The wife's 03 with 136k on the clock is finally getting some attention for a change as I favor my 99. We've had the 03 for almost 3 years, and when purchased dealer stated he believed timing belt was changed, but there was no sticker. I got a good deal, so purchased with this knowledge.
Today, I removed the passenger side dust cover-( remove the serp belt prior to the dust cover as it allows much more room to maneuver) and inspected. Belt ribs and smooth side showed no visible wear, no deformation whatsoever. I then proceeded to crank engine (replaced serp belt first) to look for belt markings. Good news, the belt was stamped NAPA, so indeed this was replaced. As for water pump, not so sure.
This was a 30-45 minute job, and you can do MAF and throttle body cleaning while you have it opened up- so for those who purchased used and have an unknown age on the belt, definitely worth a look. Of course this only applies if the belt is non-OEM and you can find the stamp.
Can someone comment as to what the OEM stamp looks like for confirmation? Assuming it has a Toyota stamp?
Today, I removed the passenger side dust cover-( remove the serp belt prior to the dust cover as it allows much more room to maneuver) and inspected. Belt ribs and smooth side showed no visible wear, no deformation whatsoever. I then proceeded to crank engine (replaced serp belt first) to look for belt markings. Good news, the belt was stamped NAPA, so indeed this was replaced. As for water pump, not so sure.
This was a 30-45 minute job, and you can do MAF and throttle body cleaning while you have it opened up- so for those who purchased used and have an unknown age on the belt, definitely worth a look. Of course this only applies if the belt is non-OEM and you can find the stamp.
Can someone comment as to what the OEM stamp looks like for confirmation? Assuming it has a Toyota stamp?
