How much to replace the timing belt?
I have a 5th gen lude and have about 70k miles on it. I got the car when it had 30k miles on it and when I got it I remember the engine being super smooth even when revved. Now, after I have added 40k miles to it, it seems that the engine is much more noisy and trashy when revved to 7000 rpm. Apart from that when I rev the engine and let the revs fall, I hear this irritating "whirring" noise.. It suspiciously sounds like a loose timing belt.. But I have no way of confirming this..... In fact this noise has driven me to the point where I dont mind paying to get it replaced. The timing belt, the timing belt tensioner and the water pump.. I can apparently get all the parts pretty cheap online but the quote I got for labour for this job is like $500.. !!! That seems super steep.. Anyone have opinions on this? I live in the DFW area..