Toyota timing belt/water pump

Maintenance/Repairs
1

have '95 toy camry le,w/ 124,000 mi----due for 2nd timing belt—

my mech. of 20 plus yrs has left for warmer climes and no one i know will recommend anyone after i ask do you trust them–

have checked $ for belt, and amongst others,a toy dealer in tex will sell just belt for $27 while an after mkt dealer wants to sell a “kit” including tensioners,pulleys,etc for $125------

do i need the “kit” or is belt only ok—and should i replace the water pump—was replaced at 65,000 when orig belt was changed—

not sure if i’m keeping car—tempted to buy new but a new car in nyc w/o a garage is lots of work and worry–let’s assume i’ll hold on to it—

last,anyone know a mech they really trust in nassau or queens counties in new york state—thanks for reading and any info you can offer—

2

I’m pretty sure the timing belt change interval for that car/year was 90k miles.

3

Considering the age and mileage of the car I would opt for the “kit”. The pulleys and tensioner could be due to be replaced. If you are not going to keep the car then you could just replace the belt. If you get into it and find something worn out then you could replace just that component.

4

In the Maintenance Schedule section in the Haynes Repair Manual, Haynes states that the factory recommendations are: “Every 60,000 miles, or 48 months, whichever comes first: Replace the timing belt *** .” The *** footnote says: “Replace the timing belt at 60,000 miles only if [the vehicle] is operated under one, or more, of the following conditions:” Severe service is defined as:

  1. Operating in dusty conditions.
  2. Towing a trailer.
  3. Idling for extended periods and/or low speed operation.
    4.Operating when outside temperatures remain below freezing and when most trips are less than 4 miles.
    Of course, I realize that most people will ignore all of the footnote. That’s their choice.
    Mechanics regularly see vehicles with timing belts with over 100,000 miles. This is an observation, not, a recommendation.
5

Don’t go by the Haynes manual…What does the OWNERS manual say. The comment about timing belts in the Haynes manual is a generic comment that’s put in all their manuals on cars with timing belts.

6

Get the kit. And yes, change the water pump while you’re there.

Mmost of the job is labor. Once you’re there it’s foolhearty to not change out all the wear items and assemblies that are going to be staring you in the face. They all have 124K on them, and you don’t want to have to tear everything apart again in six months.