120K+ Miles? 7+ Years Old? CHANGE THE TIMING BELT & WATER PUMP!

[bamachem]

first change for me. 158,813 miles, and just in time.

Timing belt was't in "bad" shape, but was beginning to show it's age with some tiny hairline surface cracks if you bent it in a 2" circle. I don't think they were as much from mileage as they were from age - almost 8 years.

Water pump was leaking just a tad through the weep hole - I don't know how long, but I never lost coolant level and it never "dripped".

Crank seal had a tiny weep.

I had:

Timing Belt
Water Pump
Crank Seal
Cam Seals
Tensioner
AC belt
Power Steering Belt
Alternator Belt
Toyota Red Coolant

all for $252 in OEM parts (most of it thanks to Phil - Toyota of Dallas) and $200 in labor via a local independent shop and a toyota certified master technician.

not bad at all.

i would NOT suggest going this long on a timing belt. i would suggest no longer than 6-7 years or 120k and at most 140k. i was overdue and it showed after it was torn down.

now the cool part - apparently, the original belt had stretched or something. i had a slight valve chatter at certain times on a long grade (even after seafoam, and that's with 33's and 4.56's). now, not only is the idle just buttery smooth, but the acceleration is better and the almost silent valve chatter that was there is now gone. there really is a difference in the "feel" of the engine - which also means that i waited too long to do it.

[calrockx]

Wow, that is a long time.

I had those things changed at 90k, I think that's the recommended interval. I already had a slight water pump leak.

[BenS]

I did mine at 160k and the belt looked brand new! I changed the pump as well while in there.

I used Conicelli toyota parts, and spent about $150 total.

Belt
water pump
various timing cover gaskets

I also ordered the SST to compress the belt tensioner. Boy was that a lifesaver...

[Intrepidyota]

With the help of two friends who did all the work for me I just did the belt in my Tundra. The belt looked great and there was just a tiny bit of coolant buildup at the weephole. I was told by a toyota tech that the belt probably had another 20k-30k on it, but I am glad to have that job out of the way. There are a ton of parts and a TON of bolts that have to come out to do that job though, it is definitely a daunting task. I replaced the timing belt, water pump, thermostat, serpentine belt, and coolant when I did it.

[bamachem]

yeah, the wife's Land Cruiser is a 2000, so by age, it's due for one even though it only has just over 70k miles on it. i'm not looking forward to that one. it will be $800+ at an independent...

[Henry]

Just did mine as well at near 90k since I had to do other work on it as well. Total bill was about a lil over a grand with all the belts changed plus the seals and the water pump totaling 700 of it. Bit pricey but was a shop I trusted and now its running like new.

[surf4runner]

02 w/ 130K on original belt. have the parts waiting to be replaced.

its past time but im a gamblin man

[MTL_4runner]

Just did mine as well at near 90k since I had to do other work on it as well. Total bill was about a lil over a grand with all the belts changed plus the seals and the water pump totaling 700 of it. Bit pricey but was a shop I trusted and now its running like new.

I suppose that price isn't too bad considering we're talking about the bay area though.
You're always better off paying more and having it done right than vice versa.