Timing belt

Just checked my timing belt today. Bought the truck 6 months ago but the previous owner doesn’t know about the timing belt. He said that the dealer told him that it was changed at 160k. No stickers anywhere and Toyota site has no records. It is now at 245k. Took a peak and it looks like this and still can see the words on the belt. So what do you think, how many more miles should I run it before changing it. Thanks

 

My 4.7 calls for a replacement every 90k miles iirc. If I did not know for sure how old my belt was, I’d replace it, unless I planned to sell soon. While many go over 90k, the cost of a belt failure can be severe, so I do it about every 90k. I am not an expert at all, but would not be swayed too much by the lettering on the non wear side of the belt.

 

Opinions are like a-holes but personallly I would assume the belt was indeed changed at 160K and with 254K presently I would be preparing to change the belt. Aisin kit along with accessory belt, belt tensioner, Fan clutch and bracket pulley. Many more years left on engine will be achieved.

 

I'd replace it and feel good for the next 90-100K miles.

SPP

 

I would put it on your to do list, buy the parts in the next few weeks/over time to spread the cost and set a date to have it done by.

 

Yup... Do it sooner, rather than later. Buy the Aisin kit and spend a nice relaxing weekend getting to know the inner workings of the best truck ever made..

 

The seller might have lied or it might not have been done. No dealer records is a big red flag. In either case it's due NOW. Well, it's either got 245k miles on it, in which case I'd consider towing it to or driving it very gently to the auto shop or plan to replace it yourself without driving it. If it was replaced at 160k, it's now got 85k miles on it, in which case it's due very soon. In either case, I'd change it immediately.

I just did one on what I suspect is 155k miles, original belt, no sticker or records. It came off looking excellent. It could have been changed, in which case it had 65k miles. I have no idea if it had 65k miles or the full 155k. I did another one that allegedly was changed and had ~90k miles and it was stretched and floppy. It definitely needed changing, and I question if it really was done as reported.

It's a good opportunity to swap out other regional items, water pump, some seals, idler pully, hoses, drain radiator, thermostat. Plan on $1200 service. If you don't have records, these may not have been done before so they are probably due regardless.

 

Its fair to keep in mind that not all shops post records of service like the stealership does.

Inspection of that belt above looks like it has no cracks. We’ve seen way worse here which still worked. It is unnerving not knowing when yours was done, but it looks decent. The other unknown is the Hydraulic Belt Tensioner replacement which some seem to reuse into the second Belt. No way to determine age and a failure of that could be catastrophic.

 

When my 2001 hit 90K I asked the lead mechanic at a Toyota Store that I do some work at what he would do about the belt and he told me that he had never seen one go bad and cause that damage that we all talk about here which can be fatal or worse to the truck.
Yes it is an interval in the manual saying it should get changed but that he would not do it on one of his own.

So I didnt and have not to date.

Meanwhile I bought a 4Runner with the same motor that had just had the belt job done and within a thousand miles of that the belt broke or slipped and ruined the engine.
The same shop tore into it and determined that some moron had done the work in a shoddy manor which then caused the malfunction that killed the motor.

Not really sure what this all means in the end but I am still not sure that I accept that I need to spend the money when they say I should.

 

Shoddy Manor Service Center. Avoid!!!

 

That, my friend is a slippery slope.... Just by sheer design these have a finite life span. Either the heat/cool cycles will kill the belt, or the millions of revolutions they do will eventually wear them out.

Yes, it's an investment to do the belt, either by our own time, or by paying someone to change it, but then again the vehicle itself is an investment...

 

I understand and agree mostly but I also have never heard of anyone else who was screwed by getting it done so it is not as plain and simple as it might sound.
I actually did not believe it at first even though it happened to me!

Many maintenance things can be a slippery slope which is why I asked a Toyota Mechanic for advice about this in the first place.

 

I would agree with everyone and changing it, better to be safe than sorry... to be honest I would say it is weird that the Toyota site wouldn't have a record of it, if it actually was done at a stealership, since I have records of my Lexus all the way back to 93, when it left the lot.. Any chance you can contact the local dealer where they told you it was done and see if they have any record on file?

 

I think it's also overlooked that we're not just talking about the timing belt. There's a dozen things in that region that need replacing or inspection, any of which can cause serious engine problems - water pump, thermostat, idler pully, and gaskets and seals. I'm not a mechanic and don't like to throw away money. But this is from the research I did when I had all 3 of my Toyota 4.7L done. About $1200 each +/-. If you value your truck, which is worth 5x to 10x the cost of this maintenance depending on age/condition, then do the service.

A well maintained good condition Gen 1 with 245k miles is worth $10,000 right now...

It's either imminently due based on 85K on this allegedly replaced belt. Or it's many many tens or even a hundred thousand miles overdue. And all those other parts might be imminently ready to fail, like the water pump. On my 04 4Runner the water pump had to be replaced at only 30k miles under warranty. A failure can be catastrophic. And to get in there to change out other parts, the belt may as well be replaced.

 

belts definitely been changed, but judging by the photo its also near replacement time again.

 

Thanks for everyone’s input. How do you know that it is definitely been changed?

 

I always assume it hasn't been done, so I would plan on doing it sometime soon.

 

At 240k miles the cracks would be pretty big.

 

The timing belt may last the entire ownership of your truck and never fail. Or, it will reach it's end of life, snap in half and cause the valve train to violently contact the pistons and render your 4.7 an oversized paperweight. I like my truck. I hate wasting money. Having an otherwise perfectly usable truck rendered useless by a $150 pile of parts is not acceptable to me. I would be unable to replace my truck for the $12-1500 a shop may charge to do the replacement for me (although I wouldn't let anyone else touch or wrench on my truck). If yours is a rusted out shitbox that you're trying to get the last couple hundred bucks of use out of, screw it, just run it till whatever kills it kills it. If yours is nice and you want to keep it for the long haul, do the maintenance. It's smart money.

 

Thanks for all your suggestions. I've started doing the timing belt and taking all the other parts off to do it. My truck has 245k on it. In addition to the aisin kit with the hydraulic tensioner. Would you suggest to change the fan bracket and Serpentine tensioner also? Also, as I was pulling everything apart, I notice a small crack on the Engine Timing Crankshaft sprocket. Here is a pic? Should I change it? Is this normal wear or would there be other issues? Thanks

 

I would definitely replace that sprocket while you have everything apart. good luck.

 

Someone wasnt gentle when they took that off. Id replace it or weld it, cause i wouldnt want that piece coming off at high speed.

check radiator hoses and clamps, clean and visually inspect everything for defects. Theres a manual for wear parts and schedules. As long as you’re in there do what you can.

 

Oh no question, replace that cracked sprocket.

The parts in that region are individually very cheap. Almost everything there is between about $5 and $50 each. The labor is the expensive part (time or money). Anything taken off or easily accessible that's a wear part, with 245k and ~20 years on it, I'd just replace or service. It would be foolish to go thru the effort and then put a worn $30 part back on, only to have it fail and have a really bad time, possibly strand you or worse, damage the engine, and best case you'd also have to redo it.

I keep some old parts like belts, plugs, hoses, etc. so if I have to travel into rural areas I'd have extras that I or a mechanic could use in a emergency to limp home. So, for instance, a small box of "travel parts" is handy if you're traveling in locations where getting a "new" part is difficult. But in a controlled environment with new parts available, I'd just replace anything that's a wear item and even mildly questionable, if it's already been removed.