The first mechanic who looked at it at home ruled that it was the timing belt, it is going to a shop today, I reaaly wish he was wrong, so how do they determine if it is the timing belt/chain or something else?
Well, can you go by the shop and have him show you? Another problem-if it was the chain, it may have failed because of lack of very basic maintenance (oil changes). You’ll want him to check for other oil-related problems.
Timing chain failures are usually caused by lack of oil changes and/or sludging.
Since it is highly unusual for a chain to break, much less on an '03 Camry, I’d bet money this engine probably saw few if any oil changes in its short life.
If the maintenance was so bad that a chain gave up then one can only imagine what shape engine internals such as the crankshaft, camshaft, etc. is in.
If the valve cover is removed and sludging is evident then I’d say scrap the engine and find a good used engine because it would make not sense to install a new chain assembly on what would more than likely be a worn out engine.
As I usually do, I agree with ok4450.
The really bad news for samriz99 is that there is no likely cheap solution to this situation, unfortunately. You have to seek a mechanic whom you can trust to be both competent and honest, and then you have to ask him to find the cheapest solution to this engine problem. As ok4450 said, the cheapest solution (at least in the long-term, and possibly even in the short-term) may actually be a low-mileage engine from a junk yard.
If the original owner really sold you a car that saw little or no maintenance, I am confident that bad karma will follow him/her as a result of this scam. That is little comfort for samriz, but hopefully he/she will gain some learning from this experience, namely to have any potential used car purchase inspected by a mechanic of your own choosing prior to purchase.
If this engine is–as most of us are coming to suspect–filled with damaging sludge, a good mechanic could have spotted that problem fairly easily. Every life experience, no matter how negative, has the potential to be a learning experience. I just wish for samriz’s sake, that this learning experience was not such an expensive one.
Could this be a snapped “serpentine belt”? Do you see the belt there? Something does not add up.
I don’t believe anyone suggested getting the manual and following the recommended maintenance schedule…
I think it is a bit late for that advice if the car has had little or no maintenance for the preceding 6 years or so, and has possibly suffered a snapped timing chain as a result of engine sludging.
Suggesting that the OP follow the recommended maintenance schedule is sort of like suggesting a balanced diet for someone after he has suffered a heart attack. The balanced diet for a person, or regular maintenance for a car, are both good ideas, but they cannot undo a physical problem that resulted from bad living or a mechanical problem that resulted from a lack of maintenance.
Now, it is time for the Quadruple Bypass.
Sounds like a user car buyers nightmare.
Timing chains are not infallible and can break in rarer cases even with timely maintenance. Happened to parents 22RE in a not so infallible 89 Toyota Pickup 4x4 with 90k. The oil was changed every 3k-5k miles on that truck.
My experience has been that timing chains give plenty of warning by getting noisy first. Had this happen on my faithfully maintained 1984 Impala V8 at 156,000 miles. It did not actually fail but my mechanic said it was on its way out, so I replaced it pro-actively.
No big deal to change chain and both sprockets (sold as a set), cost $225 total… Still puzzled as to what happened to OP’s Toyota.
Maybe the chain snapped for a reason other than wear. The chain tensioner is likely oil pressure operated and if the oiling circuit to the tensioner was sludged up enough or the engine had enough wear to cause very low oil pressure maybe the tensioner simply gave up and came apart or caused the chain to snap due to its inability to extend fully.
My feeling is that this car never got any maintenance at all and it’s also possible the seller either determined this car had problems or was told by a shop that it was in sad shape. At that point the seller decided it was time to unload it because after all, how many buyers would assume an '03 Camry had any problems?
As to chain wear, guys who ride motorcycles with rear drive chains know just how long those last even with proper maintenance, cleaning, and lubrication. About 8-10k miles if they’re lucky. Grime and lack of lubrication can kill them even quicker than that.
The OP, samriz99, said that the car was going to the shop 04/02/09 (Thursday). He said that the first “mechanic” had come and looked at the four (4) cylinder engine and stated that the timing belt had broken. If the first “mechanic” had looked at the engine and seen the plastic covers on the front of the engine, he would have known which type of timing thingee turned the camshaft.
Today is two days in the shop. The shop mechanic should have a report for samriz99 (the owner).
Sam Riz99, do you have that report from the repair shop? You didn’t tell us the symptoms of when the engine quit. Did the engine quit suddenly; or, did it stumble, first?
There are several things (electrical, electronic. mechanical) which can shut down an engine, suddenly. A timing belt, on an engine with 100,000 miles plus, is one of those mechanical things, which is not an unusual occurrence.
I still think this is a serpentine belt and not a timing belt issue. Having said that at this point all bets are on the table. I hope the OP will come back and tell us what happened.
It should be a chain setup with an oil pressure operated tensioner, which is pretty common on cars like this.
2361cc 2.4 liter 145ci 2AZ-FE 4 cyl 2001-07
Camry (2002-07), Camry Hybrid (2007) DOHC
Solara (2002-07)
Highlander (2001-07), Rav4 (2003-07)
Timing Set series 2 TS21002 cam chain, tens & rails
Oil Pump Chain Set TS21001 C1001, T66142, R76040
Timing Chain C1002 cam chain 134 links
Tensioner T64062 cam chain tensioner
Cam Sprocket right G58209 VVT cam sprocket
Cam Sprocket left G55846 exhaust cam sprocket
Crank Sprocket G57210 18 teeth
Guide Rail R76041 tensioner rail
Guide Rail R76042 fixed rail
Oil pump drive parts listed below (not in set)
Timing Chain C1001 oil pump drive chain
Guide Rail R76040 oil pump fixed rail >
Tensioner T66142 oil pump tensioner
Tensioner Spring T68000 oil pump tensioner spring
Guide Rail R76040 oil pump fixed rail
O/Pump Sprocket
Is the same thing true for the 6-cyl (not an interference type engine)
Not interference for the 2003 3L.