Repair Job May Be Just Poor Timing

Question: I have a 1982 Ford Escort, front-wheel drive, with an automatic transmission. It was running perfectly at 48,000 miles when my mechanic suggested changing the timing belt. Five days later, the car would not shift out of low gear, and the transmission had to be overhauled. Is it normal for a transmission to suddenly go or could the timing belt affect the transmission?--C.C.K.

Answer: Transmissions often give warning signs of trouble long before they fail, but many motorists don’t recognize the signs, such as unusual noises, leaking transmission fluid and changes in shifting characteristics.

But you can be relatively certain that the timing-belt failure was not related to the transmission. The timing belt is located at the front of the engine and provides the power to open the engine valves. The transmission is not connected to this portion of the engine.

Mechanic Fouled Up

That does not rule out the possibility that the mechanic fouled up something that was related to the transmission when he was working on the engine. That’s one reason you want to have a mechanic you trust, both in terms of his honesty and his competence.

Finally, I’ll leave you with a question that you should have asked your mechanic. If the car was running fine, why did he want to replace the timing belt? He may have had a good reason, but you should not hesitate to question why repairs are done to your car when it isn’t obvious something is wrong.

Q: I’m planning to buy a new car next month. Because I don’t have any collision insurance on my old car, I’m wondering whether I can buy insurance for just one day for when I drive my new car home from the dealer. I want to change insurance companies on my new car.--J.K.

A: Buying insurance for just one day is more trouble than you think. Why don’t you just ask your current insurer to insure the car until your new policy goes into effect? After a week or so, you can cancel the old policy and get a prorated refund on the period of insurance that you did not use. Alternatively, you could purchase the new insurance a day before you take delivery of the new car.