TB/WP : 6 year life span?

[bamachem]

I have a '00 Cruiser - wife's mall-crawler. It's currently at 75k miles and has been babied all it's life - no problems what-so-ever.

The TB/WP (90k service) obviously has NOT been done - YET. It's under on mileage, but over on time (over 6 years).

I popped the hood the other day to check the oil and noticed that the serpentine belt has some hairline cracks forming.

I called my local independent shop, and he said I could just have the serpentine changed for now and that he would be comfortable with waiting until 90-100k on the timing belt and the rest of the 90k service.

I've searched, and read on here that even at 90K on some of the older UZJ's, the timing belts still "looked" good.

I'm torn... spend $900+ now to do the service w/ OEM parts, or just replace the serpentine and let it ride another 12-15 months?

You're the experts - what do you say???

[FYI: I let my '99 4runner (non-interference 5VZ-FE) go 8 years and 158k miles before swapping the timing belt on it. The belt had some initial cracking and aging, and was overdue at that point. However, on a NON-interference engine, it didn't worry me like this one does.]

 

[cruiser4life]

I'm no expert but if you have the funds available now why not just do it now with the serpentine belt - esp. since you'll be doing it in 15K miles anyway?

Why take the gamble?

 

[bamachem]

yeah, i know what you mean.

however, the wife is also pregnant, and we all know how expensive a baby can be. diapers, formula, daycare, etc!

on the other hand, i also want the cruiser in top-shape...

i'm leaning towards changing it, but i don't want to have to spend the dough (right now) unless i have to.

 

[SWUtah]

If you are going to keep it for a long time then change it now, for peace of mind. If you might trade it within the next 15K miles then don't change it. I'm only saying this since you live in Tenn. and the climate is mild. I had a 99 with 58K miles that I changed last year. Under miles over years. The serpintene belt was cracking. When it was changed the timing belt was cracked and fraided and the water pump was weeping. I had all of the belts and hoses changed, along with a new water pump and timing belt. It never would of made it to 90K miles without breaking. BUT, it as a AZ vehicle and spent its entire life in the southern part of AZ, so it was rust free but it was beat up by the heat. Hope this helps you out on making your decision

 

[justimaginejack]

find out if they will let you bring in the parts. Then order them from cruiser dan.
I have found a local"foriegn only" mechanic who is extremely well respected in the automotive field, he only uses oem parts, and i have talked him into letting me bring in my own. I save a fortune, you may be able to shave as much as 300.00 or more off your parts/fluids. He doesn't really like it but I told him, I can do the work and i only use him when I don't have time to do it myself, so he looks at it as keeping his hourly workers busy. Belt are really inexpensive and I have done several over the years. They are not always easy to do, but they are very simple if you plan on doing alot of work. Also, if you are going to a local guy, you should be asking for a discount, in ascending scale to the amount of work you are giving him. Through in some of the 120 service stuff. Sparkplugs transfer case etc, I am sure you are over the time on that as well. While it may look expensive in the short run , I assure you your vehicle will be like new when you change all the fluids, belts and hoses. They way I looked at it is if she is driving it, and their is precious cargo in it, her, your baby, maybe other family or friends, you really don't want them to be sitting on the side of the road for something you couldn't see but thought was ok. By the time you pay for the tow and the stress, $1,000.00 would seem cheap.

Best way to go, get a list of all the services that need to be done, fluids, hoses, belts etc, from your owners manual. Ask the Dealer what additional services have been added since the old manual was written.Toyota is always improving learning. Then find out what parts/fuilds are needed and thier corrosponding prices. Next you will want to find the Factory service manual guide on here. Download the whole thing for 10.00 and save another 160.00 by not buying the book. Get the hours for each project and know that an experianced tech with the right tools can shave quite a bit of time off that, while an inexperianced tech doing on the first try might do it in double the time. Since time equals money you want someone who has worked on the 2UZ-FE engine which is in the Sequoia, and V-8 4runner/GX470 as well as the LC/LX.
Once you know this stuff, you will be able to price the true cost to maintain the vehicle and when they tell you it takes 5 hours instead of 3.5 you can say thats odd, the FSM(factory service manual) say it only takes 3.5 hours. Where did you come up with the difference.

