Expensive
 

Mantainence costs on Toyota vehicles are supposed to be low, because nothing goes wrong or breaks. Right?

I planned and calculated, plotted and studied before I bought 'Clyde the Ride' and got a very good deal, so I thought I was "in like Flint."

Oops. Seems that, every ninety thousand miles there is a mandatory mantainence, and it is costly. One Large. One C-Note, a grand, one thousand bucks. Hurts even us rich guys. All to replace the timing belt. The parts are half the cost.

I won't do it myself because I lack a crankshaft pulley-puller, torque wrench, motivation and inclination and because the time it would take me is what it would cost a professional to do the job correctly. And I don't give a warranty.

Last vehicle I buy that uses timing belts.

Why do any vehicles use timing belts? What is the advantage of a timing belt over a timing chain, besides (I assume) initial cost?

i've often wondered this as well. the only reason(that's not reasonABLE imo) that i can think of, is the noise issue. a timing belt driven motor is said to run quieter. :confused:

hehehehe

my cavalier has a timing chain and I don't think it is that loud. I have heard that it makes quite a racket right before it snaps (other cavalier owners) which I would think would be an advantage. 195k and still the original chain.

I think it is probably cheaper for manufacturers to use a timing belt- timing belt covers are plastic (cheap to make and fit doesn't have to be perfect), while a timing chain requires a metal (tin or cast) cover that must fit well enough to keep the engine oil from leaking out.

Also timing belts give the dealer a way to make more $ for routine service.

And they ensure that they can sell more cars -who knows haw many old cars we'd still have on the road if ppl would stop neglecting their timing belts til they break and wreck the valves (on interference engines)

Check to see if it is an interference engine (most Toyotas are not) and drive it until the belt breaks if it won't wreck the engine.

Get a decent aftermarket shop to replace the belt, and while you are in there replace the crank and cam seals as well as the tensioner.

regards
Gary

Design details make a difference but as a general rule;

Belts:
No lubrication needed
Quieter
Self dampening so no weird harmonic resonances
Lighter than chains - usually.

BUT:
Need more space (wider)
Don't take temp extremes well
Need a cleaner environment
Still need tensioner
Can take a "set" if held in one position for a long time.

Cheers , Pete.

I thought the expression was "In like Flynn"...named after Errol Flynn who "never let a chance go by" as the old saying runs.

Pete.

Just about every engine nowadays is an interference engine AFAIK.

Besides being quieter, timing belts help the knock sensor to be more sensitive (don't get me going on that one again).

In the old days, Buick used to use nylon-covered timing gears. However the nylon would eventually fall apart, causing all kinds of fun (such as plugging up the oil pickup and skipping a tooth, ask me how I know). Replacement units are steel.

-BC

Rusty ran his original timing chain for 190,000 miles, dad & I replaced it ourselves for a couple of afternoons time, and about $100 in parts. The Beast has a timing chain, and it runs extremely quiet. Most 4 banger Toyotas are noisier at idle than The Beast, despite having an engine less than half the size.

Hmm...my truck's at 190,000 miles, should I consider replacing the chain? :(

Learn how to work on and maintain your own car. Profit.

Rusty's chain & gear were so worn down that there was slack in the chain, it was running like crap, and would barely go over 30 MPH. You're obviously not to that point.

Yeah, Rusty's original timing gear was nylon (I think so, the teeth were plastic), and the teeth were worn down, and there was slack in the chain. We suspect it jumped a tooth on the chain to cause it to suddenly run really bad. I replaced the worn gear with a new steel one.

Don't know just why ANY engine should be an interference engine. Many older engines had depressions in the pistons for the valves.

Those nylon timing sprockets were fun...not. One time, after a fight with the old lady, I gunned the engine in my '85 Continental. Ford 302 engine. Engine went WAAAHHHHH.....stop. Hit the starter...no compression. Twigged right away to what happened...nylon timing sprocket self-destructed. Fortunately, it was a relatively (compared to Shatto's truck) cheap repair.

BTW, a C-note is a hundred. (C is Roman Numeral for 100). But, wow...a kilobuck!

yea if its not making noise and truck still runs fine i wouldnt mess with it. the s10's anyways once you replace them the replacement tentioners suck ***...

My Dakota went 623,000 miles on one timing chain.

I would never even think of replacing a chain unless the diagnosis of finding out why the 'check engine' light was on or not passing smog, led to the valves being out of sync, which was caused by a stretched chain.

The computer in modern engines will adjust for a multitude of minor mis-adjustments.....ergo, leave the darn thing alone until something goes wrong.

Oh good. I really didn't want to have to replace my timing chain!

Wouldn't sharp edges around a depression encourage preignition? Also, the piston would have to be heavier or weaker.

Yeah, when I had The Beast in the dealer for the 150,000 mile service I had initially told them to just go ahead and replace the timing chain, and the service writer wanted to know why I wanted that done. He told me that if I wasn't having problems, leave it alone.

I lost the engine in my AMC (Renault) GTA at 105,000 when the timing belt broke on its interference engine.

My two current cars have timing chains, for that reason.

The idea being one space in the engine block and head can be shared so the block and head can be more compact = less weight = better MPG.

Timing belts falling apart don't get factored into the equation !

Pete.

I've only replaced two timing chains...one in the aforementioned Ford, and one on a '65 Plymouth I rebuilt...since I was that far into the engine anyway, I figured it would be a good idea.