Changing of a timing belt for a 1991 toyota celica

I last changed the timing belt on subject auto in 2003. Since then I have put on 11,000 miles, when should I again change the timing belt

It’s recommended that the timing belt be replaced every 60,000 miles. But since the engine is a non-interfrence engine if the timing belt fails it won’t cause engine damage. you’ll just be left with the inconvenience of being stranded along side the road.

Tester

I always want to add, change the water pump next time as well. It’s inline to your timing belt and costs you just for the part. You want to change this part while your car is still supported by the manufacturer.
There is no time basis for replacing the timing belt. It is a dry part, not lubricated, but neither is it exposed to water or really, a lot of oxygen.

then why do most manufacturers recommend replacing the belt at XX miles or XX months which ever comes [b]FIRST[/b]

The belt IS over 7 years old, so it would be time to replace it. It would suck to wait until the belt breaks and have it happen on the highway on a dark night miles between exits. And, for this car, the water pump is not under or driven by the timing belt but off to the side and out of the way, so you don’t need to replace it until it needs it.

There is no time basis for replacing the timing belt.

What vehicles do you know that DON’T have a time basis for replacing a timing belt??? Every one I’ve owned had a time basis. In the 80’s the mileage was 60k and 5 years…then in the 90’s it was 105k and 7 years.

In 20 yrs working on car and motorcycles I and everyone I know have always kept to the mileage on the components…not time. Is time a factor? Yes, but not as much as you have been led to believe by greedy service operations. Yes the belt material is made of rubber and will degrade over a LONG period of time, but not many of us are reaching the amount of time passing on our T-belts to affect their reliability. Now if I had a car and replaced the T-belt 20yrs ago…and didnt drive it for 20yrs…Would I replace it before I woke the car up? Sure…but we arent talking about that much time in most every instance.

Just stick to the mileage as a T-belt gauge…I have and never had a T-belt failure. ALL T-belt failures I have seen were mileage related. Just my 2cents

I realize that many might not agree with me, but my statements come from a LONG time working on cars and being somewhat of a T-belt specialist…People usually come to me for t belts because I am the first to say how important they are but I’m just being honest in saying that the only gauge I use is mileage and I have NEVER had a failure…this is more of a testament to the ruggedness of a T-belt than it is to my abilities.

There’s a reason why you’ve never replaced a belt because of age…but it’s NOT for what you’ve said.

It’s because MOST (probably 90%) will reach the MILEAGE limit of a timing belt before they reach the mileage limit. There’s also a safety factor built in…probably 20% or more. The limit engineers set on the belts is a limit that will ensure that 99.9999% of all belts will reach before failure.