1995 Camry timing belt question

[nubnugger]

I own a 1995 Camry XLE (V6). Recently I hit about 120,000 miles . I have long since lost my owner's manual, so here are some questions:

1.) My understanding is that most engines of this era recommend a timing belt change every 60k. Is this true for the '95 V6 also?

2.) It turns out that parts and labor would be $900 for a timing belt and water pump. I'm kind of pinched and don't think I can afford it this month. I know the '95 4cyl is non-interference. Is the V6 also non-interference? If it is, I might just wait a couple of months until I save up enough money since it just hit 120K.

Thanks in advance for the help.

[hill8570]

The 1MZ-FE (what you have) is non-interference.

Recommended change interval is 60K miles, but that's quite conservative -- you can get tens of thousands of more miles out of those if you're squeezing pennies 'til they scream (just budget for the tow truck home :-) )

IMHO, even at Boston prices, $900 is a complete screw job (must be a dealership). I'd shop around for someone more reasonable, and have them replace the oil seals on that side of the car while they're in there -- minimal extra labor, and a trivial extra parts cost.

[islandboy57]

^ Yup, thankfully the 1MZ is non-interference so you won't wreck the engine if you drive it until the timing belt breaks. Most people don't want to do that of course, but you could if you had to.

I think my mom had the timing belt changed on her '95 1MZ @ 77K miles in 2006. It was $1100 or something crazy like that, but they did a bunch of other things (ATF flush, oil change, air filter, spark plugs, cranks, pullies, idler, head gasket, etc..) - well worth the money though, it's a great car.

I merged onto the freeway in her car last night and damn the 1MZ purrs once you hit 5K RPM.. My 2AZ can hold its own but it doesn't have that nice growl that the 1MZ does

[projektvertx]

drivewire.com sells OEM Koyo tensioners and bearings for real cheap. Check them out. You can get a full OEM timing belt kit for 200 and some odd dollars + 6 dollars shipping and it's all OEM parts downright to the belt.(you just have to be patient with their interface ) This will give you the following parts, I would recommend you change all based on a bad experience I had with a bearing...:

-Tensioner
-Tensioner bearing
-Idler bearing
-Water Pump
-Water Pump Gasket
-Belt

Drop by your local Toyota dealership and also buy some toyota red coolant as well. But yes, to answer your question. The 1MZ-FE is non-interference, so you should be find if the belt breaks, althought you might have to call a tow truck... Back when I did it in, it cost me about 240$ for parts, plus 200$ for labor. I found a local mechanic (certified Toyota+BMW+Mercedes) who did the job very well and let me watch too

[zythr]

Delaying having the TB changed is your call. A lot of folks don't realize a TB can fail anywhere at anytime (hopefully while the car is parked and not on the highway). Anyway, it does cost a lot because of the work involved to get to the TB. The dealer probably charges so much, because, they're one of the few repair places that would do this job, and they know it.

[ricamryman]

Most T-Belts will last up to 100K miles! After that, I say your on borrowed time & $$$!.....

[nubnugger]

Thanks for all the replies. The $900 dollars is the timing belt plus tensioners and the water pump. It's a local shop--I called around to a bunch of local ones and they all said about the same. The V6 I think is more of a pain to do than the four cylinder. The stealership actually quoted me $1200!

I guess I don't need to change the timing belt right away, but breaking down isn't too appealing. I got the car with about 80K miles on it, and I have no idea whether the previous owner changed it or not. Any chance the original belt could have lasted to 120K?

[96paseo]

Originally Posted by nubnugger

Thanks for all the replies. The $900 dollars is the timing belt plus tensioners and the water pump. It's a local shop--I called around to a bunch of local ones and they all said about the same. The V6 I think is more of a pain to do than the four cylinder. The stealership actually quoted me $1200!

I guess I don't need to change the timing belt right away, but breaking down isn't too appealing. I got the car with about 80K miles on it, and I have no idea whether the previous owner changed it or not. Any chance the original belt could have lasted to 120K?

The original belt could be(and probably still is) on there. My paseo had the original belt on it at 162k when I changed it. I was lucky it didn't break though. 100k isn't a bad service interval for your TB. As was said in earlier posts, definately get everything done. Doing the job twice isn't any fun.

[peshwa]

Originally Posted by 96paseo

My paseo had the original belt on it at 162k when I changed it.

Same pinchGot my original TB and water pump changed at 164K miles...

Originally Posted by nubnugger

2.) It turns out that parts and labor would be $900 for a timing belt and water pump. I'm kind of pinched and don't think I can afford it this month. I know the '95 4cyl is non-interference. Is the V6 also non-interference? If it is, I might just wait a couple of months until I save up enough money since it just hit 120K.

My Distributor O-ring was broken (!!) and oil seals were leaking badly...I came **this** close to junking my beloved camry It cost me $800 to put in all OEM parts+ labor but I would say its worth it if its your daily driver (and in my case the only car I own)
From what I gather from past 6 months of research/experiences 100K miles is OK for original factory TB.
See if you can bargain with shops for labor of $250 (~6 man hours?). OEM (or good quality) parts another $300. So $550 should give you peace of mind for another 60K miles (or 6 years)
Assuming one tank full of gas costs $40...its like ~12 fillups for $550? If I were you I would stop driving immediately, do my research on TN for a week, find a shop and get TB job done...All the best!

[JohnGD]

Generally you should do a complete timing job, which includes the following items. I understand that many online Toyota dealerships sell OEM parts for about the same price. But I personally prefer Gate belts and hoses.

If you feel you can deal with a broken timing belt and not have too much problems with it (or the drivers behind you), then continue to drive it. Some owners clocked >200K miles in I4s.

Just make sure the shop doesn't put cheap parts in there. Shops tend to like to use cheap pumps from the corner parts store. Aisin is an OEM Toyota pump. However, I just spec whatever NAPA sells.



Here is an old list from rockauto.com:
GATES TCK257 timing component kit $89.79
(timing belt plus two pulleys)
FEL-PRO TCS45890 crank seal $6.27
FEL-PRO TCS45889 cam seal set $8.55
GATES K060410 Alt/AC belt $13.09
GATES K040345 PS belt $8.61
AISIN Part # 1610029085 water pump $61.79
Total ~$188 + shipping

If needed: FEL-PRO VS50471R valve cover set (with spark plug tube
seals) $30.79

Originally Posted by nubnugger

I own a 1995 Camry XLE (V6). Recently I hit about 120,000 miles . I have long since lost my owner's manual, so here are some questions:

1.) My understanding is that most engines of this era recommend a timing belt change every 60k. Is this true for the '95 V6 also?

2.) It turns out that parts and labor would be $900 for a timing belt and water pump. I'm kind of pinched and don't think I can afford it this month. I know the '95 4cyl is non-interference. Is the V6 also non-interference? If it is, I might just wait a couple of months until I save up enough money since it just hit 120K.

Thanks in advance for the help.