V-6 timing belt change interval and price?

[nikita]

I cant find it in the owners manual and a search of this forum was pointless (too many unrelated hits) so I'm asking questions probably answered many times before.

What is the recommended timing belt change interval for a 1999 V-6 Camry. The dealer says 90,000 miles, but I have seen posts here for the I-4 stating 90,000km. Further confusing the matter is that the dealer changed it at 61,000 miles and has not done it since then. Now the car has 191,000 miles.

The dealer also stated that the engine is non-interference.

What is a good price for a belt change (parts and labor)? His quote is $239.

[ShawnM]

90K miles is when more people get it done. Though I have seen waterpumps fail before then. Make sure that $239 includes a waterpump (it probably doesn't). In fact you would be better off with a timing belt kit that will include the belt and various pulleys.

[bigbird]

by now i would think a change would be a good idea. 90-110K is recommended so if it hasnt sincve 60K id prolly do it soon. but since its a non-interference, if ya wanted, to u could let it just run till the belt brakes . as he said, definatly get the water pump changed.

[Mike Gerber]

The timing belt change interval on the generation 3 Camry (1992-1996) was 60,000 miles.
The timing belt change interval on the generation 4 Camry (1997-2001) is 90,000 miles.
That's probably why there is so much confusion.

That price of $239 for the belt change on a V6 sounds reasonable.

Mike

[nikita]

I got quotes from two other shops, a high-end independent that works on my BMW and Pep Boys.

Both recommend, in addition to the belt change itself,
pulley kit
crank and cam seals
water pump
thermostat

Total non-dealer estimates $850-900, wow!

Pep Boys was the highest, partly because of the $140 "lifetime coolant flush" included in the price.

Questions for you:

Are the crank seal and cam seals needed at 192,000 miles if they are not leaking?

Is the thermostat mandatory when changing the waterpump? In other words, is the thermostat housing opened in order to change the timing belt/waterpump?

[ShawnM]

Its not required to change cam and crank seals but it wouldn't be a bad idea due to the high mileage you have on it. I would say if your planning to keep the car for a long time then go ahead and do it all. If not then you can do without the cam and crank seals and the thermostat. The majority of the price is going to be the labor, timing belt kit, and waterpump. The seals and thermostat are fairly cheap by comparison. The thinking is that if your going to keep the car then you might as well change it while your right there to avoid any future problems. At least they gave you an honest price on what should be replaced rather than try to get you in with a low price and then call you after the car is apart to sell you all this other stuff. Unfortunately that happens quite often in this business.

[Mike Gerber]

I would change out the seals and the waterpump while they are in there, especially with that mileage on the car and if they have never been done. I would skip the thermostat and the lifetime coolant flush for now. The thermostat is cheap and easy to replace later, if it needs to be replaced. That said, it seems like the quotes you received are too high for the labor. It seems like they are double dipping on some the labor; that is, charging you full labor price as if each job was done independently. I would go back to the dealer that offered the $239 belt change price and see what they want for changing all of these things (less the thermostat and lifetime coolant flush). A phone call should be sufficient. Tell them you want these things changed out all at the same time. It seems to me the labor should be less, if this is all done at the same time. Sometimes honnest dealers can be cheaper than independent shops. All it takes is 1 phone call to find out. Also, a lifetime coolant flush for a vehicle with that mileage is a joke IMHO; there' no gaurantee that the car will even make it to the next coolant flush interval.

Mike

[ShawnM]

Labor time to replace the waterpump is listed as 3.8 hours. Another .3 for cam seals and .3 for crank seal. So about 4.4 hours of labor total. At our current shop rate that would be about $418 + the cost of parts +tax to give you a rough idea. Labor rates do vary depending on the area your in.

[nikita]

Update. I got still another quote from a local independent shop, $1200!
His advice, along with the dealer's is, since it is not an interference engine, to do nothing until something actually breaks.

I pulled the plastic cover to take a look myself. The belt still looks new and there is no oil in the cam area that I could see (forward bank). The crank seal appears to seep a bit.