Anyone panicked by being a bit overdue for a TB change should not see this as a reason not to do it, but I finally changed my original TB after 230K miles of reliable service. I'd been keeping an eye on the belt every six months or so. It looked good, but I was shamed into changing it by a good friend who said something about driving a time bomb.
So, what was hiding under the covers of a 230K mile engine being opened for the first time?
Drive Belt components
The drive belt itself was fairly crusty, but not frayed or otherwise damaged.
The drive belt idler pulleys both had well worn bearings. I had new pulleys ready to go, but a quick look at them showed that both pulleys use extremely common bearings that are readily available and cheap.
The Tensioner pulley uses 6203 bearings. A good quality 6203 runs around $4.00
The Idler pulley uses a 6020-15DUL [shielded 6020[ which run around $5.00.
I replaced both bearings in the original pulleys, which is very straightforward to do. Any decent shop will do both for maybe $20, and that's against more than $120 for the two new pulleys.
Timing Belt Condition
I'm not suggesting anyone leave their original timing belt unchanged for 200,000 + miles!!! That said, the belt was in pretty good condition.
There was slight but uniform surface cracking the full length of the belt. The cracks were superficial, with no exposure of the belt fibers at any point.
The edges of the belt were square and clean, with no sign of excessive wear or damage.
Water Pump and Cam & Crank oil seal condition
Even more surprising was that there was no evidence of seepage from the water pump, and both camshafts and the crankshaft seals were perfectly dry.
I replace the water pump with new OEM, but decided not to disturb the cam and crank seals.
The TB tensioner was looked rough, with considerable rusting of the case. It passed the FSM test and was still holding tension within spec, but I replaced it regardless. Note that the tensioner has been updated, so don't be surprised to find that your new replacement is much shorter than the original.
For anyone contemplating a drive belt/timing belt/water pump refresh as a DIY, its fairly straightforward. There are a few good writeups in the FAQ along with a terrific library of pics by Pete Pressley, and the FSM has good coverage of each major stage. There is plenty of room to work with the radiator out, and no rocket science required at any point in this job. I suspect it could be done on jack stands. I was using a lift, but the only time I had the truck higher then just wheels off the floor was when cleaning the face of engine before starting the install the new parts. I was able to squeeze my 6'4" 200# frame into the gap and hand clean the front of the engine fairly comfortably.
Maybe the most remarkable thing was that every fastener came out easily, and with no sign of corrosion. I've worked on many European engines where a job like this would involve several broken bolts, at least. An impact gun helps when removing the PS drive pulley and crank bolt, but its not essential.
The engine is now running as smooth as silk and super quiet. Ready for the next 100K miles or so. f7Tts
So, what was hiding under the covers of a 230K mile engine being opened for the first time?
Drive Belt components
The drive belt itself was fairly crusty, but not frayed or otherwise damaged.
The drive belt idler pulleys both had well worn bearings. I had new pulleys ready to go, but a quick look at them showed that both pulleys use extremely common bearings that are readily available and cheap.
The Tensioner pulley uses 6203 bearings. A good quality 6203 runs around $4.00
The Idler pulley uses a 6020-15DUL [shielded 6020[ which run around $5.00.
I replaced both bearings in the original pulleys, which is very straightforward to do. Any decent shop will do both for maybe $20, and that's against more than $120 for the two new pulleys.
Timing Belt Condition
I'm not suggesting anyone leave their original timing belt unchanged for 200,000 + miles!!! That said, the belt was in pretty good condition.
There was slight but uniform surface cracking the full length of the belt. The cracks were superficial, with no exposure of the belt fibers at any point.
The edges of the belt were square and clean, with no sign of excessive wear or damage.
Water Pump and Cam & Crank oil seal condition
Even more surprising was that there was no evidence of seepage from the water pump, and both camshafts and the crankshaft seals were perfectly dry.
I replace the water pump with new OEM, but decided not to disturb the cam and crank seals.
The TB tensioner was looked rough, with considerable rusting of the case. It passed the FSM test and was still holding tension within spec, but I replaced it regardless. Note that the tensioner has been updated, so don't be surprised to find that your new replacement is much shorter than the original.
For anyone contemplating a drive belt/timing belt/water pump refresh as a DIY, its fairly straightforward. There are a few good writeups in the FAQ along with a terrific library of pics by Pete Pressley, and the FSM has good coverage of each major stage. There is plenty of room to work with the radiator out, and no rocket science required at any point in this job. I suspect it could be done on jack stands. I was using a lift, but the only time I had the truck higher then just wheels off the floor was when cleaning the face of engine before starting the install the new parts. I was able to squeeze my 6'4" 200# frame into the gap and hand clean the front of the engine fairly comfortably.
Maybe the most remarkable thing was that every fastener came out easily, and with no sign of corrosion. I've worked on many European engines where a job like this would involve several broken bolts, at least. An impact gun helps when removing the PS drive pulley and crank bolt, but its not essential.
The engine is now running as smooth as silk and super quiet. Ready for the next 100K miles or so. f7Tts
Last edited:
