My husband bought this car and is now in a Alzheimer’s facility and can’t help me. The car has 129235 miles, runs great, but has never had the timing belt replaced. I plan to drive this car until my sons take the keys away from me, so when should I have the belt replaced?
Yesterday you are almost 3,0000 miles over due sorry to hear about your husband.
The engine in your Town Car has a timing chain, not a timing belt. Timing chains do not have a replacement schedule, they are replaced if they fail.
Did someone try to sell you a timing belt replacement for your Lincoln?
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Since your car apparently uses a timing chain, unless there are symptoms, other than keeping up the routine maintenance schedule as recommended by Ford/Lincoln, suggest to don’t worry about it. With your hubby having the memory problem, at least that’s one less thing you have to think about. To serve your own best interests in keeping you on the road and still driving, focus on finding a shop who will keep the car properly maintained. Suggest to also get some experience using other forms of transportation to get around, the local bus system, your area’s senior and disabled transportation systems, taxi’s, uber and the like. You may find you enjoy not having to worry about the complexities involved w/ driving and maintenance, just bus, taxi, or uber to your destination whenever you like, and yet more things you don’t have to worry about. Best to learn how to use this sort of stuff before you need it. Best of luck.
Yes, but… people who do oil changes solely on the basis of odometer mileage (thereby ignoring the elapsed time factor) are likely to have lubrication problems in their sludge-choked engine, and timing chains can come to an untimely end as a result of lubrication issues.
@Beverly18: After experiencing Alzheimer’s with my mother, you have my empathy. If you want to keep this car running–as trouble-free as possible–please make sure that you have the oil changed at least twice per year, no matter how few miles it accumulates on the odometer.
No, no one has tried to sell me anything, but I don’t want to get out on the highway and (as I have heard) have the engine seize up and have to replace it.
A 2006 Town Car is probably not worth the expense of an engine replacement . Your best bet is to ask friends or relatives for a good independent shop to just look at this thing and see if there are any immediate items that need attention.
The serpentine belt (aka the accessory belt) is probably due for a replacement if it hasn’t been done so already, but if it brakes at highway speed it won’t wreck your engine
It wont immediately wreck your engine, but when it breaks, the water pump stops working and the engine will overheat within a minute or two, maybe quicker. You would need to stop soon and call a two truck.
The cost of a new serpentine isn’t all that much around $100 - 150 or so and it isn’t urgent. You should get a couple of quotes or check with a trusted mechanic and schedule a replacement. They can do it while you wait.
You need a trusted mechanic who will track all the maintenance you need and notify you. Oil changes twice a year and a coolant change every 5 years. Spark plugs usually are due every 100k miles on this engine and a good mechanic will spot other needed items when needed and not before.
Your car can cost effective service for a long time in the future with a good maintenance plan.