Timing Belt
#1
11-17-03, 05:34 PM
Timing Belt
I took my car into the dealer for a maintenence check and they receommended that they replace my timing belt and do a valve adjustment. My car is 1999 Toyota with 68,000 miles on it. They said Toyota recommends replacing the belts at 60,000...does this sound correct?
They also wanted to replace something near the timing belt that was some sort of a water bearing something or other..I forget the name, I'll have to look it up. They said it works with the timing belt and should be replaced as preventative maintenance.
They also wanted to replace something near the timing belt that was some sort of a water bearing something or other..I forget the name, I'll have to look it up. They said it works with the timing belt and should be replaced as preventative maintenance.
#2
11-17-03, 05:52 PM
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Re; your timing belt.
1. Look at your owner's manual, the section on recommended maintenance intervals. The maintenance intervals will be listed twice, once for Non-California cars, once for California cars. Usually the will say timing belt at about 70,000 miles for non California and 100,000 miles for California cars.
It's not that Toyota, (or anyone else) makes two different timing belts depending on which state the car will be sold in. It's just that California consumer laws state that the belt must be good for 100,000 miles.
2 Quite often the belts will last well in excess of 100,000 miles, they seldom fail as early as 4 years and 69,000 miles. However MOST ENGINES TODAY ARE NON-INTERFERENCE TYPE ENGINES. On many older cars if the timing belt failed while running bent valves and damaged pistons were a certainty, that's NOT GENERALLY THE CASE TODAY.
3. They probably are talking about changing the water pump at the same time. On many modern engines the labor to change one is 90% of the labor to change the other so many people do them at the same time. Generally it is the bearing that fails in the water pump.
4. I WOULD PRICE SHOP THIS JOB AROUND. The dealer is almost certainly going to be the MOST EXPENSIVE PLACE TO GET THIS JOB DONE. And the service advisor, LIKE ANY OTHER GOOD SALES PERSON, is trying to sell extra shop labor. And he is selling that labor just at the time of the year when shops start to get REAL SLOW. People start thinking about holiday expenses and they pospone work on their cars.
I had the timing belt on one of our cars changed this summer, the car had 90,000 miles but it's 11 years old. Since I didn't have the records on it, (I bought it about 16 months ago) I went ahead and had it done. I called the dealer and two independent shops. - the price ranged from $491 to $645 at the two independents to $895 at the dealer. Same parts as the pump and belt on this particular car are only available at the dealer.
Personally I would wait, my wife's car has 75,000 miles on the original belt and I'm going to drive to Colorado and back over thanksgiving, then up to Cincinnatti over Christmas. I'm not planning on doing the belt until around 100,000, if we still own the car then.
Hope this helps.
Frank
1. Look at your owner's manual, the section on recommended maintenance intervals. The maintenance intervals will be listed twice, once for Non-California cars, once for California cars. Usually the will say timing belt at about 70,000 miles for non California and 100,000 miles for California cars.
It's not that Toyota, (or anyone else) makes two different timing belts depending on which state the car will be sold in. It's just that California consumer laws state that the belt must be good for 100,000 miles.
2 Quite often the belts will last well in excess of 100,000 miles, they seldom fail as early as 4 years and 69,000 miles. However MOST ENGINES TODAY ARE NON-INTERFERENCE TYPE ENGINES. On many older cars if the timing belt failed while running bent valves and damaged pistons were a certainty, that's NOT GENERALLY THE CASE TODAY.
3. They probably are talking about changing the water pump at the same time. On many modern engines the labor to change one is 90% of the labor to change the other so many people do them at the same time. Generally it is the bearing that fails in the water pump.
4. I WOULD PRICE SHOP THIS JOB AROUND. The dealer is almost certainly going to be the MOST EXPENSIVE PLACE TO GET THIS JOB DONE. And the service advisor, LIKE ANY OTHER GOOD SALES PERSON, is trying to sell extra shop labor. And he is selling that labor just at the time of the year when shops start to get REAL SLOW. People start thinking about holiday expenses and they pospone work on their cars.
I had the timing belt on one of our cars changed this summer, the car had 90,000 miles but it's 11 years old. Since I didn't have the records on it, (I bought it about 16 months ago) I went ahead and had it done. I called the dealer and two independent shops. - the price ranged from $491 to $645 at the two independents to $895 at the dealer. Same parts as the pump and belt on this particular car are only available at the dealer.
Personally I would wait, my wife's car has 75,000 miles on the original belt and I'm going to drive to Colorado and back over thanksgiving, then up to Cincinnatti over Christmas. I'm not planning on doing the belt until around 100,000, if we still own the car then.
Hope this helps.
Frank
#3
11-17-03, 05:58 PM
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It is a 60,000 item. If you don't change it it will break...maybe 70,000 or 80,000 who knows. Most likely at the most unopportune time.
Wise to change the waterpump at that time also. Just a little more work after you remove the belt saving additional labor when the pump leaks if hasn't already started.
We charge $199 p&l for this job if it's a 4 cyl just for the belt
Larry
Wise to change the waterpump at that time also. Just a little more work after you remove the belt saving additional labor when the pump leaks if hasn't already started.
We charge $199 p&l for this job if it's a 4 cyl just for the belt
Larry
#4
11-18-03, 08:02 AM
a timing belt change is actually cheap insurance.if a timing belt brakes it can bend valves and other damage which can really add up as for the timing belt while its off you mights as well however they could have been talking about the tensioner or idlers now kits are available to replace all of these at one time.
good luck
good luck
#5
11-18-03, 03:37 PM
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Toyotaman is giving some good advice.
Slumlordfrank is not. There are still MANY cars that are "interference engines" and will do major damage if the belt breaks although I don't think the Toyota is one of them. That is one item that needs to be taken care of before a problem and 60,000 is the usual mileage although some vehicles are higher. I generally recommend a water pump at the same time also. Why do it all over again in 10 or 20K?
Slumlordfrank is not. There are still MANY cars that are "interference engines" and will do major damage if the belt breaks although I don't think the Toyota is one of them. That is one item that needs to be taken care of before a problem and 60,000 is the usual mileage although some vehicles are higher. I generally recommend a water pump at the same time also. Why do it all over again in 10 or 20K?
#6
11-18-03, 05:02 PM
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Desi is right,
That is a non-interference engine meaning the valves will not hit the pistons when it breaks.
That engine dosen't have an auto adjusting tensioner. By 60k or usually before the belt starts slapping because it's getting loose.
It will usually break on a cold start, when the oil is cold and thick. The crank will attempt to turn the cam and just strip the teeth off the belt. Usually when you need the car the most!
Larry
That is a non-interference engine meaning the valves will not hit the pistons when it breaks.
That engine dosen't have an auto adjusting tensioner. By 60k or usually before the belt starts slapping because it's getting loose.
It will usually break on a cold start, when the oil is cold and thick. The crank will attempt to turn the cam and just strip the teeth off the belt. Usually when you need the car the most!
Larry
#7
05-06-07, 09:26 PM
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timing belt replacement
I replaced my 2000 camry timing belt at 78,000 or so. It was in extremely good shape. I believe it could have lasted much longer into the 100.000's but once broke they tend to bend valves and ruin pistons....I think the mileage replacement guide helps maintain your car without risk. If you go 20.000 you're OK, but longer then, you are asking for trouble.
