Noob with 385k Miles

I'd say you got a great deal for 2K. I wouldn't mind having it

 

385!?! thats quite an achievement. go for half a mil .

 

I only want to change it I'd I need to. I'm decently mechanical but this is my first taco and I want her to run forever, I do not have any engine rattling or anything. According to a friend of mine he said it feels a little sluggish but I'm going to do spark plugs and cables soon which hopefully will help in that area but besides that it's great

 

sshirley, if you are not having any noises or abnormal performance of your engine, I would not worry about changing out your timing chain on that 4 cyl. In my entire career I have never actually heard of one breaking. Ever. However if you would like to tackle the job, it can be done obviously. There will be a bit of time involved as replacing the chain requires removal of the valve cover, and oil pan. On a 4WD truck, removing the oil pan requires either the removal of the entire engine, or removal of the front differential. Book time for this job is 15 hours, assuming you have a lift and air tools.

 

I think the consensus is that anything Toyota puts a chain on is an interference engine, belts are non-interference.

It's supposed to be a "lifetime" part, but I think Toyota underestimated how long the lifetime would be on these things

 

Bamatoy - thanks for the info, I do not have any of those tools so I would most likely be taking it to a shop, but since the engine appears to be running fine and it is a "lifetime part" I think I will be good.

 

The chain driven 4 cyl are interference by design, I have read that the pistons installed are what keep it non-interference.

 

Ask around in the Texas regional forums about shops in Austin that work on Toyota. You might even find a member that can get you a good deal!

 

Would never guess by the clean appearance of the truck that it's ticked off almost 400k miles. Good buy, wish you luck with it!

 

The 2.4's did go through chains at about 150K most people ignored the noise and the chain beat the timing case to death and filled the sump with antifreeze long before the chain broke. My guess is by the time a 2.7 needs a chain it needs an overhaul too.

 

That's not true, the Tacoma V6 engine now has chain driven cams, and is non-interference. Also, there are many posts on this forum that state the 2RZ-FE 2.4L of '96 in particular, as well as other 4 cyls, is non-interference and has chains. One such post is in the thread, "New Taco From San Diego", and I have seen others.

 

Wow, your truck has seen a shit load of road. What a trooper.

On a side note, what is the highest mileage on a Tacoma you guys have ever seen?

 

An engine is either interference or not - doesn't matter how the valves don't get hit.

 

That's kinda what I meant, It is a interference engine but because of the dish in the piston there is no interference if the chain breaks. Still designed as interference. But I could be wrong. The chain isn't going to break before it chews through the guides and the rest of the components up front anyhow.

 

I'd listen to this guy.

 

DITTO

 

$2k for that truck.. awesome. unless it falls apart i'd say it's a great find

 

Welcome, my 312k ain't nothin' I see. Purchased for $1,600+500 in tires and a little tune-up, I love mine.

 

I will be willing to do a search to check for those threads, but every bit of my information on all of the 2.4 and 2.7 since the inception of the Tacoma all indicate that they are all interference engines. There is nothing in the service manuals that show different. The general black and heads are identical, hence the fact that a 2.4 head gasket and bolts are the the same part number as the 2.7 head gasket and bolts. Also the other parts are the same on the exterior of the block. My service information indicates the only real difference between them is stroke length. The 2.4 has 3.39 inch and the 2.7 has 3.74 inch. The bore is identical, and the piston is showing to be the same part number. If the piston is the same, and the block/head combination is essentially the same, then it leads to show that they are BOTH interference engines.

 

That only proves that if the 2.7 is interference, then so is the 2.4. But what proof do you have that the 2.7 is?

Again, several here are saying that chains are an indication that the valves are interference, but the current V6, which is non-interference, and at one time in the past had belts, now has chains.

We're I in the OP's shoes, I would want to know for sure one way or the other. Hey, wait, I'm wearing shoes only a little smaller with 275K miles.