Should this timing belt be replaced?

[Drew99GT]

Originally Posted By: wafrederick1
With the Japanese,the valves bend if the timing belt breaks.An used engine goes for at least $1,500.00 if you can find one.I know a wrecking that gets calls for the Corrolla engines and wished he had a lot of of them.The Corolla engines are not good engines


Sir, you're spreading more misinformation here then a White House press secretary.

The 4AFE and 7AFE engines are non interference.

And they're not good engines? Are you high? The 4AFE and 7AFE Toyota engines have such a proven track record of reliability, I'd consider them in the top 5 engines for long term reliability ever built. They are TANKS, provided they are maintained. And even when they get lackluster maintenance, they still go for hundreds of thousand of miles.

 

[Drew99GT]

Originally Posted By: paulo57509
This engine has had a few belt replacements in its life.

Tensioner was replaced with the belt.

No damage to the engine. Tensioner and belt failed at freeway speeds.

This particular 1.6L engine is a non-interference engine. Replaced the tensioner and belt. Good to go.

Our resident "mechanic" wafrederick1 should know these things, but I digress.

Check in when your bros Corolla hits 500K.

 

[wafrederick1]

Economy Auto Parts in Muskegon,Mi does get calls for the engines and Jimmy the owner is teling the truth.Plus the Japanese use the worst steel,rust buckets and I see it go down the road.

 

[d00df00d]

...because rust on the body has everything to do with what's in the engine. Good call.

 

[Tosh]

Originally Posted By: wafrederick1
Plus the Japanese use the worst steel,rust buckets and I see it go down the road.

SHOO, Troll!

 

[VW_TDI_PD]

Well, he is wrong. Many people dont change the oil often or at all in cheap older beaters. Im sure thats why one would get calls. Every toyota mechanic I have ever spoken to said these engines are bulletproof and good for 500k. In fact this engine was recommended to me over a newer 98-02 corolla. I looked at many with 200-300k running real good.

 

[javacontour]

Originally Posted By: wafrederick1
Economy Auto Parts in Muskegon,Mi does get calls for the engines and Jimmy the owner is teling the truth.Plus the Japanese use the worst steel,rust buckets and I see it go down the road.


So what you are trying to tell us is that Jimmy the owner of an auto parts store knows more about the design of this engine than say, oh Toyota.

Uhhh, OK. Remind me not to buy any parts from this idiot named Jimmy any time soon.

 

[Geo_Prizm]

Originally Posted By: wafrederick1
With the Japanese,the valves bend if the timing belt breaks.An used engine goes for at least $1,500.00 if you can find one.I know a wrecking that gets calls for the Corrolla engines and wished he had a lot of of them.The Corolla engines are not good engines


To correct a wrong information - in case people believe it and make bad decisions in the future based on this wrong information- 93-97 Corolla engines which equip Prizms of 93-97 also, are non-interference engines and NOTHING happens when the timing belt is damaged,torn,evaporated.It only strands you, engine stays intact, free from any damage.

So the Japanese engineering thinks of the customers' benefit.Thanks.

 

[javacontour]

Originally Posted By: Smoky14
Seafoam...fixes everything.


No, that's a job for MMO

 

[moklock]

The 4A-FE and 7A-FE motors were very good, save for the exhaust manifolds.

I've never been a huge Toyota fan but do really like those engines, especally when bolted into a '93-'97 Prizm body.

The 1ZZ-FE motor that came in the '98 body style may be the one they are getting calls for. They are a decent motor but have developed a rep. for oil consumpion in the early years.

They probably die the same death as several Saturn S-series I saw when working at a Saturn retailer, people just plain running out of oil from not ever checking it.

 

[semaj281]

Originally Posted By: wafrederick1
With the Japanese,the valves bend if the timing belt breaks.An used engine goes for at least $1,500.00 if you can find one.I know a wrecking that gets calls for the Corrolla engines and wished he had a lot of of them.The Corolla engines are not good engines

Not necessarily. According to my friend anyway, who has a first-gen Mazda Miata with the 1.8L, has a "non interference" engine. This means if/when the belt breaks, the engine shuts down, which saves your valves and pistons.

edit: I just read through the whole thread and saw there were 2 other posts mentioning the same thing. I didn't mean to drill this down your throat.

 

[Geo_Prizm]

The early versions of 98- Corolla/Prizm engines had this oil consumption problem but I heard they rectified it later.

My '94 Prizm has a 7a-fe engine. I notice that sometimes 1998-1999 Corollas and Prizms are priced lower than some 93-97 Prizms/Corollas.Oil consumption makes you hate the car...

 

[ekpolk]

Originally Posted By: wafrederick1
With the Japanese,the valves bend if the timing belt breaks.An used engine goes for at least $1,500.00 if you can find one.I know a wrecking that gets calls for the Corrolla engines and wished he had a lot of of them.The Corolla engines are not good engines


That is not correct. National origin is not a factor in this, whether it's an interference or a non-interference design is what matters. Non-interference, no problem; interference design, and you're toast. And that's applicable wherever the engine comes from. BTW, some families of engines include both. The Toyota 1MZ 3.0L V-6 is non-interference, and its sibling, the larger 3.3L 3MZ engine is interference. Go figure.

 

[rslifkin]

A friend of mine had a timing belt (12k on the belt, original tensioner, 91k on engine) do that on a 99 Escort ZX2 2.0 a few weeks ago when the tensioner pulley cracked and later came apart, ripping the belt to shreds. Fortunately for him, being non-interference, the engine lived.

 

[The_Eric]

let this serve as a lesson... ALWAYS replace the tensioner and/or the idler when doing a belt. PERIOD.

edit: looks like in my semi drunken stuper, my reading comprehension failed me... My bad.

At any rate, for those who don't already know, it is a good idea to replace the tensioner/idler when doing doing a belt

 

[PandaBear]

4AFE is non interference (I had one) and remember to just change out the tensioner instead of "inspect and replace if necessary".

A Gate tensioner is only $30 people, not much saving here when the belt job is $200 in labor. If you want to save money, just use domestic parts like AC Delco or Gate instead of OEM, domestic don't have belt and tensioner quality issues and they last long enough.

 

[Geo_Prizm]

Domestic? OEM tensioners are made in Japan. 'Domestics' are made in Taiwan and/or China. I prefer Japanese-made parts to all others including domestics.