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2002 Camry LE V6 Timing Belt/Water Pump Replacement Info

32K views 13 replies 8 participants last post by  marc780 
#1 ·
I currently have a 2002 Camry LE V6 with 128,000 KM on it. According
to Toyota Canada, they recommend the timing belt to be changed at
144,000 km. I did not mention the number of YEARS. Like oil
changes, they say every 8,000 km or 6 months, but is there a time
component to this as well?

Also, I contacted the dealer and they suggested me the following
charges:

Timing Belt $344 CAD
Water Pump $295 CAD
Coolant Top $20 CAD

Someone also suggested I should look into changing the A/C /
Alternator belt as well as the Power Steering Belt. What are your
thoughts?

My Camry is very well maintained and I take it to the dealership or T-Lex Auto Service. I want to get the most out of my car. Please let me know if the above charges sound reasonable, and what else should I consider when I do this service?

I do have the ECP Toyota Extended Warranty and it does cover water
pumps, so perhap I may save some $$ on it.

Thanks
 
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#2 ·
do the timing belt, dont worry bout the water pump. only reason its suggested to do the pump is because you have to remove the timing belt to change the pump should it ever screw up on you in the future, so you'd save an extra bit of labour if it was ever required. what's the use?. this is useless in my opinion as i have yet to own a car that ever had pump issues, and i drove my share of shit boxes.

timing belt gets worn based on how much it is used, which means based on mileage only, it's the amount of wear that it can handle, thus change it at the required km's. a rubber belt will not disintegrate over time like oil could, this should be common sense why they wouldnt have a time rating. also, i'd do the belt earlier, round 100k, to be safe. so don't wait if you dont have to. i've seen the effect of a snapped timing belt, and believe me, after that, you can throw the head or the whole motor in the garbage after that.

hope this helps, change your belt only and tell them to keep their water pump.
 
#3 ·
johnnyzee said:
do the timing belt, dont worry bout the water pump. only reason its suggested to do the pump is because you have to remove the timing belt to change the pump should it ever screw up on you in the future, so you'd save an extra bit of labour if it was ever required. what's the use?. this is useless in my opinion as i have yet to own a car that ever had pump issues, and i drove my share of shit boxes.

timing belt gets worn based on how much it is used, which means based on mileage only, it's the amount of wear that it can handle, thus change it at the required km's. a rubber belt will not disintegrate over time like oil could, this should be common sense why they wouldnt have a time rating. also, i'd do the belt earlier, round 100k, to be safe. so don't wait if you dont have to. i've seen the effect of a snapped timing belt, and believe me, after that, you can throw the head or the whole motor in the garbage after that.

hope this helps, change your belt only and tell them to keep their water pump.

Thanks for the info but let me offer a bit of info. The V6 is a non interference engine so if the belt goes, it does not harm the engine. According to Toyota Canada and Toyota US, the replacement period for a 2002 Camry V6 is 90,000 miles (144,000 KM) or 72 months (6 years) what ever comes first. I will replace the belt/pump and other items in one shot. I figure by the time I need to do this again, it will be time for a new car. :lol:
 
#5 ·
geoff5093 said:
Ya, you dont have to worry about causing harm to the engine, since it is a non-interference. But if you wait until it goes, then you risk being stranded somewhere. Lucky for me I was in the city when mine snapped, so I could easily get towed to a shop.
Isn't the point of maintenance to prevent you from being stranded? You are going to spend the money now or later, so might as well do it and get it over with. Since this has a 144,000 KM or 6 year time limit, this is really a 1 time replacement and by then, the vehicle will be 12 years old and most likely, time for something new.
 
#7 ·
2002Camry said:
Isn't the point of maintenance to prevent you from being stranded? You are going to spend the money now or later, so might as well do it and get it over with. Since this has a 144,000 KM or 6 year time limit, this is really a 1 time replacement and by then, the vehicle will be 12 years old and most likely, time for something new.
It sounds like he was procrastinating on changing the belt which is why it broke. He was just lucky that the belt broke while he was in town and close to home, and not on the side of a rural highway on a long trip.
 
#8 ·
touringcamry said:
It sounds like he was procrastinating on changing the belt which is why it broke. He was just lucky that the belt broke while he was in town and close to home, and not on the side of a rural highway on a long trip.
I bought the car used a few months before that, and I didnt know if the timing belt had been changed yet (heck, back then I didnt know what a timing belt was :p), I wasnt just procrastinating.

And it broke down on the highway, but it was in town.
 
#10 ·
I recently changed my belt. And the followinf was said by BOTH my mechanic (top in town) and the parts guy at Toyota (Knows more then most mechanics, and says it as it is)

Ok, with a Timing Belt Change on the 1MZ-FE, you should change:
Belt
Water Pump
Tensioner
3 Crank Seals
Acc Belts

Thermostate is a seperate item, whuch I would say to do yourself. Book time on a '96 1MZ Thermostate change is 1 hour labor.
 
#11 ·
i vote that you change the water pump as well. it would suck to pay for the timing belt now, then have the water pump die and essentially re-pay for another timing belt job. though i dont know why the cost for the water pump is so high with the timing belt being done. once the timing belt is off, its just a matter of pulling X amount of screws and cleaning a couple of mating surfaces. but anyway, yeah, do the belt and water pump now. i would also have the other two belts changed as well - cheap insurance. and yes, belts do go bad with age - the rubber dries out and cracks.
 
#12 ·
Even though changing the water pump is easily done along with the timing belt, some shops will charge book rate for the water pump as a separate service. Additionally, the shop is likely to mark up the cost of the water pump to the customer.

I had the water pump on a older V6 Accord changed and the shop charged $70-80 for the pump and $100 for labor in addition to the timing belt service.
 
#13 ·
the water pump for a 5fe is 150 us dollars. if this is the rate of the labor and part i would say thats about average. and if you motor is a 1mz it is pie to do timing on them the toyota belts come with the marks on the belt you just line them up witht the marks on the pulley
 
#14 ·
I bought the car used a few months before that, and I didnt know if the timing belt had been changed yet (heck, back then I didnt know what a timing belt was :p), I wasnt just procrastinating.
A pretty common question some people have here is that they justbought a Camry and arent sure if the belt was changed? When you buy a toyota timing belt it comes with a little sticker upon which the mechinic is supposed to write the time and mileage and place it on the cover. Removing the top timing belt cover can be helpful for a quick inpsection but only will tell you if your belt is in tatters and about to break soon, and tells nothing about milage.
But if i didnt see one of these stickers i'd simply assume its never been changed within the service interval and just prepare to change it if itwere about due.
 
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