Suggestions On new motor or timing replace - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

dreadon · 05-13-2011, 11:30 AM

Hey guys i figured id ask you what you think

here is a video of my problem

You Tube

so my timing chain is clearly loose i already replaced the timing tensioner cuz it was leaking oil and now i opened up the top to repalce the valve cover gasket and look what i find. Is it worth it to replace the timing chain, my cars got 156k on it and the front and i think now the rear main seal is leaking oil. its an 2001 and i know its either loosing the oil somehow prob the seals or eating it not sure. i was looking around for an 04-05 engine for about 800-1000 do u think its worth it. or just try and do a chain replacement myself.

any suggestions would be awesome

fishexpo101 · 05-13-2011, 05:32 PM

Is the timing chain tensioner making contact with the slipper to put tension on the chain?

I haven't pulled on mine to see if mine move that much, but you generally can't tell just by pulling on the chain like that. You have to measure a set distance between a certain number of links to see if the chain actually stretched out.

According to the FSM - that would be 16 links, fully extended, and verified at three separate locations - should have a length of no more than 122.6mm. Any more and it means the chain is stretched out.

At that point - it would depend on what caused the chain to stretch on you - that would give you an idea if you have more than just the chain to worry about. If the engine is consuming quite a bit of oil, has lots of other issues, or has an unknown previous history - might be worthwhile to do a swap with a newer engine. Keep in mind that there is no 100% guarantee that the new engine will be superior to this engine you have now. That will have to be a judgement call on your part - $200-$300 for a light rebuild or 3x-4x that for an engine swap.

dreadon · 05-13-2011, 06:25 PM

well i know that the newer engines were changed so not to have the stupid piston problems where they gum up and mess up the oil. and ive seen a video of a build putting the 1zz back together and there is almost no slack in the timing chain it moves a little bit.

sam333 · 05-13-2011, 07:49 PM

156K is low milage, but the engine looks filthy on the inside( to few oil changes). The chain does look loose, but that could be a streched /worn chain or worn sprockets.Usually extreme wear in one area means extreme wear all over. You will have to measure like fishexpo said. Why do you think you need a new engine ? Is it making noise? down on power? How much oil is it burning?

dreadon · 05-14-2011, 10:06 AM

I try to do a oil change every 3-4k but im always end up keep putting oil in. ive slowed it a little bit with changing some of the gaskets but im still loosing about a half quart every 500 from about a quart every 500. Im also the 3rd owner of the car so i have no clue what was done and not done before me.
ive Tried every type of oil synthetic non syntheic , every weight 5w30 all the way up to 20w50 when i thought the noise first started and i was told i spun a bearing. but nothing seems to stop it. and the only reason i would say a new engine is because this particular year had a major problem with the pistons that caused lots of oil lose. i know there a sticky on the top of this page about it so.