Timing belt, water pump, valve cover gaskets, rear axle seal, etc

[ddach]

Brought my 2000 4Runner to the dealer today for a "multi-point inspection", below are the recommendations and prices they quoted me, seeking your opinions & advice:

*Leaky valve cover gaskets. They quoted me $410 to replace the leaky valve cover gaskets...I read in a post on this board someone said loose valve cover gaskets are common on the T4Rs, so first thing I plan on doing with that is check & tighten if they are loose. Then I'll give my engine & bay a good bath, then wait to see if they're still leaking.

*Timing belt & water pump are due in about 5k miles, they said the water pump is showing signs of minor seeping (crusty w/dried coolant). Price for both installed is $589...seems reasonable based on what I've read elsewhere.

*Rt. Rear axle seal has slight leak (though I had already looked on my tires previously and hadn't seen any leakage on the backside of the tires). They said the rt brakes probly have oil on them; To replace just the right seal and replace the back brakes: $655. If I have them do the seal, should BOTH just be done @ the same time? $655 sounded reasonable based on this post: http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-g...e-information-replacement-thread-3rd-gen.html That guy said it took him 16 hours and $538 in parts!

Is it a bad idea to wait until the rear seal leaks heavily enough to leave oil on the inside of the tire? Just wondering how long I can put it off until I have to shell out the $$$ to get it fixed.

Thanks in advance for your input!


FYI- I just received my UltraGauge in the mail today (my fix for the flaky gas gauge in my rig)...if anyone's curious I can post pics and my experience with it. I may be installing it later today/tonight.

 

[Mf Baker]

wow, what dealership was that at???? i need some of those same things, and when i took it in to Concord Toyota these are the quotes i got:

-timing belt with water pump, 4 hours, $890

-valve cover gasket replacement, 4.5 hours, $697.90

-both rear seals, 4.5 hours, $974.48


as you can see these prices are MUCH higher than what you got quoted. absurd. :gun6:

 

[PitbullRescuer]

Try tightening the valve cover bolts first and see what happens. If they're still leaking, it's an easy DIY.

Pretty cheap price for the timing belt and water pump job.

No idea what the axle seal job costs but I think I would read up and try to DIY that too.

 

[ddach]

wow, what dealership was that at???? i need some of those same things, and when i took it in to Concord Toyota these are the quotes i got:

-timing belt with water pump, 4 hours, $890

-valve cover gasket replacement, 4.5 hours, $697.90

-both rear seals, 4.5 hours, $974.48


as you can see these prices are MUCH higher than what you got quoted. absurd. :gun6:

My local dealer: Toyota of Fayetteville (Arkansas)...I thought the prices seemed to be less than other's prices posted on here.

 

[Mf Baker]

My local dealer: Toyota of Fayetteville (Arkansas)...I thought the prices seemed to be less than other's prices posted on here.

yeah, im pretty sure you have to remove the blower to replace the valve cover gaskets, which would make some sense price wise there, but i cant see any real reason other than being in california that the timing belt would be over $400 more. :nono:

 

[LittleCaesar]

I hope you got the fan clutch in and the belts tightened OK. If you did, and have access to the always needed in/lb torque wrench plus a jack, then you should be able to repair both the valve cover gaskets and what they want to replace for the rear seals/brakes.

As others have said, not a bad price for the H20 pump/TB.

Like in real estate, location matters for different dealer prices for most repairs. Parts are usually close in price; labor is where the difference in price comes into play.

 

[LittleCaesar]

I hope you got the fan clutch in and the belts tightened OK. If you did, and have access to the always needed in/lb torque wrench plus a jack, then you should be able to repair both the valve cover gaskets and what they want to replace for the rear seals/brakes.

As others have said, not a bad price for the H20 pump/TB.

Like in real estate, location matters for different dealer prices for most repairs. Parts are usually close in price; labor is where the difference in price comes into play.

 

[topher5054]

My 2000 Runner had oil leaking from the valve cover gaskets so I decided to replace them. When I was taking the covers off, the bolts were only hand tight. Probably the reason it was leaking but I had already bought the gaskets and had taken the air intake plenum off.


This isn’t too difficult of a job. Just make sure you label everything as you take it apart. A couple of things I noticed were the wiring harness on the driver side crumbled when I tired to move it out of the way and a little piece of plastic fell down the oil return hole :dammit: and the old spark plug tube seals were really hard to get out. I used a large flat head screwdriver to twist them out.


Here is a pic with the cover off. I’ve got 170k on mine. If you just bought yours, it might be a good idea to have a look under the covers.

 

[Brilliant]

Valve cover gasket is pretty straightforward. Mine was leaking but tightening the very loose bolts seems to have stopped it. Id tighten the bolts before anything. A gasket is easy though should it come to that. You can leak a lot of oil so long as you keep filling it. :cowboy: