Should I get the recommended repairs done...chain, water pump and hoses?

2005 Prerunner v6 172k miles

Was informed during service that I have a leaking front timing cover gasket. They rated the leak severity 3 out of 10. Not sure if there is some formula to that assessment or subjective to tech.

Dealership repair quote was approx $1400 with 11hrs labor.

Checked a couple other independent shops in town. One wanted $3k gave no details and the other was $2k and said they would replace timing chain, water pump, and hoses while there. I asked him about reading that a timing chain usually doesn't require replacement and his response was "better to do it while in there, cause its all coming apart again if existing breaks.". I then asked if timing cover had to come off if water pump failed, to which he said no.

This is my only ride, so I want to keep things maintained/fixed as much as possible but I also don't want to be replacing stuff that doesn't necessarily have to be right now. Is it wise to go ahead and drop the cash for the chain, water pump and hoses?

 

I’d just keep driving it and monitor the leak. It’s a well known problem that is only a problem if it’s leaking bad. I’ve owned 4 second Gen trucks and they all leaked but not bad enough to require spending the time or money to chase down. Save your money. The worst one rated a 6 out of 10 used about half a quart of oil between changes and that’s within limits. It never leaked enough to leave a spot on the driveway. The people telling you to fix just want your money. Find an honest mechanic

hop on over to Gen 3 forum they are crying about the same problem except they want to remove engine to fix. Screw that. The Gen 1 trucks had this too. Blame Toyota for never addressing this issue. No shit just drive and watch oil level you’ll be fine and have extra coin in your pocket

 

Yeah my thoughts if it's not leaving a huge spot of oil on the ground everywhere it gets parked then I wouldn't worry much about it.
I do appreciate the idea of keeping up with maintenance on a vehicle though. Good idea to save for down the road.

 

Yeah, I'm definitely not in a good position financially to fix it right now. What's got me spooked a bit is I'm worried with looming inflation, its going to cost a lot more to fix later, if it does get worse.

 

Out of the 4 I had none of them required tearing into. Technically speaking there are weeps, seeps and leaks. Only running leaks and having to add oil between changes is of concern unless you are OCD and just can’t stand it. Get a baseline on how much you are adding and make a determination. I’ve been a mechanic since 1978 but what do I know?

 

Inflation will continue as long as Covid is on-hand putting workers in bed or restricting work. This leads to production slowing due to the supply chain is sputtering. Meaning the quantity of goods is dwindling force higher prices. The basic rule of economics....Supply and Demand. Yet, the unemployment numbers are creeping up. Sure there are many jobs open for burger flippers and other non-skilled labor. Those jobs won't support or revive the economy.

Your best course is to delay the repair or DIY and delay all major purchases as long as possible. As consumers, it is our only lever....reduce the Demand.

A level 3 leak is minor. Just monitor the engine oil level, add as needed.

 

I appreciate the advice everyone. I'll just monitor it for now and check the oil every couple weeks. Can't get out of needing tires tho, dang it!

 

I'm going to play devil's advocate here:

I'd get it done. As you said, you're in a financial position to be able to do it. Why risk it breaking at an inconvenient time? No, timing chains typically don't go bad, but sometimes they do. As they said, it all has to come off if it goes bad anyway. I'd have it done, especially if you're planning on driving it for a while longer.

 

I have the cash to get it done, but it wouldn't be in my best interest to spend it if I didn't need to. Recently divorced and I'm not kill'n it income wise. Basically, recreational spending is a hard no-go for foreseeable future. That said, unless I win the Powerball, this is my chariot till death.

 

Get the best tire you can afford. Hold off on the other repair. Just monitor oil level.

I'd suggest to crawl around the front of the engine with a flashlight. Make a visual inspection of the situation. Take pictures if you want. Then you will have a mental reference and a picture reference for comparison.

 

Since your truck is an 06’
And some early model 06 trucks were affected by failing head gaskets. I’d recommend keeping an eye on the leak.

I am by no means saying your truck will blow the gaskets. The later your truck was built the better.

I’d just hate to see you pour that amount of money into the truck. Only to turn around and dump more into it.

I guess you can take a look and see if the leak is going to leak into other engine components and cause them to fail?
But if it’s just leaking slowly down the block. I’d leave it alone for awhile.

 

Currently running Cooper Discoverer AT3s which have lasted me almost 6 years. Wanted to go back with them but little too much this time around. The dealer is running a buy 3 get one free deal and offered a set of Yokohama Geolandars A/Ts for $669. Have 265/60/18 on Enkei (spelling) rims so not standard size, which makes them higher. Checked Tire Rack, Sams Club. They can't match it, so not a bad deal.

Its an '05. I'm aware of the potential Head issue. I hate to even speak of it. Me not being a mechanic, should the HG blow, does the timing cover get ripped off during that repair?

 

Some members have had success cleaning the area really good and putting some good RTV over the leak point, there was a thread about it on here I'll see if i can find it.

 

There was, I had no luck finding it.
Hopefully you have better luck

 

I’ve done this rtv repair, let me find where I talked about it

 

Here is one of my posts

The 2nd gens with 4.0L has a leak of the timing cover by the power steering pump too. The cause is the thickness of the mounting flange on the PS pump is a little wider than the area it fits into on the timing cover, pulling the TC away from the motor. Per advice here on TW, I removed the PS pump, filed down the flange on the pump so it would slide back into the TC with ease, slathered up the TC joint to the motor with permatex right stuff, and put back together. (put the pump back on). Several thousand miles later, no more TC leak.
I wonder if the same/similar situation exists on the 3rd gens 3.5L?

 

Good advice here. I have an 06 (June), no head gasket issues. I'm aware of timing cover leaks, so far none. Being aware of this stuff is important. Thanks for all the info.

 

Thanks for digging this up. I have an 05 with 170k - and my last 2 oil changes have definitely been light, but I haven't tracked down the source. I'm going to try to clean the area really well and see if I can find the seeping. This forum is great -- thanks everyone!

 

Here are some more details about what I did.
in regards to the leak near the timing cover, it’s the power steering pump that fits too snug into its mounting tabs on the timing cover. Pull the pump, file down a little at a time on the stub of the pump where it slides into the timing cover until it slides in with ease. After making sure the edge of the timing cover above and below where the ps pump mounts is super clean, lather it up with Permatex 1 min or 45 min. Gasket maker or Toyota Black 103 FIPG. Mount the ps pump back, make sure all sealant is dry per instructions and it should not leak there anymore. Even if removing the timing cover the ps pump should still be massaged as mentioned above before reinstalling. The pump fitting too snug pulls the timing cover just a little from the engine block, causing the leak.

 

Unless you visibly see a good size puddle under the truck, I say leave it be and build up your emergency fund for repairs that would disable the truck. As for hoses and water pump, that task is easy enough to DIY. Plenty of writeups available online. The job of any repair shop is to magnify minor issues to scare customers into having them repair it, preferably at their shop. Its all about $$$.