A couple of questions from a new owner...

[TJM623]

look a little in front of the SOHC thingy (towards the front of the car) and look for a belt...it's underneath a few things...if u can't see it without it moving turn your car on and look again, your eye should catch it moving...if not then i may have to resort to having to answer your rhetorical question

 

[Dave.jj]

Now I am getting confussed.... are you telling me about the Serpentine belt?? I thought the belt I was being told about was a gear box belt from my question about slight gear whine at the start of the thread, or have I totally lost the plot here.... or will you really have to answer my rhetorical question? (glad you spelled it for me)!

 

[TJM623]

ooo i thought u WERE talking about ther sepentine belt...Guess i'm dumb as for the other belt i don't think it's visible without taking something off... (the timing belt)

 

[hunterdan]

the serpentine belt drives all the accessories. I dont believe there is a timing belt on any of the motors, they should all be chain driven. The serp belt is extremly easy to replace. The job takes 10 minutes to do, but the shop will charge you a full hours worth of labor. Maybe if your lucky, you can go to the parts store on a very very slow day and slip one of the guys $10 and they'll put it in for you. If they know what they are doing, they will be done in less time than it takes for a battery and then your set for another 60k.

Dan

 

[TJM623]

yea i 4got chain driven...parts store as in dealership? or where could i grab one of these belts 97 dollars is insane for a piece of rubber IMHO

 

[V8BoatBuilder]

Your fluctuating idle is a classic symptom of an air intake/vacuum leak. Check the hoses/clamps running from the air filter to the manifold, and any vacuum hoses under the engine bay.

Early SOHC 4.0s had a recall for leaky intake manifold gaskets - if this work was not preformed, I'd be willing to bet these gaskets are your problem.