Timing belt snapped at right after startup.

My 2mm wrench brain just became a 0mm. Truly I know nothing and respect that knowledge even more now.

 

A friend of mine has an 06 tundra.
I already had my parts, when he heard I was getting ready to change mine, said make sure you go OEM. He put a different brand on and it snapped on start up one cold morning grenading his motor at 60K miles on the belt.

It was so bad he had to get motor out of a wrecked one.

 

Any idea how many miles on the Gates belt?
Obviously a poor choice going through the hassle or expense of replacing a timing belt (and everything else) with an off brand, but if it had 100k plus on it this would be less offensive

 

And Gates is a decent brand. Hard to blame people, though, if they aren't part of a forum like this. If you don't know better, there's no reason not to think aftermarket parts are completely adequate. You go to the parts store, you buy parts, maybe even the "premium" version, knowing better than use the cheapest, and walk out feeling like you're treating your truck right.

 

Did you get it going OP?

 

I was so scared of the timing belt breaking I had my Tundra rollbacked to a stealership with explicit instructions to push it into the garage for timing belt change. (201K when I bought it).

The old belt actually looks pretty good but there were no stickers anywhere under the hood to indicate when it was changed.

Good luck OP!

 

Gates makes shit belts
I work in an industry that is reliant on belt drive systems and the Gates belts are utter shit. I've seen them blow for absolutely no reason, cool temps, nothing crazy. Their reliability is sub par when it comes to lifespan and durability in comparison to ANY OEM they replace. Every now and again you might get a good one that will last but i would venture to say 80% of them have a lifespan half that of whatever OEM they replace.
There is a reason NO OEM uses Gates or Dayco for their belts.
Timken, Mitsuboshi, Bando are about the only REAL reliable brands.

 

The green HD Gates serpentine belt is either rebranded Delco, or Delco rebranded the Gates. I'm not sure which is the case, but it doesn't seem that the HD product they sell is actually made by Gates.

Gates, Delco, and Continental seem to have some fuckery going on with regard to their belts, wherein one or all three are rebranding each others' stuff.

Coming from the GM world, all I would buy earlier in my life when I was a diehard GM guy was Delco. I have no beef with their parts, although things have changed considerably, and I've been pretty much living squarely in the Toyota camp for the last 15 or so years.

 

My experience with Gates has been good, but it's very limited experience, and based on hearsay from other people saying they're a good brand. I'd never use them for a timing belt, but I've used Gates accessory belts on a lot of vehicles. Anyway your experience definitely counts for more than mine with how much you use belts.

 

While we are waiting for OP to chime back in on his unfortunate break, does anyone know how long chains last? Do they start showing symptoms before becoming too stretched for normal performance? Does the engine start throwing codes or sputter uncontrollably? Thanks!

No problems here, but I have 150k(2010) on mine and am curious. Why do engines even use belts vs chains? Any pros cons? (Sorry for loaded question, I'll understand if it goes unanswered.)

 

Belts are quieter, and lighter. When you replace a chain, you usually have to teplace the pulleys, too.

timing chains on my dads titan have 300k & havent shown any issues (and theyre probably sloppy).

 

Just a guess but I think the belts are quieter by a few db's and probably are cheaper to produce with a rubber band instead of a steel chain with sprockets. Friction might play into it too as car manufacturers are always chasing mileage increases. I think timing belts pretty much suck, but on some cars they are a snap to change so it's not such an issue. The Tundra I wish had used a chain and relocated the starter 180 degrees to the underside like most vehicles I've ever had. But on the upside, if maintained they seem to be above average on the reliability scale.

 

The famous 22r has a timing chain. Chains can break, usually one of the pins lets loose. But usually they get loose and do some damage as they slap around inside the cover. Im no expert and really dont have a preference one way or the other. Either belt or chain is transferring a lot of energy and both are a regular maintenance item

 

That can be some serious Bad JuJu!!!
Lost the timing gears in an old Mustang when I was a youngster.
It tore up all kinds of Shit!!!
The one and only car I've ever owned.

 

Timing belts may be more of a pain because of the risk involved in not changing them, but it's every 90-100 thousand miles. Even if you get someone to do it, it's not even two cents a mile. Gas is WAY more than that. If you do it yourself, it's negligible cost per mile, plus you get to do a fairly decent inspection on other items.

I had mine done by Duggy's ( a Toyota specialist in Houston) right after I purchased my truck as I knew little about the process and needed it done without my procrastinating. Next time, I will probably do it myself. No complaints at all about Duggy's, but now I know more, I can handle it myself.

 

If you look, you will notice the stuff you buy at the counter of a dealership is sometimes NOT the same thing you get on the vehicle when you buy it new. This goes across many manufacturers and one that pisses me off the most is the Toyota wiper blades. The wiper blades you get when you buy a vehicle is different than the TOYOTA packaged wiper blades you buy over the counter. When you buy a new Toyota the wiper blades work so freakin good, and last so freaking long. Once they finally wear out and you go to the dealer and buy the Toyota sleeved wiper blades, they work half as good and last 1/3rd as long. That honestly sucks. GM is well known for this as well, the stuff you get on the vehicle at the time of purchase is not the same part you get over the counter as a replacement.
Continental does make good stuff, but i know they make sub par stuff intentionally to meet price demands and quotas by OEMs. I've still got a sour taste in my mouth over something they produced for Diamler Chrystler. I have since learned to love the brand but you GOTTA BUY the right stuff. Long story i'll save it for another day.

 

Bosch wiper blades work very well!

Ps-much appreciated all answers on timing belts/chains.