Timing belt and mileage

[Forrest97]

I was reading another post about who has the most mileage and noticed that some people have gone a ton a miles after the initial timing belt change and wanted to know if this is normal?

I ran the car fax on my truck and found it was a one owner but there are no service records except for 3 and they only appear to be an oil change in 98, emissions test in 03 and a oil change in 10.

This truck has no wrecks reported and has 210K miles so obviously more was done to keep it running. I don't think the indie shops report so I don't have any idea as to when the last timing belt change was.

This truck was traded in and then they sold it at auction and I picked it up from a small dealer down in Cincy. So he had nothing except for the owners manual, original sticker and keys.

Whats your best guess and any suggestions on how to find this out? I think Im going to call the dealer that originally took it in on trade in and see if they have any info.

Thanks,
Forrest

 

[MCObray]

It sounds like you are and encountered the same, except mine has lower miles (163K). I couldn't find anything on Carfax, PO had no previous records, and nothing on Toyota Owners website.

I went ahead and purchased a new TB, WP, and misc. seals lot and having it performed by a good independent shop (ToyOnlySwaps) for the piece of mind. All in all, it's going to run me $755 with parts, labor, and Toyota Red coolant. If you have some cash set aside for your 4Runner, I would just replace it. If you plans on keeping it for some time to come, like I am, it will be worth it.

Best of luck on your search.

 

[Forrest97]

Yah, Im doing some work on the truck this weekend and going to look around and hopefully find some markings or reminders possibly from the indie the shop if the work was done.

 

[Colorado Bulldog]

It's quite possibly to have all of it taken care of. I CarFaxed my Tacoma when I had an account last month. It shows one service, because I always had things done at an independent shop that apparently didn't report. (Knowing a longtime mechanic has its benefits.)

 

[19963.4lsr5]

Just do it. If things look new and in good shape save them as spares.

 

[2fas2c]

you could always do a visual inspection of the belts it's not that big a deal, this is a non-interference motor, mind you being stranded is never fun.

 

[RichardLillard1]

When it doubt, change it out.

As 19963.4lsr5 said, you will have backups if they're all in good shape.

And don't bet that more was done than fluid and brake changes to keep it running.

My Toyota Camry had 242k on it when I bought it from my best friend's dad. First thing I did was change the timing belt and I was shocked to discover not only the factory timing belt, but the factory drive belts on the engine still.

The drive belts were cracking a bit, but the timing belt, despite being very dirty, was actually still in great shape and didn't show any signs of fatigue. I also pulled a set of plugs that were pretty darn fouled and wired that said Toyota, knowing he never serviced it at the dealer.

The car now has close to 300k with some problems that I keep putting off fixing because I have more fun in my 4Runner.

My point is that the timing belt can go a LOT longer than they say in the manual, but if you don't know how old it is, replace it.

Also, my 4Runner has a small sticker on the timing belt cover that states when the water pump and belt were changed. Pretty handy because I can estimate the average miles traveled from 1999-2007 and from then to present because the sticker notes the odometer reading from the date of the belt change. Anything like that on your truck?

 

[grey_ghost]

x2 on Richard; i was just going to say i've used an indie shop for years on various Toyotas and if its a shop that knows what they're doing, they definitely should mark the motor when they do the timing belt change; either with a sticker or some kind of visible marker.
They almost always do the water pump at the same time so if you can't find a sticker... maybe you can inspect the water pump and try to tell if it is original...