Also, from what I have read here, 65.00 per hour is the lowest I have heard anyone get decent tech rates for. I have two guys I use, one drives a sequoia (75 per hour)and the other a 40th anniversary LC 80(90.00 per hour), and they owns several other toyotas. The dealers charge 120 for toyota and 125 for lexus. So in this case time is your money out the door and thier experiance is extremely important. I don't care how much you trust a mechanic, I would not want to be the guinea pig for his learning curve. I have been on the other end of that to many times. That is when you get screwed becase routine maintinance becomes, oh it'll be another day, we need more parts....

I wish you the absolute best of luck and congratulations on having a new child. May he/she grow up to be stong, attractive and intelligent enough to buy a LC, just like thier parents

 

[BMWSTOY]

If the money is tight now, I say you can wait IMHO. I had 120K on my 2000 and it was no where close to breaking or even shredding. The serp belt is an easy job compared to the timing belt so do that right away - keep the cracking one as a spare if you ever leave the beaten path.
If you are still concerned: remove the right cover (passenger side) and look at it - you can at least see if it is in bad shape or not.
The only reason I started mine (note-not finished due to issues) is I was changing the water pump, belt and flushing the system anyway as well as my cracking Serp belt.
Do it at 100K along with a plethora of other items - start a savings fund now.

 

[KathmanduCruiser]

If the money is tight now, I say you can wait IMHO. I had 120K on my 2000 and it was no where close to breaking or even shredding. The serp belt is an easy job compared to the timing belt so do that right away - keep the cracking one as a spare if you ever leave the beaten path.
If you are still concerned: remove the right cover (passenger side) and look at it - you can at least see if it is in bad shape or not.
The only reason I started mine (note-not finished due to issues) is I was changing the water pump, belt and flushing the system anyway as well as my cracking Serp belt.
Do it at 100K along with a plethora of other items - start a savings fund now.

My local toyota dealer recommends doing the timing belt at 105K. However, they have proven to be less than reliable in some suggestions and quotes before.

Personally, I am doing my TB/WP at 100K. Mine is around 97K right now.

 

[Jim_Chow]

yeah, i know what you mean.

however, the wife is also pregnant, and we all know how expensive a baby can be. diapers, formula, daycare, etc!

on the other hand, i also want the cruiser in top-shape...

i'm leaning towards changing it, but i don't want to have to spend the dough (right now) unless i have to.

Even more reason to do the service before the baby comes, 'cause after it comes, you (1) won't have the time and (2) it's harder to justify spending the $$$. If the cracks in the serp belt are 90 deg to the direction of the groove, you're still okay, according to the FSM. If you see chunks of rubber missing, replace it promptly. My serp belt was changed at 49K and has those cracks only 1 year later, as serp belts only last ~45K here in AZ. I know they last 45-50K here, so I plan to change at 90K.

 

[bamachem]

wow...

thanks for the very informative responses.

the guy that i use is a retired (26 year veteran) master certified technician that put in 16 years at the toyota dealer and the remaining 10 at the lexus dealer (same owner/company). he and his partner have over 50 years of combined toyota technician experience. they own a small car lot, buy toyotas and lexus', refurb them to 100% and then sell them on the lot. they do service work on the side to stay busy and to pay the bills. the auto sales are pretty much 100% profits since they make a little on the side with the services. they're very trustworthy and know their stuff.

they let me bring in my own OEM parts for the 4runner and don't mind it a bit. they even asked where i buy my parts from and asked for the contact info so they could check on some prices themselves. for the runner, they charged $200 for the labor for timing belt, water pump, tensioner, accessory belts, coolant drain/refill, thermostat, and checking the U-joints for some play (vibration issue). they want $400 for the labor on the cruiser for the TB/WP and will charge a little extra for the seals and tensioner/idler. they said maybe $500 total, including thermostat and coolant drain/refill.

