Timing Belt Kit -- Tensioner Defective

Just got a call from my mechanic who is installing a timing belt/water pump kit I bought off Ebay from 'Tim-Auto' (https://www.ebay.com/itm/New-OEM-Ti...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649). Apparently the tensioner that came in the kit is defective. He asked me what I wanted to do, and suggested I keep on with the install and just reuse the existing tensioner (approx. 150k miles of use). Being that he's the expert here and has never steered me wrong in the past, I think this was a better call than 1) reinstalling the old parts and trying to return the defective part with the complete kit, or 2) letting my truck sit for weeks until I can get a new tensioner shipped over.

Any input from the TW masters? I know best case scenario is new everything, but I'm not sure how critical it is to specifically make sure the tensioner is replaced when the job is done. Any insight is appreciated.

 

I think you probably made the right call, assuming your mechanic doesn't see any oil leaking out of the existing tensioner. Mine was didn't have any when I did my timing belt, and probably would have been just fine to reuse. I should note, I used the aircabinman kit, and I have no idea really if the parts supplied are any different.

I'm curious how the mechanic discovered it to be defective (i.e. what was wrong with it?).

 

From this guy? Yeah...... you got EBay’ed the negative reviews go on and on...

 

Ah. That doesn't look good for me. In my defense, the account did have a 'Top-rated Seller' icon on their profile. Then again, I suppose anyone with enough time on their hands can sit around all day writing fake positive Ebay reviews for themselves . . .

I'll get more info on the condition of the damaged part when I pick the truck up.

 

I know the picture depicts Toyota boxes but the font and sizes are never right. Sadly more often than not it’s Chinese junk in a counterfeit box...

 

Stuff happens. I bought a new fan clutch for a 2015 Tacoma from the dealer and the part was bad. Dealer gave me another new fan clutch with no issues.

 

This is one of the easier indicators to spot. The labels and their font are easy to see that it's counterfeit, at least for me it is.
I would assume that the OP's mechanic would have noticed if any of the other stuff was counterfeit.
But we know how that 'assume'-ing stuff works out.... Hopefully the tensioner is only fake part involved.

 

the ebay kits from aircabinman have been great. All genuine OEM parts.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/15-Piece-3..._Display:3.4L&epid=660147462&_trkparms=ispr=1

This guy came very highly recommended from this forum, and I was not disappointed.

 

Just drove home from the mechanic on the new timing belt, it's going to be ok.

Here's a summary of what he had to say (or rather how I understood it): There is a shoulder bolt that holds the tensioner in place and it is a very specific length. The new tensioner has an extra 1/8th lip on one end of the bolt receiver that made it so the bolt wouldn't screw in properly. The lip could not be taken down with a grinder because there is a bearing inside that likely would have been compromised. They kept the existing tensioner and replaced everything else. He said there were no other issues with any of the parts so no reason to be too concerned with the kit. When asked if I need to worry about going back in and changing the tensioner soon, he said "don't overthink it. Just go enjoy your truck."

$450 for labor -- and they threw in a shop tee shirt. Seems fair to me. If anyone is curious to see the defective part, I'll share. But seems like a moot point if you stick with AirCabinman instead of trying to save a few bucks like I did.

 

Did you contact the seller? Any response?

 

It would be interesting to see the defective part.

 

I have not yet reached out to the seller though I did post a review to warn future buyers of the kit. Being that the rest of the parts are installed, I'm not sure if asking for a partial refund is in order, or if that's just the tax on a lesson learned.

Here are photos.

 

Did he show you the difference from the old one to the new one?

When I replaced this threads unscrewed with the bolt and I had to helicoil new threads into it.

 

I tried to look at the 3.4L that I have partially town down in the garage for comparison and do not have enough light in the area. I think I threw out all of the original parts from my last TB job.

If @eon_blue has a new kit still in the box, he might be able to make a comparison for us.

 

No, I didn't get a look at the original. Everything was back together when I picked it up.

 

I have the one I took off mine but I can’t look at it until friday.

 

For $215 I assure you that’s all fake shit. Some of the most vital stuff on your truck and you wanna put cheap Amazon/eBay crap parts. Makes no sense.

 

I got mine for $184 and it’s all OEM.

and if it’s all fake it definitely looked like the OEM quality that I removed.

 

Thanks for the assurance.

From lip to lip it measures 1 5/8 inches. Supposed to have been a tad shorter or so I am told.

 

Did it come from a dealer? I assure you you can’t get true oem , tbelt, tensionor, tensionor pulley, cam seals, crank seal, water pump, t stat and gasket for $184. Just cause it’s in a Toyota box means zero. I’ve worked at the the dealer and the direct cost to the dealer for all those parts is more than that. Oh wait that kit also included the fan belts.