Hello,

I'm preparing to have a mechanic replace my timing chain. I'm at 147,000 miles and I can hear the chain slap the cover when I open the throttle. Anyone have recommendations for a mechanic in the greater Denver area? My friend in my hometown up in the hills quoted me $1050, though he admitted he is not very familiar with Toyota's, so i'm exploring other options.

Thanks-

 

Whoa there....Thats quite a bit

 

The estimate, or the mileage?

 

Damn... that seems like alot. If you want an honest quote, you can call Austin Automotive in Canon City. The owner knows toyota's and is very fair. His number is 719-275-5055.

 

Austin quoted me about $850 - 900. I'd take the $150 - $200 dollar savings, though i'd have to go about 2 hours each direction to get to canon. Thanks for the recommendation, anyone else got one?

 

At least now you will know what to expect in price. Good luck...

 

try timztoy on rising sun. he used to be a toyota tech, not sure what he's doing now, but he's done a lot of side jobs working on toyotas.

they're actually not too bad to do. i did the one in my 87 pickup about seven years ago and i'd never worked on a 22r motor (i work with f/2f motors). just have to remember the bolt under the valve cover and a couple on the backside of the cover and slide the cover out slowly without removing the pan/head and trying not to damage those gaskets.

 

Call Phil at smoothride auto, great guy very honest and he was a toyota mechanic before he opened up his own shop, he is in northglenn 303-920-2951

 

Alright, thanks. His number isn't posted on rising sun though, guess i'll have to join and send a message.

 

Try Kirk at RockToy, he knows 22R/22REs, and will probably be the best price in town. He just moved his shop, it's off of 74th/I-25. If you go over there, ask him for a ride in his 3.4/turbo short bed 4x, it runs high 14's at Bandimere with 33's.
720-365-9051

 

book time is around 8-10 hours, at $100 an hour labor average, thats close to a grand just in labor. so, i'd say that's a real good deal including parts. any hillbilly with a craftsman tool set can claim to do this job for cheap, and he'll probably claim he can do it in 3 hours too. i'd stick with a reputable shop that can warranty all of their work. a good shop uses quality parts, hires quality mechanics, and thus can offer a better warranty than j-bob's "hell it weren't on fire when i parked it"

 

moved to correct section

 

I've only done a timing chain on a 22r, not sure how much more or less difficult it is on a 22re. It is actually the only thing I've really ever been willing to do on an engine aside from de-smogging a 2f but that's another story.

Toy Doctors in denver is a good shop. Where exactly are you located? This would help.

I live in Bailey and know a GREAT mechanic that works out of his home garage. A lot of the time, the shops make a great deal of money off the parts which is what kills you in the end, 100% mark up at times

 

Slee Offroad in Golden

 

I'm in boulder. Know anyone?

 

don't know if he's recovered from the floods and back to a normal life, but robbie (powderpig on mud, also the tlca tech editor) is in the hills in the republik of boulder and does good work.

 

Ended up taking my truck Smooth Ride. Called them up, quoted me at $690, dropped the truck off, ended up costing $696. Smooth ride are Lexus and Toyota specialists, which increases my confidence that the job was done correctly. Furthermore, I was getting quotes from other shops generally over $1000, one shop quoted me at a whopping $1300 (a shop that was recommended through this website, on another thread), and they also said it would cost extra to get the valves adjusted (which was included in the $690 work completed by Smooth Ride). Phil @ Smooth Ride explained most quotes include the time to remove the head block, which is unnecessary for this fix (atleast my truck), unless your showing symptoms indicating it might need to be done (losing coolant/overheating). Nonetheless I appreciate the suggestion discombobulated, and recommend Smooth Ride to anyone in the greater Denver area.

 

Got a number? What did you get done?

 

The proper way to change a timing chain is to remove the head, repalce timing components, replace the head gasket and seal the top of the timing cover to the head. Then there are no leaks and you don't have to worry about your head gasket until your chain needs replaced again. Also, this way prevents one from having to go back in and replacing the head gasket at a later date. Then you might as well do your timing chain again since your already in there. See the cycle here. To not pull the head, the mechanic has to squeeze the timing cover back in and it never gets a good seal. A good mechanic will only quote the job this way, FYI.

I guess watch for leaks...

 

Makes sense.