All:

I have a 1997 Mercury Villager minivan (twin to the Nissan Quest), and
we bought it used about four years ago. It has served us extremely well
aside from a few minor dings and squawks, most of which I've been able
to resolve myself.

The van now has 107,000 miles on it, and I believe the recommended time
to have the timing belt replaced is 105,000 miles. I've talked to two
different shops about having this work done, and on the basis of what
I"ve read, I have two questions:

1. Is the engine in the 1997 Villager interference or non-interference?
I've read conflicting information on this.

2. At least one shop has recommended that we change the water pump in
addition to the timing belt. Is this a good idea? Looks like the going
rate for timing belt replacement alone is about $300, but doing both is
about $500. At 107K, is the water pump on borrowed time?

3. How much time (miles) do I have before I *really* need to get that
belt replaced, or am I already there?

Many thanks in advance for your opinions and experience,

-David

ps Please reply to group - email in msg is dead.