Let's talk timing belt!

[piperoo]

Ok, I bought my 4Runner about 4 months ago with 118k on it. The small dealer I bought it from had it on their lot for over a year (couldn't sell b/c of gas prices). I took it in to an inspector before I bought it and they looked over from head to toe...they really checked everything.

What I didn't have was any kind of maintenance records....so what I am wondering is...is there a way to tell if the timing belt has been replaced? And, what happens if the timing belt breaks? I know what would have happened to my VW had it broken...so I am guessing the same thing. ??

Also, if I change the timing belt...I should change the water pump...what else?

 

[FoneRunner]

They put a sticker on the top of the engine that tells the mileage and date and that the timing belt was changed. I thought it was only dealers that did that, but recently I have been car shopping for the wife and several of the Land Cruisers I looked at had that sticker and the timing belt had been changed by a private shop. I don't have a pic of the location of that sticker, but it's on top of the plastic piece that has the "3400 FOUR CAM 24V" where the radiator hose comes out. Seems to be a popular place to put those stickers, since that is where they all were...hope that helps!

 

[piperoo]

Cool, I will check tomorrow and see. Thanks.

I don't remember seeing a sticker anywhere under the hood though.

 

[p nut]

If you have a V6, then you do have a timing belt and it is a non-interference engine. If your belt snaps, generally, the engine will be fine. But you will need a tow.

BTW, I am at 128k miles on the original belt. Looks great. Won't change it until about 150k.

 

[bju96]

How timely. I was just about to post this picture with a new thread titled "pleasant surprise" but instead I'll post it here. I was looking around my engine bay the other day for no good reason, and noticed this sticker. Given that my truck has 88k on it, I have had my 90k service and timing belt replacement lingering in the back of my mind.

Well lo and behold, it appears to have been done already. Yes, I owned the truck in 2002, I have owned it since 1998, but at my advanced age of 41, this particular memory, the one of me paying huge dinero to replace my timing belt, is gone. I do not have the receipt for this job unfortunately, since a couple years ago we did a major remodel on our house and with all the furniture getting moved around, general purging of un-needed stuff, and whatnot, the files for my truck and my wife's 95 Miata are gone.

I called Marin Toyota today to see if they had a record of this in their computer (I don't recall where I got the work done, so figure it must have been the dealer) and they had no record of it. When asked when the belt should be replaced, the technician stated "2000 and up at 90k, your 1996 (and thru 1999 I presume) at 60k". I had been under the (mistaken for some reason) impression that it was a 90k item if not even later.

Anyway, I'll end my thread-jack here, with the picture that made my Sunday. Only problem is, since I have lost the receipt, along with my memory, I have no idea if the water pump etc were done at the same time.

 

[glenyoshida]

You can also try your luck by calling Toyota with your VIN. If the work was done it might have been reported to Toyota. You (or and experienced mechanic) should be able to tell just by looking at it if it's been replaced. If the previous owner did replace it on schedule it would have been done at 90k.

 

[piperoo]

If you have a V6, then you do have a timing belt and it is a non-interference engine. If your belt snaps, generally, the engine will be fine. But you will need a tow.

BTW, I am at 128k miles on the original belt. Looks great. Won't change it until about 150k.

I am almost certain that mine is a V6....so if the belt breaks, then basically I could just get it done then with no worries? I know that on some cars if it breaks and you try to turn the car on after it dies you will warp your valves.

 

[Sunnyd1277]

If you have the V6, it is a "non-interference" motor. So if it breaks, then you will most likely be fine. But if it breaks under stressfull conditions, it can still do some damage. Its worth looking at and changing rather than waiting

 

[1974 FJ40]

this is what mine looked like with 128K on it... did this last month.. new tbelt came with sticker like posted above.

 

[Martinjmpr]

Interesting coincidence, I bought my '99 in July with 117k on it. The dealer (Enterprise rent-a-car) still had the contact info for the previous owner and he confirmed that the t-belt was not done.

