Ok, well Im about to hit 50K on my 01 Taco, V6 Dub cab 4wd. I guess its time to start thinking about replacing the timing belt. Larry Miller Toyota is my dealer and with a coupon they charge about 249.99 on the 6 Cyls. Is this too high? Also, I have heard about the replacement times running from 60k to 90k to 100k. Should I go get it done early? Or can I wait. I know the timing system is rather important...

 

id do it around 90k. if the timing belt breaks...no biggy the motor wont die. ALso, is that price going to include water pump and from seals? I paid around 550 not from a dealership, but from a reputable shop. They replaced my belt, front seals, water pump and flushed my coolant system out

 

I agree with localmotion. I would wait till 75-90k miles, isnt that what the owners manual says? I cant remember. I would also do the water pump at the same time.

 

I think 90k is factory reccomendation.

 

Thanks for the info guys.

 

when i was in the repair industry we recommended timing belts at 80k, and htat was a standard number between all manufacturers with timing belts

 

Do it at 90k. Expect with the water pump, some hoses, coolant etc to be in the 550-650 range.

EDIT - i said 90k because that's the factory recommendation (think 97 or 98 was the last year at 60k). You should verify.

 

is there a way of telling either the water pump or timing belt is about to go?

 

Yes, but it's not practicle.

Factory spec is 90,000 miles + change the water pump.
In the past it was 60,000 miles, change the pump every other belt.

 

I don't know if there is a way to tell if it's about to go, just know that your engine won't work once they're non functional. My very limited understanding is that unless you remove the cover and inspect the belt regularly, you cannot tell that it's bad. The thing is removing the cover is supposedly not the easiest thing. Again, this is from conversations with people that know what they're doing b/c I wouldn't have a clue.

The good thing is that even if the belt breaks, no biggie, just get it fixed. When I owned a Honda (4 cylinder) and if that belt ever broke, the motor was pretty much done.

 

at 85K I saw/changed my belt it looked great, not even a BIT of fraying... honestly I would wait at least 90k. But make sur eyou do all the other stuff like transmission fluids coolant diffs etc.

 

This is correct (98 was the switch from 60k to 90k I believe).

There is really no reason to change the belt before 90-100k, I have yet to see one fail on a 4runner earlier than that mileage (without something else causing the failure.....such as a siezed idler, etc).

 

Oh yeah, I get my oil changed every 2500 Miles, and got the tcase fluid changed along with both diffs about 1000 miles ago. I baby the hell out of this thing. I love my yota.

 

You can tell if the water pump is leaking by looking for signs of coolant leaks around the pump. I know of no good way to tell if the timing belt is about to break other than looking at it, but if you see something bad, your already running on borrowed time. I replaced my T belt on a 2001 3.4L 5VZ taco at 125K. The water pump was also leaking and replaced it w/ OEM. I bought the vehicle used @ 100K and had no way to know if the previous owner replaced it or not.

 

I change the belt on my 3L and was surprised at how good it looked. I think the replacement interval on that truck was 60k, but I'm not sure. That belt didn't look half worn out, but better safe than sorry. In any case, I wouldn't sweat it before 100k. It's not that bad a job if you have a manual and tools.