Timing Belt
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4runner4trail
New member
I had mine rerplaced at the 90k service (as it says in the manual) b/c I had a friend that was about to quit working at the dealership so I wanted him to do the service, instead of someone I didn't know, before he left. I've heard that they don't really need to be changed until like 110k-115k, but IDK. We have a '97 4Runner as well and we had it changed per the books, but a friend's dad has 130k on his 4Runner (i think its a 99) and he hasn't changed his yet and it runs just fine so....
As far as what happens if it breaks, I've rerad that they designed the timing belt so that if it does break it will cause no harm to the engine or 4Runner. With that being said, if it does break while your driving, your car will suddenly lose all power...
As far as what happens if it breaks, I've rerad that they designed the timing belt so that if it does break it will cause no harm to the engine or 4Runner. With that being said, if it does break while your driving, your car will suddenly lose all power...
The Dude
New member
I'm at 145,000 miles on my 99 right now and have not had my timing belt changed yet. I probably ought to change it soon, and I think I will. I personally think that the 90k replacement mark is just a scare tactic used by the auto manufacturers to try and take more money from us, but i could be wrong. I heard that dealers make more money from their service department than they do with their car sales? As 4runner4trail mentioned, I also heard that there is no damage caused to the engine if the timing belt were to snap. A couple things to consider, though, would be the cost of towing your rig if the belt were to break, and overall peace of mind.
highmilesrunner
New member
i just had mine changed at 268K for the first time, because the guy i purchased it from had never replaced it. the mechanic said it was just a little fuzzy was all. my runner is a 97 SR5 4x4, and i believe all 3rd generation runners are non-interference motors, meaning if it does break while driving, no damage to engine will occur.
peter78
Super Moderator
highmilesrunner said:
It is stories like this that made me think to delay changing my belt. I now have 95,000 miles and I plan on going to about 120,000.The Dude said:
With my Honda's and Acura's I changed them when needed as it can cause extreme damage if you don't. But, since I keep cars a long time, I am hoping to change it at 120,000 then when I am at 250,000 it should be gone or close to it. One car I own, I replace the belt at 94,000 miles and then at 189,000 miles. Boy it was hard to put $1,000 into a 189,000 car. It now has 214,000 miles on it and I am thinking of getting another car.
00t4rlimited
New member
Almost all toyota FE style cylinder heads with a 22.3 degree valve angle are non-interference engines. What that means is that if the timing belt does break & the crank still spins the pistons will not hit the valves even with the valves fully open. This is acheived either by valve releifs in the pistons, or valve angle itself. Almost any toyota engine with the FE cylinder head designation in the engine code are non-interference engines so if you were to break the timing belt it would not cause major damage to the pistons & valves. I have seen timing belts go for 160,000 miles but that was in mild climates with average use. I live in AZ where anything that is rubber will dry rott much faster than anywhere else in the country. Tires, belts, seals all wear out prematurely here. I recommend the timing belt to be changed at 90k regardless of what you might be able to get out of it. It's never convenient to have your car break down on you & tow bills. Always at the same time as the timing belt get the waterpump it will save you money in the long run. Also use toyota OEM pump because the crap that autozone, CSK, and Napa sell are cheap peices of junk. I have seen several 3vz-fe's, and 5vz-fe's come in to my shop because someone installed a aftermarket pump on it & the cheap alluminum they use to manufacture it was warped & caused it to leak or the bearings to go bad & make noise. Get the OEM toyota pump and know that your good. I did all my belts at 60k and the pump, & I will do them all again soon at 125k. But again I also live in AZ where anything rubber dry rotts & cracks prematurely. I am also very particular on the maintenance.
peter78
Super Moderator
00t4rlimited said:
Here is a link with a picture and a explanation of interference and free-running engines. Go to the bottom left of this page.
http://www.gates.com/brochure.cfm?brochure=2256&location_id=3487
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Yup the 3.4L is a non-interference engine, if the belt goes, all you do is loose power.
As to changing it, it depends on how you drive it.
