1KZ-TE maintenance in the U.S. - Need timing belt changed. (1 Viewer)

[thomasedwa]

Hello fellow 90 series owners!

I took delivery of my KZJ95 a little less than 2 months ago. I have been slowly taking care of baselining. Spending most of my time changing ball joints, suspension, and taking care of surface rust. However, the biggest issue that still needs to be addressed is the timing belt. The car currently has 140k KMs on its current timing belt, over 40k KMs over its suggested lifespan. I am based in Chattanooga, Tennessee and have called 8 local shops, each of them refusing to perform engine maintenance on an imported diesel engine. I am wary of trying to change such a critical component on my own. Does anyone have a mechanic they would recommend in southeast TN or in northern AL or GA? Is anyone else struggling with finding a mechanic to work on Toyota diesels stateside? I can't be the only one. The car still drives flawlessly, with no t-belt light but I don't want to be stuck with 2 ton paperweight once something does go wrong.

 

[toddm]

Its been a long time since I did mine, but I remember it being fairly easy as timing belts go. Have a look at the engine manual and see if its something you could do yourself. You definitely don't want it to break! You might also get more responses in the diesel section of the forum.

 

[buggyboy7]

Hello thomasedwa

The timing belt, water pump, idler and fan/alternator belts should be all done together asap if you have 140K on it and hasn't been done previously.
The job is not that hard as toddm mentioned. Best to get the OEM 1KZ-TE manual which can be found online for the procedure.
My recommendation is to remove the radiator. It can be done without but especially your first time it really helps with access and also eliminates the chance of damaging the rad it self. This also gives you an opportunity to flush the rad and replace the Toyo red stuff if needed.
Hope this is helpful, good luck!
Cheers K.

 

[apexwerks]

@thomasedwa I'm not exactly close to you, but I'm planning on knocking out the timing belt, water pump etc in June. If you want to make the drive to Raleigh, I'd be glad to lend a hand and we can do them both.

 

[thomasedwa]

@thomasedwa I'm not exactly close to you, but I'm planning on knocking out the timing belt, water pump etc in June. If you want to make the drive to Raleigh, I'd be glad to lend a hand and we can do them both.

I wish I was closer! Chattanooga to Raleigh is almost 7 hours away. I would totally jump on that offer if I wasn't so busy with work and summer classes. Please let me know how it goes!

 

[Bama4door]

I wish I was closer! Chattanooga to Raleigh is almost 7 hours away. I would totally jump on that offer if I wasn't so busy with work and summer classes. Please let me know how it goes!

Just sent you a PM!