Question about Toyota timing-belt repair

Well, I agree with the "second opinion" part. Did they say just how they checked the timing belt?

While age may have an effect, seven years doesn't seem a long time. I last did mine 4/99.

As for the leak, it wouldn't surprise me. At 4,000 miles per year it's not getting much use. Gaskets shrink/dry out. Is the car driven often or does it sit for long periods?

$300 for the timing belt sounds right, but $300 for the oil pan sounds crazy.

There are techs who participate in this group -- they'll have much more input to offer than I.

Ask them how they know the belt is cracked. You can't see it with a 'routine' inspection. The top motor mount and top timing gear cover has to be removed along with a few other small things and it does require about 30 minutes or more just to get a look at the belt. Anyway , a visual inspection of the belt doesn't usually reveal much about the condition of the belt. Need to be replaced according to mileage. At 28,000 I doubt you need a timing belt .

Also , 300.00 is quite a bit to fix a leaking oil pan...IMO. Thats something you can easily do yourself if you are a bit of handyman. There is no gasket on the pan , you just use RTV sealant. I don't think there is anything blocking access to the oil pan on that car. I know there isn't on my 96 Camry 2.2. If you decide to do it yourself , I would suggest investing in a manual. A Haynes will do just fine. It will show you how to remove pan , apply the sealant and torque the pan bolts.

Ken Day

------------------- The exhaust pipe blocks removal of the oil pan. Best to replace bolts, nuts and gaskets with new when dismantling exhaust components. The old nuts on the exhaust manifold are tight, and you need a long extension, but apart from labor, parts are not costly. But then, that's true of the timing belt replacement also.

Hi,

I had my timing belt changed at 62000miles and 8 years 5 months On a 95 2.2 CAMRY I had the belt saved for me to inspect. There did not seem to be any obvious cracking or crazing. Mech said was good for long way yet. Like others I cant see how they could just inspect the belt easily. At 28k I don't think it would worry me unduly because of age.

But mine is changed now and , better for my peace of mind.

Johnny UK.

I replaced a broken timing belt on a customers car a few weeks ago. It was a

97 with thirty something k on it, I can't remember for sure. It's not outrageous at all for them to recommend you change it. Believe it or not, letting a timing belt (or any other belt) sit and sit and sit will shorten it's life faster than if it is running its component. The belt cracks because one or more areas spend their time stretched around whatever sprocket they are driving, so the tension is distributed unevenly. So as a rule I always recommend following the time recommendation ahead of the mileage, as I have seen more breaks older low mileage cars. Oh, and it only takes a few minutes to get a look at a part of the belt. You don't really have to take all the crap off someone alse was describing.

I called a different repair shop and asked about inspecting the timing belt. The guy told me that inspecting the timing belt would take three hours. Since I knew that the original shop did not have my car for three hours, I wondered how much the original shop had actually examined my car.

So, I called the original shop. It turns out that the mechanics had loosened the timing cover and had ONLY taken a peek inside using a flashlight. The mechanics were not actually able to see any cracks. However, they saw my car's drive belt and saw that the drive belt was cracked. Since the drive belt and the timing belt are the same age, the mechanics assumed that the timing belt was also cracked.

So, is this assumption reasonable? If the drive belt is cracked, does it necessarily mean that the timing belt is cracked as well?

Regards,

Alex K.

Oops...sorry about that. Forgot about the exhaust pipe. I suppose I could blame that on a senior moment. Can't believe I forgot that since I have pulled a Toyota 4 cyl 3 times in the last 3 months or so.

The 3 nuts on the exhaust pipe usually come off pretty easy after a few squirts of liquid wrench , sometimes without that. You will need a

14mm socket and a 12" extension . The exhaust hangar immediately behind oil pan has 2 12mm bolts and they are easy to get to and easy to remove. This will let the exhaust drop down out of your way, at least enough to get the pan off and back on.

Ken Day

With all due respect , how do you get more than a peek at the belt without removing the cover ? I know you can pull the cover back a little but you see only the outer surface of the belt . Am I missing something here ? I would think you would also need to get a decent look at the teeth on the belt. Is there a way to get the cover off without removing the mount ? It takes a bit of wiggling for me ...well , wiggling the cover , not me (sometimes wiggle my a** a bit and cuss a little ) even after removing the mount, to get it off.

Ken Day

sounds

As for the oil-pan leak, one shop stated a price of $270, and another shop stated a price of $240.

Are these prices more reasonable?

If not, what is a good price?

As for the timing belt, one shop stated a price of $280, and another shop stated a price of $220.

If $300 sounds right for a timing belt, then is $220 too cheap? Should I be concerned about poor quality at such a low price?

Regards,

Alex K.