Of course Toyota always wants you to do things by the book.
For the 96-98 year 3rd gens Toyota wanted the belt changed every 60K.
For the 99-02 year 3rd gens they wanted them changed every 90k.
If your 4Runner is your average Mall Crawler and gets you from point A to point B every day I would leave it up to you as to when you feel more comfortable doing it.
If you drive the truck tough, i.e. Off-road driving and towing, then I would get it changed at the recommended interval.
Step dads 02' sport is just a DD even with some towing involved, he did not get his done till around 114k.
I bought my 97' with 76k on it and I was informed that the belt was changed at 60k, Since I drive the truck like I stole it, as well as take it off road and do a lot of towing, I am taking it in to get done again at 120k (which is about 2k away lol)
As to changing it, it depends on how you drive it.
Of course Toyota always wants you to do things by the book.
For the 96-98 year 3rd gens Toyota wanted the belt changed every 60K.
For the 99-02 year 3rd gens they wanted them changed every 90k.
If your 4Runner is your average Mall Crawler and gets you from point A to point B every day I would leave it up to you as to when you feel more comfortable doing it.
If you drive the truck tough, i.e. Off-road driving and towing, then I would get it changed at the recommended interval.
Step dads 02' sport is just a DD even with some towing involved, he did not get his done till around 114k.
I bought my 97' with 76k on it and I was informed that the belt was changed at 60k, Since I drive the truck like I stole it, as well as take it off road and do a lot of towing, I am taking it in to get done again at 120k (which is about 2k away lol)
kingbiscuit
New member
I got mine changed at 115K immediately after I bought it. I had the mechanic keep the parts cause it was the first time I had been to this particular one. When they gave me the used timing belt it looked brand new. It was surreal. Is this normal? It had japanese writing on it and I think it said 1997, so I am pretty sure it was the original. My 4runner is a 98.
azcat90
New member
'00 Limited 4Runner has 148K with original TB
My 4Runner has 148K miles all on the original TB&WP - glad to read 5VZFE is non interference cause I've been stressing about it. It looks to be easier DIY job than most vehicles - lot's of room to work after radiator comes out. This summer I will tackle it.
My 4Runner has 148K miles all on the original TB&WP - glad to read 5VZFE is non interference cause I've been stressing about it. It looks to be easier DIY job than most vehicles - lot's of room to work after radiator comes out. This summer I will tackle it.
peter78
Super Moderator
Well, it turns out I wait on my 01 till I had 150,000 miles on it. I know, I should done it sooner. Some sides of the belt were were worn off and you could see the inside of the belt. Maybe a inch of two were wear was visible. No cracks at all, but changing it was a good idea.
I had a friend do the work and he reported getting a bolt loose was a real pain. Other than that it was pretty straight forward.
the great him
Elite Member
VW and Audi origonally put out that their 1.8t motor should have the TB replaced at 80 or 90K i dont remember which, but when they started seeing belts fail at 70k they changed their tune and said 60k after they did a few motor swaps under warranty -ie like around 1200 motors world wide. VW took a big hit on that one.
now Toyotas are not VWs, but i would not just call it a scare tactic to get people to spend money. can they go longer than the recommended intervals, sure, i think the 3.4 has proven that, but how far can they go consistently without breaking or coming apart? probably around 110 or so but thats just a guess. but why risk it. chances are it will break when you really need your vehicle and it will be an even bigger inconvenience to you -think family vacation or on your way to the hospital with your pregnant wife in labor -youd never hear the end of that i promiss you!
now Toyotas are not VWs, but i would not just call it a scare tactic to get people to spend money. can they go longer than the recommended intervals, sure, i think the 3.4 has proven that, but how far can they go consistently without breaking or coming apart? probably around 110 or so but thats just a guess. but why risk it. chances are it will break when you really need your vehicle and it will be an even bigger inconvenience to you -think family vacation or on your way to the hospital with your pregnant wife in labor -youd never hear the end of that i promiss you!
