2000 Avalon I posted awhile ago about the necessity of changing the belt on my 2000 Avalon. Specifically, I wanted to know if the belt was likely to break if I took a chance on a trip in which I would surpass the 90,000 mile mark by a thousand or so miles (I know from experience, you are taking a BIG chance with a Camry, at least the older ones). Anyhow, on Ray's and others' advice I proceeded without incident (26-30 mpg for the whole 2,500 mile trip at 75 to 85mph). Anyhow, I've now got 91,500 on this car and am trying to decide whether to upgrade to a newer Avalon or Camry or just get the belt and water pump changed on my Avalon and keep driving it. As usual, I can't make up my mind and continue to dither. So my question is, how long can one go on the Avalon's original belt before it gets real risky? Thanks. jor
Avalon Timing Belt
Apr 08, 2007
4 Replies
Oh great, blame me if the belt broke ;-)
I re-checked Toyota's recommendation for replacing the timing belt, and it is 90,000 miles, so there is little risk to continue to drive the car for a while. You should be safe for another 10,000 to 15,000 miles, and if you don't mind being stranded if it breaks, you can probably wait to 120,000 miles. Gates belts web site indicates that the 1MZ-FE engine is not an interference engine, and assuming they are correct, if the belt breaks, there is little chance of engine damage. The problem is, when stuff like that happens, it is usually at an inconvenient time or the wife is driving, so I try not to wait until a wear part completely wears out before taking care of it.
Ha, ha. Don't worry, Ray. I'll only blame you if my wife blame me! Actually, we've had a turn of events here. My wife got in an accident yesterday and the front of our nice Avalon is all bent up! Thanks for the advice. jor
You are welcome to the advice, I hope your wife came through the accident unscathed!
It's always cheaper to fix it up. And in this case, you know what you have, and you never know what you will get. Plus , at 90K , an Avalon is not even halfway to the end of it's life if treated well.
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