a puller that doesn't require a spacer

@hp11208 It puts the pulley were it should be making locating the marks easier.

dead on, best vid i watched on this and the tip on damper puller was great with out it i probley whoud have tour it up. also nice that you stated sizes saved me a lot of time and sweet i did this outside on a 100*+ day

It may not be your favorite, but thank you for filming it! Your video is THE most detailed and the best one on KZfaq for sure. You cover everything. It doesn't look like fun, I'll give you that, and I am not looking forward to doing mine at all. Thank's to your great vid though, I feel confident enough to handle it. Like you mentioned though, better to do it now, then have your belt or pump fail (which my pump is doing) then have it running and do that horrible valve smashing you spoke of.

I love the help. Thank you sir.

Thanks a lot! I really enjoyed your video.

@gst69man You want an impact wrench that ever time you use it you marvel at how awesome it is get the Ingersoll-Rand 2135TiMAX

@campauchicken Yes it is quite involved on this car

Thanks! I found a pretty good deal on a new head, so I went ahead and ordered one. They told me they did a compression test, and had no compression, so I know that there is valve damage. It's cheaper by a long shot in this case to do a used head instead of trying replace the valves!

Richpin FTW, nice work. Suggest raising the engine to get at the power steering bolts, especially the bracket to engine bolts. Be sure to check your crank timing gear and harmonic balancer depths on the crankshaft before removing and while installing. Set the gear/balancer/pulley in line with the other associated rollers so the belts run straight. Can use a 12 inch straight edge for the harmonic balancer to align it to the tensioner pulley and Air Conditioning pulley. Stay gold.

Glad it worked out OK.I am going to make a note in the video that the the puller was on backwards

There’s a tdc mark on the bottom of the engine behind the harmonic balancer you can have the engine set to without having to do it the hard way. Just take the timing belt cover off and you can see if behind the harmonic balancer. Also shows you in the Haynes manual

@amaple312 My sentiments exactly

This video helped me a lot, thank you

@adezso76 The idea is to loose them so they do not push on the valves while you turn the cam to it's timing mark.

@adezso76 I know this is a pain in the butt but the safest way is to loose the rockers or remove the camshaft then put the crankshaft at top dead center and then line up the camshaft marks.

Keeping you all updated in real time. I followed this video for tips on replacing the tensioner pulley. Overall it aint that bad, and I'm a big guy with big, fat hands and theoretically I'm half way done after a couple interrupted hours of work. Stopping because it's getting dark and I have to work. It helps tremendously if you have air, but it isnt absolutely necessary. But it does help to have 3/8" and 1/4" drive tools and a short 15mm. If you can have a 1/4" drive short 15mm, it will help with a few of the rear bolts. Hope this helps.

This car's needed a lot of work Rich. Glad I have a GM. Even the timing belts on the Escorts were fairly easy. I did one on my wife's in an hour and a half in a parking lot with nothing more than basic tools and a jack.

@fixinggrace I hear ya..

Thanks for you video, I see how much time and prep is involved now....

@fugaldevelopment They do not tell you why in the manuals why you move it 3 teeth but i am guessing to make sure all the play is out before installing the belt.The only thing is I wish i could have shown you better the marks on the tensioner but i could not get my camera close enough.

I used my work bench as the anchor point.A cargo strap good and tight should be a alternative method.

@Edwinb777 I am not sure i wish i had a 01 and 02 handy to compare.

@themrfreeze07 I'm with you on that one.

I have Dodge Avenger, with 420A engine, similar to Dodge Neon. I took that pulley off with "generic" 3 yaw puller, that can handle at least 3 tons. Works fine.

Thank you for pointing that out can you tell i do not work on chryslers that often.

@deadman12078 I presume the engine is correctly timed right now if so what you could do is make your own timing mark for the cam.Yes this engine is an interference engine.

@foxdmulder The neon took the whole day.

@richpin06a Thank you, sir. I'll make marks :) Not sure if timing got thrown or not and can't check. But, yes what your saying helps. Mark everything, install new shroud, replace and use TDC mark on new shroud to confirm TDC. Had issues with oil in spark plug tubes, than crankshaft position sensor wiring... Lotta Bucking and now error code is saying timing is off (1 tooth) and gas mileage is 20mpg instead of 30mpg. Belt looks newer but want to replace while engin is apart

@vochitoken Doing a leakdown test should be able tell you if there is a problem.

Good idea to change the water pump while you're there!! As well as the alternator and all belts.

@fenixans yes all dodge neons have a hydraulic belt tensioner and as for the dodge stratus and intreped

The neon has a interference engine were if the belt breaks while the engine is running the pistons can strike the valves in the cylinder head.

Very good video. He is very good.

Thanks for the info now I'm off to check and replace the valves..if not I'll just get a good used head..

You always turn the crank 2 revolutions after you install the belt to make sure the timing marks line up.

@happy543210 You are sooooo right.

Hey rich great video as usual. I have learned alot more real world fixes watching your vids than the current tech school i am at. I do have a question i seem to have taken the belt off when the timing was not correct. To fix that would the remedy be to reinstall the old belt and rotate the eng. until the timing marks do llne up. Thanks in advance.

Great video thanks! I'm just curious about how you got the crank pully off, do you really need that special tool to get it off? Or are there other ways? Thanks!

I am doing this job on my Chrysler neon 2005, next month. Thanks for the clear explanations. But i do not have the compression gauge.

Will be doing this on Monday🍻

@amaple312 Ridiculous ? i don't understand why ! Can you explain ?

@bobdole57 Hit a pot hole thurs. Strange rattling coming from engine near cam so thought a lifter snapped or something. Drove to work and back (160 miles). Yesterday I took valve cover off and inspected the lifters/cam. All in great condition, no wear marks or scratches on camshaft. Car has 176,000+ miles... amazing. Notice timing belt had moved on sprocket, I touch it and it moves 2" Belt tensioner must have failed but amazingly the car did not jump timing. SOHC

Thanks Peter 👍

I will have to check but are you sure you have to remove the mount plate.

thanks a lot. i appreciate your knowlegde.

@chevynut71570 Don't you just love it.

The book says to do it the way i did in the video but i do not see why you could not wait till the cover is off to line up your marks.

Great video! Helped me a lot. I'm running into the problem of my timing belt walking off when I do the two revolutions. It comes over the cam shaft pulley about 1/4". What did I do wrong?

The bolt was 110mm long and the same dia and pitch as the original which off the top of my head i do not remember the size.

Was the head checked for valve damage.

Was the engine running when the belt broke.

Thank you for the information.