i trust these guys. i talked to him yesterday about the situation, and he said that if it was his, he'd do the serpentine for now, and then do the rest at about 90-100k. i told him of my concerns and he said that if i did do it, then i should do the seals, tensioner, idler, etc - which i already knew - and made me feel better that he was watching out for me and not necessarily in it for the money. the reason i think that is because i bring my own parts - he doesn't make a dime - and he wouldn't charge me for the belts, etc since they would already be coming off to get to the other stuff.

i forgot about the TB cover on the front that can be removed for inspection. on my runner, it's a lot harder to get to for a look-see. i'll check the TB tomorrow afternoon when it's light out. oh, and the cracks in the serpentine belt are definitely perpendicular to the path of the belt. i guess it is good to know that it's not going to snap any minute with those there.

 

[calamaridog]

the guy that i use is a retired (26 year veteran) master certified technician that put in 16 years at the toyota dealer and the remaining 10 at the lexus dealer (same owner/company). he and his partner have over 50 years of combined toyota technician experience. they own a small car lot, buy toyotas and lexus', refurb them to 100% and then sell them on the lot. they do service work on the side to stay busy and to pay the bills. the auto sales are pretty much 100% profits since they make a little on the side with the services. they're very trustworthy and know their stuff.

Andy, if you don't mind adding there information to this thread if it is not already there:

https://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?t=42646

Also, I would do whatever YOU are comfortable with. If it was mine, I'd replace the serp belt now and hold off on the timing belt/90k stuff.

 

[bamachem]

awesome thread! i'll add it tomorrow. the card is in my wallet right now.

 

[ppressle]

Who is driving the car? I would tend towards conservative if my wife and new baby were using the car.

Sounds like you have a good wrench and CDan can set you up with the parts at a great price.

I suspect that the serpentine replacement is trivial. Just pop a new one in. The question is when to do the timing belt/water pump.

One less thing to worry about.

 

[DoctorJay]

wow...

thanks for the very informative responses.

the guy that i use is a retired (26 year veteran) master certified technician that put in 16 years at the toyota dealer and the remaining 10 at the lexus dealer (same owner/company). he and his partner have over 50 years of combined toyota technician experience. they own a small car lot, buy toyotas and lexus', refurb them to 100% and then sell them on the lot. they do service work on the side to stay busy and to pay the bills. the auto sales are pretty much 100% profits since they make a little on the side with the services. they're very trustworthy and know their stuff.

they let me bring in my own OEM parts for the 4runner and don't mind it a bit. they even asked where i buy my parts from and asked for the contact info so they could check on some prices themselves. for the runner, they charged $200 for the labor for timing belt, water pump, tensioner, accessory belts, coolant drain/refill, thermostat, and checking the U-joints for some play (vibration issue). they want $400 for the labor on the cruiser for the TB/WP and will charge a little extra for the seals and tensioner/idler. they said maybe $500 total, including thermostat and coolant drain/refill.

i trust these guys. i talked to him yesterday about the situation, and he said that if it was his, he'd do the serpentine for now, and then do the rest at about 90-100k. i told him of my concerns and he said that if i did do it, then i should do the seals, tensioner, idler, etc - which i already knew - and made me feel better that he was watching out for me and not necessarily in it for the money. the reason i think that is because i bring my own parts - he doesn't make a dime - and he wouldn't charge me for the belts, etc since they would already be coming off to get to the other stuff.

i forgot about the TB cover on the front that can be removed for inspection. on my runner, it's a lot harder to get to for a look-see. i'll check the TB tomorrow afternoon when it's light out. oh, and the cracks in the serpentine belt are definitely perpendicular to the path of the belt. i guess it is good to know that it's not going to snap any minute with those there.

This sounds like a good deal. If you get everything from Cruiserdan, it'll run a bit over $400 for parts (including belts, wp, oem plugs, pcv valve, fuel filter, pulleys, etc). If you skip the plugs and pulley assemblies, you'll save quite a bit. Those are "non-catastrophic" items if they break (although still a pain in the ass).