[MisterHix]

I have a 2003 Sport V8 with about 63K miles. The manual says the timing belt
should be changed at 100K, give or take about 5k. I asked a local Toyota service manager about age versus miles. He said he has never seen a V8
timing belt break, no matter how old. I want to get the most out of this belt that I can, but don't want to trash my engine either. Any experiences with the
timing belt issue would be appreciated if posted. Thanks.

[BlackWorksInc]

I've never seen a 2UZ-FE with a broken Timing Belt, but that doesn't mean it's never happened.

I believe its every 6 years or 90k which ever comes first; that's what the updated service information states.

That said, honestly? My 4Runner is a '04 with 95k on it and I haven't done the belt yet (gonna get around to it at 100k). I would replace them around the 90~100k area for peace of mind but some members are running 130k+ on the same belt.

[Cosmic]

I changed the belt on my 03 V8 at 114k. The old belt looked "ok", but you can't really tell how much life is left via a visual inspection.
The more important issue was the original water pump was starting to leak at the weep hole. My bet is your water pump will need attention before the belt, but to do one without the other is a waste of time and money.

[scottm]

I changed my '03 Land Cruiser (same engine) belt last year, it looked like it had a lot of years left in it, as did the water pump, bearings, starter contacts, etc I changed.

[JB.]

Originally Posted by MisterHix

I have a 2003 Sport V8 with about 63K miles. The manual says the timing belt
should be changed at 100K, give or take about 5k. I asked a local Toyota service manager about age versus miles. He said he has never seen a V8
timing belt break, no matter how old. I want to get the most out of this belt that I can, but don't want to trash my engine either. Any experiences with the
timing belt issue would be appreciated if posted. Thanks.

I see posts like Scottm's over and over. Personally, I'm not in a hurry at 98k.

Here's some reading.

03 V8 timing belt change opinion
Replacing timing belt because of AGE at 52,000 miles???

[ChaosStarter]

Toyota's recommendation is every 7 years or 90k miles. Now, I've seen these belts still in decent shape at 130k miles.

HOWEVER, and this is a big one, if the water pump is leaking, you have much more chance of it breaking. In fact, we had a '06 4Runner come in from NYC that had a broken belt at 106k miles, but the pump was leaking and soaked the belt. The belt broke and smashed the valves. Just be weary. It was not a cheap repair for that person.


As far as the age goes, I still tell people who come in Toyota's recommendation. Now, in the drier, hotter states, you'd probably want to follow that 7 year recommendation, because it's still a rubber belt and will get dried out sooner. The northern states are a little safer. I've had Highlander's come in and have the timing belts done at 40k miles. Can you go a little longer? Probably. If you're car is at least 7 years old, and you could go another 7 years (or 90k miles) on the new T-Belt, isn't it worth it? Doesn't seem like it's that bad for the time you get out of it.

[greatmass]

Originally Posted by MisterHix

I have a 2003 Sport V8 with about 63K miles. The manual says the timing belt
should be changed at 100K, give or take about 5k. I asked a local Toyota service manager about age versus miles. He said he has never seen a V8
timing belt break, no matter how old. I want to get the most out of this belt that I can, but don't want to trash my engine either. Any experiences with the
timing belt issue would be appreciated if posted. Thanks.

I have not changed my belt ever, 258,600 miles. I know I'm taking a risk, but I have not towed any other vehicle or plan to in the near future. My water pump is still good, I've religiously changed the coolant, and the engine noise from the various bearings sounds like at 100K.

All that said, it is next on my list when I get all the materials and tools purchased. About a $1,000 for Toyota parts.

If someone has any tips, please forward.

[Steamdonkey]

I changed my 2004 4Runner's timing belt in 2016 at ~95,000 miles. The belt looked good (whatever that's worth) but I did notice the water pump gasket had developed a very small leak. The belt was dry and the impeller shaft seal seemed to be fine so I imagine it could have gone a while longer before something bad happened.

[gimlithepirate]

Originally Posted by greatmass

I have not changed my belt ever, 258,600 miles. I know I'm taking a risk, but I have not towed any other vehicle or plan to in the near future. My water pump is still good, I've religiously changed the coolant, and the engine noise from the various bearings sounds like at 100K.

All that said, it is next on my list when I get all the materials and tools purchased. About a $1,000 for Toyota parts.

If someone has any tips, please forward.

The AISIN kit is $200, and can be done with just hand tools. Not sure where your getting the $1000 number from. There are several guides on this site, and it's honestly not terrible. Just a lot of steps.

As to frequency, I would be shocked if you are actually on the original belt at 260k, and can almost guarantee you aren't on the original water pump. The reason people are so religious about it is it's 1 day of work every 90k miles, but if you go long and it breaks, at the very least your going to need to replace a bunch of valves...