RaptonX

I got mine done in 2007, and have only put 24,000 miles on it. The manual says every 60,000, the Haynes repair manual says 60,000 miles or 24 months, though 24 months seems a tad extreme.

max ride 41

iTrader: (4)

dude, i have 260,000 on my original chain, guides etc. i know a guy with 462,000 on his chain, tensioners, etc. all depends on what you do to the car and how its driven. you should'nt ever have to do that again, ever.

Amerikaner83

iTrader: (17)

Dude, you and I have a chain, not a belt like the 3rd gens.

Belt should be replaced at the mfgr recommended intervals. Plain and simple.

ac max 92

iTrader: (13)

100,000km approx. 5 yrs.

max ride 41

iTrader: (4)

oops, did'nt see it was a 3rd gen.

RaptonX

Well it says 60k in the original manual, it says nothing about time. Really cannot afford to have it done at the moment if that were not the case, or have a garage to work in either.

Would be nice if it had a chain instead.

1990se5speed

Truer words have never been spoken

chrome91

iTrader: (1)

OP has a VG with timing belt. chains are usually lifetime, i have never in my years seen a timing chain break. ive only seen the guides go on high mileage vehicle

92-94 SE with VE30DE actually have timing chains, all the VGs have timing belts



for the original question, the old school timing belts are 100,000km or 6-7 years. nowadays i think they bumped timing belts up to 140,000km for new vehicles. i replaced the timing belt on my VG in 2010, i believe the last record for replacement was around 2002 or 2003 and i was under the mileage limit but the belt was old. changed the belt and it wasnt cracked/brittle and looked fine, but you have to remember 3rd gen VG are interference engines and its not worth gambling with a older belt. belt snaps and youre bending valves

RaptonX

Well it will be 7 years coming June, though i am not sure what the belt is made of, my last belt before 2007 was the original belt from 1989 and on 70k, really risking it there. Also had water pump and camshaft seals, tensioner, and the other belts replaced too.

Last thing I want is to have to have a valve job done. Since i am in southern California the weather does not get really cold, which i heard is hard on it, not sure if that really makes a difference.

chrome91

iTrader: (1)

all timing belts are basically made of rubber lol. if you had around 18 years on the last timing belt, that has to be close to a record for 3rd gens

if youre in doubt, change the belt. usually if the belt breaks, the damage is to the extent that a new engine is more economical. and at that point its better to get a Villager/Quest VG30E since those are the only ones that are non-interference. in the years ive been on here ive seen some threads in the 2nd and 3rd gen section of people snapping their timing belts and only 1 miraculously didnt end up bending any valves or anything. 1/10,000 chance i bet

RaptonX

Well unfortunately at the moment I do not have the money to do that, last time I got the belts and pump etc replaced it was around $1300, and I am poor right now lol. Course they did replaced a lot of things, so it may be around $600 at the shop I went to, I'll have to check. All the other belts look decent as far as aging goes, except for one belt that is polishing a tensioner, need to fix that one next.

chrome91

iTrader: (1)

if you can remove the timing cover and take a peek at the timing belt that might be best as is then, just make sure its not cracked and whatnot and then wait until you get the money to replace it

RaptonX

Lot of parts in the way, but I might be able to do that. Would be nice if they made transparent timing belt covers, though they would probably deteriorate quicker.


Edit: And by peek I would assume removing all nuts that hold it on, which is rather difficult without removing everything. Less I could peel up one part and look in, probably cannot. The other belts appear to be in good shape, minor edge wear on one of them but nothing serious, rubber is not cracked on any of those ones, but would not know if it is the same on the timing belt. Really do not liek driving potential time bombs, but I suppose any vehicle has the potential to just self destruct.

chrome91

iTrader: (1)

they exist, you would have to search around. ive got one on my Crown from LexiClear that looks like so, thing is the clear timing covers are nearly $300 alone. mainly for looks

RaptonX

Almost reminds me of those how it works model engines, kind of cool.

Matt93SE

iTrader: (44)

7 years on a timing belt isn't a problem, assuming the job was done right the last time. If it hsan't failed yet, it's not going to anytime soon unless you have fluid leaking under your timing cover to cause the belt to chemically deteriorate. I've seen cars go 15+ years on the original belt (one car had 270,000 miles and 16 years on it before the belt broke).

RaptonX

Well the pump was replaced and camshaft seals were replaced too, only concern was the valve covers which were leaking a bit out over the exhaust manifolds, though not really near the timing belt covers, so it should be ok. I did tighten the screws some and mostly stop the oil leak. Gromits were a tad worm so the screws were loose.

Hard to imagine a belt going on for 270k and 16 years, that is nuts.

keener

Had 160,000 miles on one of my belts before changing. Looked brand new, but I replaced it anyway. This is a DIY job that I would not pay a shop to perform.. The costs are mostly labor. You do not need a garage, a car port would work fine. Set aside 6-8hrs for the first time DIYer. good luck