Timing Belt Clinic: Chrysler PT Cruiser 2.0

The PT Cruiser timing belt is straightforward to change – you just have to get to it, as Rob Marshall discovers.

Despite being a bit of a Marmite car, you can’t deny the popularity of Chrysler’s PT Cruiser. Production may have ended almost a decade ago, but plenty of examples are still running, helped by a dedicated UK parts specialist and strong club support. As we discovered, when we bought one for our Budget Motoring feature in the July 2019 issue, values have hit rock-bottom for this practical and characterful runabout. Unlike the Mercedes-benz-sourced diesel engine, both the 2.0 and 2.4 petrol units have a timing belt. With a 6.75-hour book time to change it, and more to swap the water pump, garage labour costs alone might make the task uneconomical. However, should the belt break, the engine is certain to be damaged.

With our four-cylinder ECC/2 2.0 engine, the procedure is quite involved, requiring several trolley jacks and axle stands, because the engine requires manoeuvring judiciously. The good news is that no special locking tools are necessary, aside from a puller to remove the crankshaft pulley.

As our PT Cruiser was almost 16 years old, with no record of the belt having been changed, it was living on borrowed time, so the tensioners, water pump and auxiliary belts were replaced as well.