I took it to an independent Toyota shop and they did my t-belt and water pump (a few other things, too.) Total cost was a hair under $800 which is a lot but the peace of mind is worth it.

When I looked under the hood I noticed the sticker pictured above. My guess is the sticker comes in the same package as the new belt, along with the instructions on how to mount it.

 

[1974 FJ40]

yup it does... no instructions... need a write up or a FSM FYI timing belt cost is about $40 and water pump is about $90 took me 12-15 hours to do this my first time... not too bad

 

[theizzardking]

this is what mine looked like with 128K on it... did this last month.. new tbelt came with sticker like posted above.

mine looked like that at 175 lol, never done either $800 later with a new water pump and i can sleep easy now,

 

[TheDurk]

yup it does... no instructions... need a write up or a FSM FYI timing belt cost is about $40 and water pump is about $90 took me 12-15 hours to do this my first time... not too bad

Took me about 15 hours my first and only time. I went really slow and careful and that included building the holder tool for the crank pulley (mine was really ghetto, but it worked.) Next time, I bet it takes less than half that, although that may not be until 2019. I replaced all the wear parts at 120K this summer, so another 10 years and 120k seems doable.

 

[004Gunner]

I had 2 tools that made my t-belt change go really fast: A massive impact wrench (for the crank bolt) and a tensioner pulley compressor (http://www.amazon.com/Toyota-Timing-Belt-Tensioner-Compressor/dp/B000I1E92Q). If you are mechanically inclined then I don't think you will have any problem doing it yourself. I did mine at 115k and it could have gone to 150k no problem. I replaced my water pump, thermostat, and accessory belts too. Some people replace the idler pulleys too since the bearings can get a little noisy at high mileage. I can't imagine a vehicle with a more straight forward t-belt replacement procedure.

 

[piperoo]

15 hours? On YotaTech some guy said he can do it in an hour to hour and a half. Not sure if I can tackle this myself....but mine definitely needs to be changed in the next 10k or so.

 

[TheDurk]

I neglected to say I swapped the tensioner and both idler pulleys, which means the compressor tool is useless and you have to take the A/C compressor off. Definitely makes the process far more complicated. I used the starter bump technique on the crank bolt--worked like a charm on the first bump.

 

[DTROMAN]

Have a 97 with ~167k miles on it. Not sure if timing belt has ever been changed and starting to worry a bit. Saw some posts of people finding stickers in the engine compartment showing the date it was replaced so I looked in mine. No sticker but there was some writing on the air filter box and it appears to say '07005A DJ 4-13-05' Could maybe be 87005A but I'm not sure. Any ideas on what that could mean?

 

[Brveagle]

Have a 97 with ~167k miles on it. Not sure if timing belt has ever been changed and starting to worry a bit. Saw some posts of people finding stickers in the engine compartment showing the date it was replaced so I looked in mine. No sticker but there was some writing on the air filter box and it appears to say '07005A DJ 4-13-05' Could maybe be 87005A but I'm not sure. Any ideas on what that could mean?

Chances are it references when the air filter was changed...

 

[Drcoffee]

Most owners will get their service done at the dealer who records the service repair and maintenance in a nationwide database. Go to Track Your Service Records with Your Toyota Owners Account
Sign up and add your VIN to your account. Then you can look at the service history. I would have done this before buying it to see what major issues it had but its too late for that now.

 

[98OzarksRunner]

15 hours? On YotaTech some guy said he can do it in an hour to hour and a half. Not sure if I can tackle this myself....but mine definitely needs to be changed in the next 10k or so.

I think the YotaTech guy is pulling your leg. I've done 1 2nd gen, 3 3rd gens and 2 4th gens (TB, water pump, tensioner). The 2nd gen was the fastest (about 5 hours and my first one) and the 3rd gens took me about 6 hours (the 4th gens took closer to 9). I think an experienced dealer tech with the right tools could do a 3rd gen in about 2 1/2 to 3 hours.