mcgaskins
SILVER Star
I know these aren't the best pictures, but the timing belt looked to be in great shape especially considering it's never been changed (that I can find any documentation for at least) in 16 years and 129k miles.
Timing Belt Based on Years (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Codybear
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I am constantly going back and forth, if I should get my TM and Water Pump replaced in my 2003 LX with 66k miles. Talked to few people and mechanics and all keep saying wait until I have 90K miles.
I want to do it myself to keep the cost down. Thing that prevent me from doing is, living at an apartment complex here in Houston and not having the tools with me. Next June, I will be moving to Austin and hopefully I will be able to replace it year from now.
Your price is fair because when I talked to my friendly Lexus mechanic, he want $800 for labor!
I want to do it myself to keep the cost down. Thing that prevent me from doing is, living at an apartment complex here in Houston and not having the tools with me. Next June, I will be moving to Austin and hopefully I will be able to replace it year from now.
Your price is fair because when I talked to my friendly Lexus mechanic, he want $800 for labor!
- Thread starter
- #23
Yes and no on the SB, which was thrown in for free. It shouldn't have as I brought my own from pep boys, which I had bought at least a month ago and was going to do myself before even considering the TB. Anyway when it didn't fit, they lowered the labor by $85 and then charged the same for the belt. I also did get a free chassis lub and 10% off the entire job from their website coupon and I did have a tranny flush so my total out the door was $1500. The service manager directed me towards the coupon when I asked if there's any coupons available.
Well, now that I'm been through it and seen my 14 yr belt at 71k that was definitely cleaner than mcgaskins' TB, I'd wait till 90k. But since you have to live with the consequences, you're the one that has to make that decision.
If you exclude the free SB and 10% discount, my labor would have been $1033 for the TB, WP and stat.
My timing is horrible. If I had waited one more week, I would have known to wait the few extra years till I reached 90k. Yours is certainly dirtier than mine, but you also had almost 60k more miles. It just shows that miles is probably a bigger detriment than time.
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mcgaskins
SILVER Star
I personally feel like mine was nowhere near blowing up, but I figured after 16 years it's good to replace it for peace of mind if nothing else. I'm going to Moab next and didn't want to have that in the back of my mind. FWIW I got the timing belt, water pump, serp/drive belt and a brake fluid flush for $1,050 out the door with tax and all from Mountain States Toyota in Denver yesterday.
- Thread starter
- #25
If it wasn't for the fact that I'm going to be hauling a heavy trailer from Florida, I wouldn't have even given it a consideration. It's one thing to blow an engine on the highway, it's another when you are hauling a 27.5' sailboat. Without knowing what to expect with a timing belt, I just didn't want to have to deal with the logistics of trying to get the car and boat hauled off the highway, as well as being a long way from home dealing with a trashed engine. I expect I was way more paranoid than I should have been, but I had nothing else to base my decision on.
Yes, your cost is much better as probably the cost of everything else in Denver. Here the schools are costing us a small fortune and really drive up the property taxes for homes and businesses alike. Good old Illinois, where corruption and inefficiency runs rampant.
Yes, your cost is much better as probably the cost of everything else in Denver. Here the schools are costing us a small fortune and really drive up the property taxes for homes and businesses alike. Good old Illinois, where corruption and inefficiency runs rampant.
hoser
SILVER Star
My understanding is most timing belt failures are caused by another failed component in the system.... tensioner, idler pulley (bearing seizing or coming loose causing belt misalignment), seized water pump and etc. There have not been too many reported t-belt failures here on mud. I do remember jgray's broken t-belt though and it was due to a failed tensioner.
APKhaos
Unfixing the unfixable
I'm a confessed TB cycle stretcher, having done my first replacement at 230k miles, but there's more to this. There's nothing more valuable than the peace of mind that comes from knowing its been done and its good to go. @Codybear is exactly right. Setting out on a long trip with a heavy boat in tow is enough to handle without adding the constant uncertainty of a failure. All the empirical evidence for 'it should be fine' isn't worth a damn in this case. Knowing its done right is. The fact that it could have been put off till later is a small price to pay for that.
mcgaskins
SILVER Star
I leave for Moab on Wednesday with a dirt bike in tow, so that's why I bit the bullet and got it done
