03 V8 timing belt change opinion

[Lineman]

Cabowally,

1. I'm armed services as well (17 years) across the pond numerous times.
2. I've been divorced too. What people need during this time are facts.
3. I don't sugar coat with people.
4. The same could be said for you.
5. Everything I stated to him was fact or intended to help him out. You cannot argue that.

So your statement of, "Don't worry about the belt. As you can see, there are a number of owners not worried about the belt well into the low 100k range. The vehicle will be fine".

That's a pretty bold statement. It should be accompanied with guarantee to pay for an engine if his belt goes.

We all know the 4.7 belt in the 2003 is due at 6 years or 90K miles. So why all the sudden is it a surprise to people? This doesn't sneak up on you, you know from the time you buy. If the belt was to go at 91K miles, you'll kick yourself in the butt for not changing and your buddies wouldn't give you "man hugs" because you forgot or didn't have the money.

.

 

[ClockWork]

FWIW Toyota's original interval was 120k;however, because many WP's start to leak around 90k they changed the belt to that interval to because if you're in there - you might as well do it.

Furthermore, there has not been 1 reported failure of a V8 belt on here or on iH8mud.com.

 

[glock56534]

I replaced mine at about 96,000 miles. The old belt looks brand new and looked like it had PLENTY of life left in it. My buddy has 180,000 miles on his Tundra with the same 2UZFE engine and is still on his original belt.

If you don't have the cash lying around right now, I wouldn't rush to get it done.

Several people on this site have waited until 115-120K miles, and their belts still looked brand new too.

That being said, you still should get it done eventually to prevent having to buy a new engine in the rare event that it does break.

 

[hamiltonj2w1]

I appreciate all the input if I decide to keep it the 4Runner I am going to hold off on the timing belt/water pump until spring at the latest.

But now I am going to be driving like 50 to 60 miles a day so for now I am leaning towards a 2011 or a 2012 4cyl Camry SE just for mileage.

I still have close to another 3 months untill I get home anyway to make my descion.

And as for lineman's comments I know the judge won't sign off on it and the reason I know my child support is going to be that much is my soon to be ex wife works for the department of social services and fyi I am at 11years time in service and this isn't my first divorce or deployment for that matter either

Furthermore my intent of this post was just to gather some input as to how long people have went and I understand if I hold off it could be bad.

 

[kai920]

FWIW Toyota's original interval was 120k

Just curious how you know this. Is it in a previous owners manual before they made the change? I'm also just over 90k and due to unforeseen circumstances, don't have the cash to have mine changed until after the new year sometime, maybe even later. Also, I'm told by my mechanic that because of our climate(New Mexico) its even more important to do at 6 years, because it can dry out and crack sooner. This eases my mind, just curious where you found this.

My wife drove her Camry until about 95k before we had hers done, FWIW.

 

[zerowkul98]

Like I said, I had mine done at 86k but my 03' was already over 8-years old. When the Toyota Head Tech (who was the head Lexus Tech before he was lured away by the dealership i use, ive been told) had the truck apart and was taking off the old timing belt, he showed me the condition of the old one: IT WAS JUST FINE! It coulda gone another 20k easy he said.

However, the water pump was leaking AND the serp. belt was speeqking and worn pretty badly (which was my REAL motivation to get it done).

 

[Cosmic]

I just purchased my 03 with 114k on the clock. I wasn't aware the V8 had a timing belt before I purchased. I was able to pull the service records for the past 4 years of the past owner and didn't find any record of belt replacement.

I first noticed the coolant recovery tank was low. This got me on the right track to researching the possibility of a water pump leaking and need of a timing belt replacement. All signs lead to it's time has past and needs done.

It's now a top priority for me to take care of this ASAP. I'm actually looking forward to getting started on the fix for the peace of mind it will bring.

I ordered a complete kit from Import Car Parts Online Catalog | FCP Import $250, so it's not that bad of a repair bill IMHO.

 

[ClockWork]

Are those OEM components?

 

[Presta24]

ive got 108k on mine. think i might send her in next week. got a quote from a local dealer for $600 +tax. TB, WP, drive belt.

 

[Stuffman]

I purchased a 2005 V8 that was most likely driven hard with 88K on it with no timing belt changed. I did not change it unit closer to 90K and the mechanic stated that the belt was still good but since I had no idea of the condition, I did decided to have all the belts and plugs changed. He left the water pump because he said it was still good. I had all the work done by a retired army guy for just under $500. No funding stealership.

 

[Champ306]

i replaced mine at 145k, no issues.

everything else about this thread should be deleted, wait, just delete the whole thing. I wasnt going to respond, but nothing is worse than getting my time wasted going to the last page of a thread and seeing its off topic bashing by some DA.

THIS, is not what this forum is for.

 

[JB.]

i replaced mine at 145k, no issues......wait, just delete the whole thing.

But then the valuable info -- like yours -- would be gone too. Forums will be forums. The last thing I'd want to see is good info disappearing for any reason.

And to go on topic, I'll reword the line from my 1st page post to read, "There may be some uncertainty as to whether that 9 year interval should logically apply to pre-05"

Fwiw, if I owned an '03, I would assume it did.

 

[scottm]

I replaced mine at 110k, looked good, no cracking. The water pump and idlers are just as worrisome as the belt, especially the WP. If any of them seize, they'll shred the timing belt. I had a belt squeek, never figured it out, but seems to be gone now.

It's not a tough weekend job, just taking things apart and putting them together. There are many good writeups online with pictures and suggestions.

 

[hamiltonj2w1]

Well I ended up selling my R6 and made enough off of it to get the water pump and timing belt replaced after all. I think it would be a good peice of mind to just get it done even though it seems I could drag it out awhile longer. I also realized I couldn't own a car VS a lifted 4runner I must have been temporarly insane and sorry if this thread got off topic

 

[zerowkul98]

i replaced mine at 145k, no issues.

everything else about this thread should be deleted, wait, just delete the whole thing. I wasnt going to respond, but nothing is worse than getting my time wasted going to the last page of a thread and seeing its off topic bashing by some DA.

THIS, is not what this forum is for.

I replaced mine at 85k, but the rig was 8 years old when i changed it...well past the recommended time-span. Im glad I did cuz the waterpump was leaking into a place where it couldnt be seen unless it was removed from the engine. I wasnt too far from a WP failure.

To Champ, i completely disagree with you...this is EXACTLY what the forum is for. People come here to get educated by others who have been down this road before. Its natural for people to be hesitant to drop the $$ on such a maintenence interval. This forum is for more than just lifts, mods, or pics of your Runner.