How Often Should You Change Your Timing Belt?

10 yrs.

I have yet to hear of one breaking from mileage.....evidently, 10 yrs. is erring on the side of caution too.


On the other hand this is prob. the easiest vehicle there is to change on since the Ford Pinto.

If you have an impact and/or breaker bar to remove Harm. Balcr w/o the holding tool and a 6"-8" wobble extension to get the tensioner w/o dropping compressor bracket, all the better.

Just a Sat. afternoon job. Drain and remove the radiator, you'll have a ton of room.

 

mines ticking close to 19 years so I think it's about time. Well, its an 01 and I bought it in 04. Not sure if it was done then.

 

I just had mine done at 89k miles but it was the original belt (16 yrs old). Figured it was past the time limit and coming up on the mileage limit so I didn't want to take any risks

 

hey guys got my truck when it had 114,000 miles on it and im not sure if it had the timing belt replaced before i bought it. The truck now has just over 300,000 miles should i change it or see how long i can go? Im thinking of seeing how long it will last.

 

You could test the longevity if you want. The 3.4 is a non-interference engine, so you'll do no harm if the timing belt goes. The true benefit IMO is the inspection/replacement of the other parts while you're there (water pump, cam/crank seals, timing belt tensioner, fan bracket, idler pulleys, accessory belts etc).

 

You like to live dangerously eh?

You can do it. Worst that will happen is it peels apart rather than breaks and takes out other stuff.

Or dies right when you really need power steering.

 

The wheels/covers certainly didn't help it's 'look' but that's really not a bad looking car to today's standard. My Dad had one too for work and he tried to talk me into taking it when I got out of H.S. but I wanted a Mustang. When the Mustang came to his house he looked at it and said I didn't exactly make a big change and that my car was basically, a Pinto with a 5.0 in it. He was right really. BTW: That Mustang was a real POS. Rusted to nothing by the early '90s and that was a mercy.

 

The first or second option will probably work for pulling the harmonic balancer once you remove the bolt. You'll need to ensure you have (2) M8 Metric Bolts with a 1.25 Pitch, 100mm long with washers. *This is the correct threading for the two bolt holes on the harmonic balancer.

The second option you listed is a puller kit, which will NOT work for holding the Harmonic Balancer in place when breaking the bolt loose. There is a lot of force applied when breaking that bolt free and you need the special tool along with a breaker bar jammed up against your frame to prevent any movement. It's hard to find a substitute for this part, I just sucked it up and bought the tool. If that doesn't work for you then consider a home made option. I've seen some posts about people making their own tool using a 2x4 board acting at the breaker bar, then drilling a large hole near one end for access to the crank bolt and two smaller holes for access using the M8 bolts to hold the Harmonic Balancer. Or welding plate metal to a holding bar and drilling access holes for the crankshaft bolt and the M8 bolts. Seems like a bunch of fucking around and wasting more time to save a little money to me....to each their own though. I prefer less headaches when doing these types of jobs so buy the correct tool for one less headache.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/homemade-crank-pulley-tool.140646/

The last seal driver will NOT work because the driving surface is entirely flat. This does not allow the camshaft and crankshaft end to slide through the center of the tool. Hard to explain by typing... watch the video when Timmy is inserting the new seal and see what I'm trying to describe.
Here is the tool I rented from Autozone
https://www.autozone.com/test-scan-...haft-and-camshaft-seal-service-kit/387717_0_0


Hope this can help. Good luck!

 

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Harmonic balcr. usually comes off by hand once you break the bolt, the bolt is easiest to break by using the starter and Toyota seals are pretty fool proof about installing easy with PVC pipe. Anything short of pounding them in with a screwdriver actually.

It is strange, it's hard to make a Toyo. leak and yet motorcycle seals can be done with lots of factory tools and they still may take 3 tries to get one to hold oil. Maybe because they spin things so fast.

 

Got you. Thanks for that. I think you're right. Im going to fork out the harmonic balancer. Im into saving money but not interested in making the tool myself. I completely understand about the seal driver working. I didn't think about that. I saw timmys video and know what you're talking about. Thats an interesting method that Cruz said about tapping them in w pvc pipe.

 

I like that trick about the pvc. Are there any downfalls about using the starter to break the harmonic balancer?

 

Rotating parts could lead to injury if you're not careful. Also you don't want to actually start the engine while trying this.

My vote is to use an impact gun, but that method requires you to take the radiator out to have clearance.

 

You just turn the key to make the starter kick in correct? I would use an impact gun. But I don't own one strong enough for this job

 

Wow that brings back memories!
Back in ‘77 when we were stationed in Omaha my dad bought a yellow ‘71 Pinto that looked just about like that.
It was supposed to be my sister’s first car. She ended up not getting her license till much later, so I eventually ended up with it. Took my driver’s test with it in ‘79 and it kept me mobile all through college.
Finally gave up on it in ‘86 when the mechanic doing the inspection failed it because a rear passenger’s feet would have only been held up by the carpet.
Had already gone a couple major rounds of body work over the years and wasn’t interested in another.
Was making enough money at that point that I could buy a brand spank in’ new Hyundai Excel when they first came out!

 

Yes, take out a fuse so it cant start.
Put the bar against the frame and just bump the starter.
I've done this on every vehicle successfully except old Hondas. As long as the breaker bar is tight all you'll hear is the bar falling to the ground, no "Whomp".

The drawback? You have to put it back on somehow. I always just rattle it on with blue Loctite. 100#+ 3-4 uuga duugas. It's a stout bolt, you won't break it unless you really are trying.

 

I have been searching for timing belt kits, I called the local dealer and they quoted the parts alone to be like $800. How is aircabinman selling the kit for his price when eBay is taking their pound of flesh as well. Clearly everyone trusts him and the kit, but just curious if I missing something obvious.

 

Dealer mark-ups are huge. No way the kit should cost even half of $800. They'd probably charge another $1k on top just for labor

 

So the way aircabimman is way more affordable because they buy products in bulk through various reliable toyota parts dealerships and piece the kits together. Everything came in my package that was supposed to and everything is running as should as of now.

 

May be a bit late here, but got this one https://www.ebay.com/itm/392384623774 for $310 total with tax, and is all OEM.