A little advice from Click and Clack

Car Talk: "Ray: The timing belt should be changed every 60,000 miles. On 1981 and 1982 Escorts, when the timing belt breaks, the valves get bent, and the motor gets ruined. In 1983, Ford finally got tired of giving out free engines and changed that design, so that won't happen to your '87.

Tom: But when your timing belt breaks, the engine WILL stop running. And unless you're one of those adventurers who enjoys getting stranded, that's no fun at all.

Ray: The water pump should be changed along with the timing belt for two reasons. One, it takes almost no additional labor to replace the water pump once the timing belt is off. So it IS a case of 'while I'm in there,' and it's best to do it. Second, the water pump is DRIVEN by the timing belt in this car. So if the water pump seizes a week after you change the timing belt, you not only have to buy a pump, but you have to pay for the timing belt job all over again.

Tom: Plus the towing, the car rental, and the hotel bill. "