New to me 02 Sport, have a question about timing belt

[CobraSpdRH]

Been lurking throughout my buying process, finally pulled the trigger on an 02 Sport 2WD. I went through the tutorial thread and found a laundry list of to-do's for my new T4R to get it in top-notch shape, but wanted to ask a question that I couldn't find when searching.

I bought my 4Runner with 99k miles at a Lexus dealership, 60-day zero deductible warranty with a 120 point inspection. They put on new brakes, new air filter, aligned all 4 tires and the truck seems to be in great shape, but I can't tell if the timing belt/water pump 90k maintenance has been done. They checked off the box for "timing belt", but maybe that means it just looked okay?

So my question is, are there any tell-tale signs that they have been changed (or not been changed for that matter)? I would like to have peace of mind either way but not sure what to do. Thanks in advance, and pics will follow shortly.

 

[brian2sun]

Look and see if there's a sticker on the plastic timing belt cover. They often write the mileage on there when it was last changed.

 

[CobraSpdRH]

Look and see if there's a sticker on the plastic timing belt cover. They often write the mileage on there when it was last changed.

That is the cover on the front of the engine, correct? I remember looking in and around the engine bay for some sort of sticker or something denoting a date and mileage (underside of hood too) but didn't see anything. I will take another look. Thanks

 

[TheDurk]

Other than a sticker, there is not much to go on. I did mine for the first time at 120K, and my belt looked pretty good. You can get a glimpse of the belt by pulling the top timing cover--you may have to lower coolant slightly and pull the rad hose to get it open enough--but it may be hard to say if it has 10K or 99k.

If the coolant looks old--faded color and maybe a little dirty--it's a good bet that TB was NOT done, as most would flush coolant at the same time as doing the TB.

At 99K, the issue is not so much peace of mind as it is deciding when to do the next change. IMHO, 120k is a perfectly reasonable interval if it has not been done (do WP and pulleys at same time.) But waiting until 180k would be pushing it. That said, many have waited that long.

 

[CobraSpdRH]

Other than a sticker, there is not much to go on. I did mine for the first time at 120K, and my belt looked pretty good. You can get a glimpse of the belt by pulling the top timing cover--you may have to lower coolant slightly and pull the rad hose to get it open enough--but it may be hard to say if it has 10K or 99k.

If the coolant looks old--faded color and maybe a little dirty--it's a good bet that TB was NOT done, as most would flush coolant at the same time as doing the TB.

At 99K, the issue is not so much peace of mind as it is deciding when to do the next change. IMHO, 120k is a perfectly reasonable interval if it has not been done (do WP and pulleys at same time.) But waiting until 180k would be pushing it. That said, many have waited that long.

Thanks for the input, that is comforting to know. The engine bay is clean as hell and it is in really good condition, so it didn't live a hard life. The spark plugs wires look brand new but say "Sumitomo 2002" on them, which makes me think they are original too, but you would never know by looking at them.

I am definitely going to do a coolant flush and a diff drain and fill just for my own sake, will take a look at the coolant then.

 

[Throwing Matches]

This is all great to know as I too just purchased an 02 Sport 2WD and have been wondering the same exact thing. There was no sticker on mine and the pre-purchase inspection said the timing belt looked a bit "doughy". Mine is at 120K at the moment and seems to be doing ok, but I will be having this service done very soon just so I KNOW for sure that I am good for another 90K.

 

[2runnersnyynyg]

the sticker is the best way to tell. if the wires are 2002 than it is a good bet you should replace the plugs and wires.
you can log in to toyota and get what they call national service history when you register your vin and other info,then you can see what was done at a dealer only.... not to say that service wasnt done elsewhere.
if the t-belt has not been done would recommend getting it done. that lexus dealer should have done the plugs and wires though,especially after power washing and detailing the engine?wtf. wires dry out and look good clean but can arc if dry rot or pin holed when they get wet

 

[THEREALTOR1]

Other than a sticker, there is not much to go on. I did mine for the first time at 120K, and my belt looked pretty good. You can get a glimpse of the belt by pulling the top timing cover--you may have to lower coolant slightly and pull the rad hose to get it open enough--but it may be hard to say if it has 10K or 99k. .

Couldn't he possibly be able to spot timing marks also if he was able to get the cover pulled back slightly? I remember seeing a pic in the "TB and HC" thread where the OP posted a pic showing timing marks where his TB had been changed previously.

 

[CobraSpdRH]

the sticker is the best way to tell. if the wires are 2002 than it is a good bet you should replace the plugs and wires.
you can log in to toyota and get what they call national service history when you register your vin and other info,then you can see what was done at a dealer only.... not to say that service wasnt done elsewhere.
if the t-belt has not been done would recommend getting it done. that lexus dealer should have done the plugs and wires though,especially after power washing and detailing the engine?wtf. wires dry out and look good clean but can arc if dry rot or pin holed when they get wet

Thanks for all the replies guys. Cleaned the TB and MAF last night, TB had plenty of carbon buildup but MAF looked pretty good. The plan is to do the plugs tonight as I am pretty sure they haven't been done. Just read a write-up on doing those. I have been feeling a shudder upon acceleration while going ~50-60, feel like this should fix the problem.

Within the next week or so I want to cross of a diff drain and fill and a trans drain and fill. These are pretty necessary, right?

Timing belt, water pump, pulleys, coolant flush will hopefully be getting done once all this stuff is out of the way.

 

[RDM138]

I just did my TB. It was not that bad of a job. Had to spend about 140 bucks on service tools. Just took a long time because I was so cautious. I kept taking breaks to look up info online. I waited untill 149000. Belt looked pretty good but my WP had leaked all over the place. I am surprised I did not notice it prior. I replaced both pulleys, wp, belt, and thermostat. As well as the alt belt. I think the most frustrating thing was loosening the PS pump belt tensioner. I would have though that would have been the easy part. I followed the instructions on this website. Toyota Maintenance: 3.4L V6 Timing Belt Replacement worked great. For all my work I saved about 500 bucks even with the extra tools i had to buy. Side note: Durk if you are reading this. Thanks for the info on the air fuel ratio sensor. It fixed the problem.

 

[TheDurk]

Couldn't he possibly be able to spot timing marks also if he was able to get the cover pulled back slightly? I remember seeing a pic in the "TB and HC" thread where the OP posted a pic showing timing marks where his TB had been changed previously.

Dunno. They are there when new, but were completely gone from my old one at 120K. I have no idea how long it takes for them to disappear. If you can see them, it's probably fairly new.

I just pulled my old one from the spares box. Aside from the missing white lines, it is pristine at 10 years of service and 120K. No cracks or visible wear. New lines and some ArmorAll and you could sell it as new.

RDM138: Thanks for the feedback. Glad you got it fixed.

 

[CobraSpdRH]

Did the spark plugs last night, 3 Denso, 3 NGK, all 6 had what looked like some rust on the threading and the tips were white, so they were original. Put all 6 new ones in and the truck runs great, only took me ~2 hours.

Hoping to do the diff drain next, also need to grease the Zerks. Thanks for all the advice.