185k miles on a timing belt?

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Nick1994

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I just bought a 1997 Toyota Camry 2.2L with 185k miles. Previous owner had it for about 80k and never touched it, I changed it yesterday and I think it's the original timing belt. It was cracked all the way around really bad and was a bit more stretched than the new one. I changed the tensioner pulley and idler pulley which were labeled Japan on them so I'm thinking original as well. Also put on a thermostat and water pump. Do you think it's original?


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If the car has been in the dry part of AZ all of its life, it may not be the original. Dry rot on the belt wouldn't take too long, and being 16 years old, it may have been changed half way through and the original may have looked like that after 8 years too.

If the previous PO had it done at the dealer, the new parts may also have been stamped Japan, or they may have suggested that the non belt parts can go two intervals and they are original yet.
 
Highly likely original, but of course can't say for sure. I think you dodged a bullet from the looks of that belt. Is this an interference engine?
 
I think it's not an interference engine. I think my parent's never changed theirs and it broke somewhere around that point in a restaurant parking lot. They had it towed to a dealer and it was only something like 400 bucks for the timing belt replacement. I would guess it was around 2001 on a 1994 Camry I4, probably around 200,000 miles.
 
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It is probably original. I did the belt on our Acura MDX earlier this year. It had 92k miles, but 8 years, on the belt. The owner's manual says to change it at 105k/7 years, and our Acura had lived in the desert southwest for much of its life.

The belt came off looking like new. So did every other part I replaced (tensioner, pulleys, water pump). I found it very feasible that it could have gone double the time and miles.

The condition of yours with about double the time and miles correlates very well with what I saw with our Acura.
 
It lived in Colorado most of its life, last 2-3 years in AZ

Luckily it isn't an interference motor.
 
I put over 240K on a t-belt on the 2.0L Camry engine--similar age. So, it's not surprising. Not being an interference motor, there's wasn't a lot of motivation to change it!
 
I bet its original- some engines just aren't very hard on timing belts. I always changed the belt in or old Chrysler 3.5, but when I did it always looked practically brand new (every 90k miles). I bet it could have easily gone 200k.
 
It does look original. I would be terrified of driving an engine with a timing belt that old though, good god.

Edit: WOOOOOOT! 10,000th post! >:D
 
I once had to replace a timing belt on a Toyota Tercel that was older than this car, and the belt on that Tercel looked far better than the one on your Camry.

Replace that belt ASAP. Replace the water pump at the same time, and I suggest new pulleys and tensioners.

Yes, the parts could be OEM because they were made in Japan, but I have dealt with aftermarket Toyota parts that also came from Japan.

I learned what a timing belt was back in 1994. The one in mom's 1985 Maxima snapped, and did more damage to the engine than the car was worth. I had an emotional attachment to that car, and that is what makes me hate timing belts with a burning passion. If that car was boring, I guess I wouldn't have cared so much.
 
Originally Posted By: artificialist
I once had to replace a timing belt on a Toyota Tercel that was older than this car, and the belt on that Tercel looked far better than the one on your Camry.

Replace that belt ASAP. Replace the water pump at the same time, and I suggest new pulleys and tensioners.

Yes, the parts could be OEM because they were made in Japan, but I have dealt with aftermarket Toyota parts that also came from Japan.

I learned what a timing belt was back in 1994. The one in mom's 1985 Maxima snapped, and did more damage to the engine than the car was worth. I had an emotional attachment to that car, and that is what makes me hate timing belts with a burning passion. If that car was boring, I guess I wouldn't have cared so much.


You must hate them so much that you completely missed the fact that the op replaced the belt, as stated in the 3rd sentence of the first post.
 
I had my 3.4Ls timing belt changed at 113K still looked new. I've seen some changed a nearly 300K...all original. Still intact but lots of cracks.
 
my uncle has a 2004 tundra with the 4.7 bought new, with 330k on the original belt and waterpump. I keep telling him he needs to change it, but hed rather spend the money elsewhere. Hes not mechanically inclined whatsoever. (He bought a 90 hp Honda outboard new in 2000 and when me and my dad checked it out 6 years later it still had the original oil and original oil in the foot).
 
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