Road trip - timing belt look ok?
- Thread starter Kurtatron
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3MZ-FE is interference.
The OP said, in his second paragraph of his short post, that it's an interference engine.
JHZR2
Staff member
Ours was barely showing signs of dampness when I replaced it. Nothing was leaking, nothing was bad. I was surprised how good the old belt looked.
I’m glad we changed the tensioner though, because it was clear the time was coming…
This says change it to me
Here's my data point regarding Lexus timing belts. This belt was the original from my LS400. I took this photo in November 2021 (more for the timing mark location than the belt condition). The belt had 90,216 miles. Toyota recommends timing belt change every 72 months or 90k miles, whichever occurs first.
While it was at the mileage limit, 23 years = 276 months. 204 months delinquent.
The face of the belt looked like this. The toothed side looked fine. Would I do this again? Probably not.
Your belt will probably be OK for the trip. You're right at the mileage limit. How old is the belt (I'm assuming the present belt is original)?
Do you have the maintenance schedule for your RX?
The face of your belt looks OK; I would try to get a look at the toothed side.
While it was at the mileage limit, 23 years = 276 months. 204 months delinquent.
The face of the belt looked like this. The toothed side looked fine. Would I do this again? Probably not.
Your belt will probably be OK for the trip. You're right at the mileage limit. How old is the belt (I'm assuming the present belt is original)?
Do you have the maintenance schedule for your RX?
The face of your belt looks OK; I would try to get a look at the toothed side.
Belt is 9 years old. We decided to take my little Scion instead. Better gas mileage anyways. I plan on changing the belt next month in a coworker’s garage.
Generally speaking, timing belts these days don’t show wear, even near the point of failure.
Nick1994
$100 site donor 2024
My 2000 Camry's timing belt had a 90k service interval, and with no cracks it snapped at 95k miles. It wasn't the original belt. 2.2L engine.
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I bought a used car in 2016, 10 y.o. with 81k. It was the first car I ever had with a timing belt, and likely the only I will, because I will avoid vehicles that have them going forward. imho it's too expensive of a "regular maintenance" needed. In 2016 dealer got $1,800 for it, don't even want to know what the price is in 2024.
Anyway, Toyota said 9 yr. / 90k, job includes the water pump. I paid an indie $900 to do the job and asked for all parts to be returned. The belt looked brand new. There is speculation that it can go 2x the recommended interval, but nobody really knows. Many have pushed it beyond 120k-130k. People have even said it may not be the belt that fails, but an idler or tensioner.
Net net is I don't think one can simply "look" and say yes it's good, no it needs to be replaced. just my .02
p.s. just googled and I still can't find any documented cases where my car's timing belt broke and valves hit pistons, so likely again we informed folks worry about things that uninformed folks don't
Anyway, Toyota said 9 yr. / 90k, job includes the water pump. I paid an indie $900 to do the job and asked for all parts to be returned. The belt looked brand new. There is speculation that it can go 2x the recommended interval, but nobody really knows. Many have pushed it beyond 120k-130k. People have even said it may not be the belt that fails, but an idler or tensioner.
Net net is I don't think one can simply "look" and say yes it's good, no it needs to be replaced. just my .02
p.s. just googled and I still can't find any documented cases where my car's timing belt broke and valves hit pistons, so likely again we informed folks worry about things that uninformed folks don't
I do know someone whose timing belt broke at about the time it was due for changing.
I've since learned that miles and time are but two factors, and that the type of driving (short trips, frequent idling, and even the climate in which the car is driven, and the quality of the belt and aaccessories) plays a role as well. Sure, some belts in some situations can go longer than recommended, but in other scenarios the time may be shortened. If I had a timing belt car, I'd be ****ed sure to err on the side of caution.
You pay your money and make your choice. As always, YMMV ...