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PitbullRescuer
New member
My '99 had 176K on it when we did the TB/WP. Neither were in bad shape and were the originals. But as TheKid said, why risk it? (I bought the truck with 172K on it, took me a few months to get around to it). Did a clutch and rear main seal at the same time too.
TheDurk
Elite Member
The truth is Toyota TB's are not prone to break, and rarely break on their own. That is, TB breakage is more commonly associated with WP seizure or leakage, idler seizure, tensioner failure, cam or crank seal failure, etc. IMHO, it is as important to get in there periodically to verify these other things as it is to just change the TB.
I deliberately waited until nine years and 120K to do mine, but then I did TB, WP, both idlers, tensioner, as well as accessory belts, thermostat and hoses. I plan on not going back in until 240k, and I will do the same thing, plus cam and crank seals. Everything I took out at 120K looked good for more miles, including the TB, but I don't know about going 240k. (I won't do the tensioner next time, that's the one thing I think is good for 240K. In any case, by then the truck will have 360k so at the moment I bet that tensioner outlives the truck.)
Here is the YT mega-thread: Linky
And one at TTORA: Linky
I deliberately waited until nine years and 120K to do mine, but then I did TB, WP, both idlers, tensioner, as well as accessory belts, thermostat and hoses. I plan on not going back in until 240k, and I will do the same thing, plus cam and crank seals. Everything I took out at 120K looked good for more miles, including the TB, but I don't know about going 240k. (I won't do the tensioner next time, that's the one thing I think is good for 240K. In any case, by then the truck will have 360k so at the moment I bet that tensioner outlives the truck.)
Here is the YT mega-thread: Linky
And one at TTORA: Linky
ICD
New member
^^^
This was my question about doing the Tbelt/water pump is the dealer and other shops kept mentioning that I should look into changing out my tensioners and idle pullies.
What's the recommended interval on those parts. I'm right about 186 and don't have much history on what's been changed. It's going to be an expensive Dec
This was my question about doing the Tbelt/water pump is the dealer and other shops kept mentioning that I should look into changing out my tensioners and idle pullies.
What's the recommended interval on those parts. I'm right about 186 and don't have much history on what's been changed. It's going to be an expensive Dec
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Just last weekend I replaced my timing belt, water pump, crankshaft seal, camshaft seals, thermostat, timing belt cover gaskets, tensioner, tensioner pulley, idler and fan bracket. I am glad I went in when I did because my water pump gasket was starting to weep quite a bit as there was a significant amount of pink dried up coolant built up under the bottom passenger side corner of the pump. I also noticed that some coolant was creeping into the pivot point of the tensioner pin making it very hard to move as it became very sticky. Long story short and as someone else has already stated it is important to get in there and inspect all components to see what is failing. It seems like just because the 3.4 is a non-interference motor people want to push their luck with the maintenance frequency. The reality is if the belt fails it isn’t going to be on a Saturday morning when you are bored out of your mind looking for something to do with your time, it is going to fail at the worst possible time 
. Keep in mind the belt could fail on you at any time and think of all of the horrible situations you might be in during failure e.g. crossing a busy road, merging onto the interstate during rush hour or already on the interstate during rush hour. These are not just bad situations for the driver to be in but also anyone else around at the time of failure. I am not a lawyer but I would think if an accident was the product of a failed timing belt it could turn into a case for negligence.
. Keep in mind the belt could fail on you at any time and think of all of the horrible situations you might be in during failure e.g. crossing a busy road, merging onto the interstate during rush hour or already on the interstate during rush hour. These are not just bad situations for the driver to be in but also anyone else around at the time of failure. I am not a lawyer but I would think if an accident was the product of a failed timing belt it could turn into a case for negligence.
peter78
Super Moderator
Boy, I think that is a bit of a stretch. I guess if we follow your logic we should say if you drive a VW or a Hyundai, (two makers have have the worst repiar record according to Consumer Reports), if they break down and cause a wreck, we should sue the owner of the car??? And of course if you driving a old classic car or a new Fiat forget it, you might as well say they are guilty for driving such car.:roadkill:
