1ST GEN 254,000 miles NO TIMING BELT CHANGE!

"Intimidating" is not too much of an overstatement, if you're a beginner mechanic like me. I'd say, plan to spend about as much time reading and watching videos as you do turning wrenches.

I just wrote up (and numbered) my notes on my camshaft/crankshaft seal replacement job, which included timing removal/reinstall. I put down 78 steps...

 

All the more reason to do it yourself. You not only get a new timing belt, you also get an education.

 

Its straight forward 'when you get to the belt'. Everything else is pain in the butt

 

Right? Get some experience in. Nobodies perfect.

 

Parts truck I bought for my engine swap had the original timing belt. 170k Miles. I was concerned.

 

I also didn't change mine on my 3.4L until it hit 200K. Not that I felt I had to, but I thought that I should. Do the water pump at the same time. Saves labor. Like jbrandt said, it's non-interference.

 

lol... my timing belt made it 260,000+/- miles.

www.tacomaworld.com/threads/aluminum-radiator-install-w-timing-and-pump.536687/

 

So has anyone actually had one break? I've heard of it in Subaru's and other vehicles, but never heard one one breaking on a Taco. I'm sure it's happened, but I'm thinking it kind of rare.

 

Judging from the pictures I'm seeing on this thread, the belts do not tend to last as long in colder climates. Go figure, rubber gets more brittle in colder environments and will crack faster. It looks like guys that live in CA are getting double the mileage out of their belts than the cold weather guys. It looks like cold weather is harder on these belts.

 

That makes sense. Also, my truck lived outside 24/7 until two years ago when I finally got a garage.

 

Don't let it scare you if you have a decent set of tools (or know someone who's dad is a tv repairman). Look at the pic above. Getting it THAT far is cake and we'll always be a few keystrokes away when reassembling the timing aspect.

Really, with the white marks on the new ones, getting it timed is pretty foolproof too. The tensioner is prob. the only thing you may need to know 'the trick' to. It's just a matter of using a wobble extension coming up from the bottom instead of taking loose the A/C.

Seriously, besides time. It's easy and you'll never be afraid of the engine again. Everything's simple on these things.

DO IT! Because age is just as big a factor of failing as mileage.....again look at the pic. above of the 180K mile one. that thing is age worn, not mileage. Rubber only is good for so long before it's unreliable, just think about tires after 5 or 6 yrs. of being hot.

 

You maybe right. Tires look bad down here pretty fast though. I don't know about in the cold (what's that?)

 

When I replaced my belt at ~120k, mine looked very similar to the belt @zero4 posted (post #21) above.

I don't think it was 5 miles from disintegrating, but I'm also glad I changed it when I did.

 

I think I've read of one that was pretty high mileage finally letting go and one that was installed with the guide backward (maybe) that wore it out in days.

Strange because Mitsubichi's (sp?) used to break on cue like a mile past the due mark....and they were interference, of course, so the engine was wasted.

 

Yeah, that's the nice thing about the 3.4L's. Non-interference means it just rolls to a stop with little to no damage. Mildly annoying to get a tow and make you late for work or whatever, but that does mean you can push it if you want.

That said, my truck is not a daily driver, and if mine were to break now, it'd more than likely be on a fairly remote trail somewhere, so I'm not going to risk it.

 

Changed the belt on my JDM engine just because. Looked new but figured why not. Plus it's 100x easier doing outside the truck.

Wish I knew ahead of time about the water pumps without the oil cooler supply line though.

 

Classic!

 

Yeah the old 22r and 22re engines had plastic guides that were problematic. The newer 2/3RZ-FE engines still have plastic guides but from everything I have heard they are basically a lifetime item. I had mine apart at 186k and the chains and guides looked great, no noise except I think the chain slaps 4 or 5 times on cold start till it builds oil pressure...which is normal as far as I know.

 

Not sure how I'm wrong...

your neighbor's guide letting go does not negate the fact that Toyota does not have a recommended replacement schedule for timing chains as they do for timing belts.

Under normal circumstances, it's a lifetime part.

 

But it IS, generally speaking, a no maintenance system. Your neighbor's issue with his tensioner has nothing to do with it.

Also, since Toyota doesn't detail a replacement schedule for them (like they do for timing belts), it's safe to say they don't need regular maintenance unless there's a problem.

https://www.testingautos.com/car_care/when-does-the-timing-chain-need-to-be-replaced.html

Search for "timing chain", it's not even mentioned:
https://www.toyota.com/t3Portal/document/omms-s/SMG100_MS0001/pdf/2000_Toyota_SMG_PDF.pdf

Also this:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...g-chain-on-all-toyotas-from-toyota-com.19496/