Q. I own a 1998 Honda Accord with a four-cylinder engine. The car has been driven only 38,000 miles, but when I went in for my last maintenance visit, the mechanic at the Honda dealership told me that I should replace the timing belt, because he says the belt tends to dry out over time. I am interested in your opinion regarding this. Do you recommend that I change the belt? All the other belts appear to be in very good condition.

A. Although the mileage of your car is quite low, in this case it is time that is the indicator of when to replace the timing belt. In general, most Honda vehicles require timing belt replacement between 72 and 84 months. Since your car is 10 years old, replacing the timing belt would be money well spent. If the belt fails while you’re driving, the engine could suffer serious and expensive damage.

Of batteries and indicators

Q. I am a faithful reader of your very informative column and hope you can help me understand something that I had to deal with this week. A couple of days ago, my 1997 Mercury Grand Marquis would not start. I had no warning that anything was malfunctioning. The car had been fine, and then abruptly one morning it just wouldn’t start. Although the battery indicator light was green, the battery was the 11-year-old original, so I suspected I needed a new battery. I am perplexed, however, because I thought that green indicator light meant the battery was still strong. When I tested the battery, it was at 54 percent and about 10 volts. It didn’t have enough juice to start my car, so I bought and installed a new battery, and now my car starts. But why would the indicator light still be green if the battery was not dead? Could the problem with starting the car stem from something in the electrical system other than the battery?

A. The indicator light is actually a measurement of the specific gravity of the electrolyte (water and acid combination) in the battery. When battery covers were removable, technicians used a hydrometer to measure the specific gravity of each of the six cells in the battery. The specific gravity is an indicator of the state of charge of the battery, not the capacity. The problem with the built-in indicator is they typically are averaging the specific gravity of the battery, or they are looking at just one cell. More than likely, the battery in your car had one or more faulty cells. This is one reason we encourage motorists to have their batteries tested at least once a year using electronic testing equipment.

Too many turn-overs

Q. I am having a problem with my 1991 Chevrolet Caprice. The problem is that it turns over too many times before starting. It doesn’t happen all the time, but most of the time. I have taken the car to my mechanic but he can’t seem to solve the problem. The entire engine was replaced two years ago. Do you have any advice?

A. Leave the car in repair overnight so they can see what happens and doesn’t happen when you start your car. The first tool the technician should use is a fuel pressure and volume tester. It is possible that the fuel pressure is okay, but that the amount of fuel is not sufficient to start the car. Other possibilities are a weak ignition system or even a faulty computer.

projocars@projo.com