Removing the side mount involves three 14mm bolts. Pop it out with a pry bar. Remove the top three 10mm bolts on the cover, and you can pull it out far enough to see the top of the belt. If you want to take a look at the teeth, stick a small inspection mirror in there and have a peek!

Posted Via Usenet.com Premium Usenet Newsgroup Services

---------------------------------------------------------- ** SPEED ** RETENTION ** COMPLETION ** ANONYMITY **

----------------------------------------------------------

When I suggested the price for the oil pan was out of line, I hadn't thought of having to drop the exhaust. It's like the timing belt -- Actually changing the belt doesn't take long, but getting to it does.

$220 for the belt? As a comparison, I had mine done at a dealership 6 years ago and it ran $300. That's why I said the first quote you got sounded good.

As for those lower quotes, I dunno. Shop rates are probably a bit different, but... when I have a few prices for the same job I go with the guy I trust most. If I have 3 quotes I can usually eliminate one of them because they acted odd or squirrely or abrupt. The price is secondary to me. Of course, being able to trust the mechanic is a huge deal with me.

if you change timing belt, you might consider changing water pump as well. pump is accessible while timing cover is off.

engine.

The car is, obviously, about 7 years old. However, the car has only

28000 miles on it.

Recently, a Toyota dealership performed an oil change. As part of the oil change, the dealership performed a routine inspection of the car. The mechanics at the dealership said that they examined the car's timing belt and that the timing belt was cracked. The mechanics said that the timing belt needs to be replaced. The mechanics will charge a little over $300 for the job.

The mechanics said that the belt is cracked because the car is aging.

I am very skeptical about all of this. From what I have read, people replace a timing belt every 60000 miles.

Also, the mechanics said that my car has an oil-pan leak. The fix for that will also be a little over $300.

I will probably get a second opinion from another shop. However, I would like some input from the people in this newsgroup. Is it common to have a cracked timing belt on a car that is 7 years old and that has

only 28000 miles on it? Is it common to have an oil-pan leak on a car that is 7 years old and that has only 28000 miles on it?

Thanks for any information.

Regards,

Alex K.

You're right , and , after doing what you just said , you've almost removed all the 'crap' ............... that I referred to in my other post.

Only three more 14mm bolts in the mount bracket and then you can pull it out and remove the timing gear cover.Then you can get a good look at the belt. If you recall , I did say about 30 minutes to get a good look at the belt.

Not trying to be critical of what you said , just reminding you of what I said :-)

This is still pretty fresh in my mind as I replaced another belt a couple weeks ago.

Ken Day.

No. One reason is that the drive belts are exposed to the elements more than the timing belt , also they are subject to being overtightened , undertightened and so on.

No. Main reason is Drivebelts wear out much quicker than timing belts. Manual calls for them to be replaced every 6,000 miles.

Another reason they show wear is that the drive belts are exposed to the elements more than the timing belt , also they are subject to being overtightened , undertightened and so on ......and the results of this show in the belt as cracks and splits.

Yeah, I get you. What I left out when I said that it only takes a few minutes was the fact that i was referring to a technician with a lot of Toyota experience. It is a little more involved if you only do one every once in a while. After you do so many, it becomes muscle memory, you know? I though that I saw somewhere in this thread that a shop wanted three hours to check the belt. Thats assinine.

The timing belt will be showing some signs of aging at 7 years,..do yourself a favor and get it done. As to the oil-pan,..that price sounds like a rip-off, go elsewhere.

If the car has sat for sometime compared to just very short daily runs,..makes all the difference,..can you find out which it was?

If the former,.I'd get the pump done as well. Water-pumps dont like sitting without turning for long periods. Their seal can become stuck to its housing,..then when started, damage occurs meaning a shortened life. However, if the car did short runs every day,.then the pump can be left inplace.

Jason

Well, folks, I have some news. I went to a second shop for a second opinion.

The second opinion is that my drive belt has NO CRACKS and no problems in it. Thus, the shop assumes that my timing belt is also very good. The mechanic told me to come back when my car has 50000 miles on it.

As for my oil-pan leak, the "leak" is really a small seep. The mechanic does not recommend any oil-pan repairs at this time.

So, what do I do about the original dealership? Do I call them and yell at them? Do I report them to the Better Business Bureau? I live in Chicago, and, years ago, the Illinois Attorney General sued this dealership for false advertising in relation to the delership's car sales. The case was settled. So, the dealership does have a history of shady behavior.

Anyway, thanks for the advice that all of you have given.

Regards,

Alex K.

Alex, One thing I would do for certain is report them to Toyota. I don't have any inside info on Toyota but it's my understanding they won't tolerate this type of behaviour. I doubt they would execute any type of action on one complaint but they would keep it on file for future reference or add it to existing complaints. HTH, davidj92