Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Other than timing belt and water pump what else is recommended to change with a Timing Belt change?

I have 2002 Toyota Avalaon XLS with about 112k and I need to do the Timing Belt change,..I'm just trying to see if I'll fare better buying my own parts or trusting my Mechanic...he quoted me $550-600 for doing everything, including changing out the water pump as well.



Any advice??---I'm currently unemployed....yet I need a thorough job done...just can't afford to give money away.



PS,.. a friend of mine says he has Avalon and Lexus with over 200k....and never once changed the Timing Belt.....he says its all just a big money making Scam and major Rip-off....he says he even knocked meat from his mechanics mouth for even suggesting it!!,...ya gotta know this guy...extremely burly and about 6'10 and over 450 lbs..lol



thanksOther than timing belt and water pump what else is recommended to change with a Timing Belt change?i have 96 toy camery. i neglected to replace timing belt about 120k. i could hear my timing belt going out and finally on a trip it did and wasted whole day of my vacation at a mechanic shop. water pump will start to leak before going out. what ur mechanic is saying is preventive maintenance. if u got timing chain then drive for another 300k miles or so. when replacing timing belt always replace water pump (pay only for part not labor because it's right there), check all the seals and replace to save future expenses.



good luckOther than timing belt and water pump what else is recommended to change with a Timing Belt change?check your owner's manual. It will %26quot;suggest%26quot; certain maint. at so many miles. It is NOT mandatory though. There are good, honest mechanics out there that will be honest with you about certain procedures (like oil changes based on time, not mileage, but if you haven't put any miles on the car or the vast majority of the miles are highway miles, you can go a little farther between oil changes) and small things like spark plugs can be removed and cleaned, not necessarily replaced with new, high-dollar ones)Other than timing belt and water pump what else is recommended to change with a Timing Belt change?YOUR FRIEND CAR PROBABLY HAVE TIMING CHAIN INSTEAD OF TIMING BELT. TIMING CHAIN ON TOYOTA OR LEXUS LAST OVER 300,000 MILES EASY. I RECOMMEND MY CUSTOMERS TO CHANGE THEIR TIMING BELT AT 120,000 MILES ON TOYOTA AND LEXUS. IT ALSO INVOLVE REPLACING CAM AND CRANK SEALS IN CASE IT LEAK OIL INTO THE TIMING BELT, AND TIMING BELT TENSIONER JUST IN CASE IT LOOSES IT TENSION.Other than timing belt and water pump what else is recommended to change with a Timing Belt change?Your burley friend is an IDIOT!!! Many engines will bend valves if the timing belt breaks. In my experience, timing belts like to break on the coldest winter mornings upon start-up. I guess they are rebelling against the cold like we do. Timing belts in warmer climes tend to last a bit longer. DO YOURSELF A FAVOR!!!! NEVER use anything but genuine Toyota parts. DO NOT buy parts from the local auto parts store. Many Toyota dealerships offer exchange prices on the water pumps. USE ONLY GENUINE TOYOTA COOLANT!!!! USE ONLY GENUINE TOYOTA TIMING BELT!!! Same for water pump. After market, rebuilt pumps by non-professional rebuilders are usually just JUNK and create problems later on. Look how long your original one has lasted!!! If you are ambitious, you can do this job yourself with the help of a Haynes manual and a few hand tools. Good luck!!Other than timing belt and water pump what else is recommended to change with a Timing Belt change?If you've ever seen a belt after it's exceeded its useful life, you'd replace it.



I agree that some manufacturers probably artificially big this up as needing doing the second your car hits the age/mileage marker, but it's still an important thing to do.



On a lot of cars, it is not the belt that goes but often a tensioner - these are sometimes quite cheaply made parts and bears seize and fail in them. When the tensioner goes, your belt can jump a few teeth and that's enough to cause huge problems.



Similarly the water pump bearings do not last forever. I would say you have a month or two's leaway if you are worried, but it's a job that will need doing sooner or later for your own peace of mind if nothing else.Other than timing belt and water pump what else is recommended to change with a Timing Belt change?Seeing that your car has 112K and your unemployed it can last longer maybe 150K.



Now with that said are you willing to take the risk and the timing belt breaks causing you to spend much more money on a head job ?



Usually when changing the belt you change seals too and maybe tensioner it its bad ( crank seal , cam seals, etc)



HINT : the Timing belts usually break faster with hard driving , over revving , racing, etc . So if you dont really drive hard you shouldn't have to worry . However if you are a speed racer like me its good to do it between 70-100K miles.



For the 20 yrs Experience mechanic , most toyota's and Lexus's have TIMING BELTS NOT chains. The avalon is equipped with a TIMING BELT . Most NISSAN'S/ Infinities have timing chains.