Timing Belt Inspection

[rainman14624]

Bought a '96 ES 300 with 138,000 miles on it. Car is in great shape, but I don't have any maintenance records to determine if the timing belt has ever been changed. Looks like the other belts have been changed and the radiator was replaced in 2004 (marked on radiator). Can I loosen/Remove the bolts on the top half of the timing belt cover and move it enough to do a visual inspection of the timing belt?

[rainman14624]

C'mon youse guys! All these reads and not one suggestion of whether this task can be performed? I'm planning a trip to south Florida (1,000 miles roundtrip) and want a little piece of mind before I leave.

Thanks,

Rainman

[amf1932]

Can I loosen/Remove the bolts on the top half of the timing belt cover and move it enough to do a visual inspection of the timing belt?

That's a tough call, because even though you might be able to see the belt it's hard to determine whether the belt has useful life.

Example: On a few of my previous cars(Honda Accord & Honda Prelude), I changed the belts at the proper replacement intervals, and they looked absolutely perfect. As they say, "Looks can be Deceiving".

P.S. The engine on your ES is a non-interference engine, so even if the belt broke you wouldn't destroy it......all that would happen is the engine would just stop running.

[mburnickas]

Can I loosen/Remove the bolts on the top half of the timing belt cover and move it enough to do a visual inspection of the timing belt?

That's a tough call, because even though you might be able to see the belt it's hard to determine whether the belt has useful life.

Example: On a few of my previous cars(Honda Accord & Honda Prelude), I changed the belts at the proper replacement intervals, and they looked absolutely perfect. As they say, "Looks can be Deceiving".

P.S. The engine on your ES is a non-interference engine, so even if the belt broke you wouldn't destroy it......all that would happen is the engine would just stop running.

The price at the dealer more then likely makes it worth while to just replace it. It is not much.

[blk_on_blk]

You can't really inspect the belt without removing it. Since a belt actually snapping is rare, the biggest problem with timing belts is worn teeth and the valve timing moving out of synch. You can't seen how the teeth are worn without taking off the belt and really inspecting it by turning it inside out and such... and at that point you've got the belt off so there's no reason to not put on a new one.

I just responded to another timing belt question, and so much of when to change the belt has to do with the history of the car/engine... has it leaked any fluids/solvents onto the belt? Seen extreme temperatures (hot or cold)? Is the current belt too tight (whirling sound), or too loose? All these things will shorten a belt's life cycle. If the belt has been well cared for, never seen extreme temps, never exposed to solvents/oil/fuel, and is tightened properly on an engine with a good drive train (read as 'no excessive drag'), then you should be just fine... I'd trust driving it cross country... but for peace of mind, you can get it changed.

One thing I'll note, I'd never get major vehicle service done to my ride and then turn around and take it out on a long trip. I'll always drive it for a few weeks locally just to make sure all the work was done properly and there are no glitches in the vehicle's performance. With that said, if I were you, and the vehicle is in great shape, I'd keep the original belt on for your trip and have it changed out at a later date where you can keep an eye on the repair incase there is a problem when they replace the belt.

Here's some more info on timing belts: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timing_belt

[rainman14624]

blk on blk:

I think your logic fits the situation perfectly. The car purrs and appears to have been well maintained. I'm running synthetic oil, and the advice on having repairs done right before a trip makes sense. Had a timing belt put on my daughter's Camry and the belt was actually not up to specs and would slap the timing belt cover when it was cold. The shop replaced the belt after a couple of weeks and solved the problem.

I think I'll wait until we get back and then have the timing belt changed and I'll replace the water pump, as well.

Thanks,

Rainman

[anthonyiez]

C'mon youse guys! All these reads and not one suggestion of whether this task can be performed? I'm planning a trip to south Florida (1,000 miles roundtrip) and want a little piece of mind before I leave.

Thanks,

Rainman

i'm almost 110% certain i or someone else has covered this topic before. instead of getting snippy try using the f"ing search button!!!!

[rainman14624]

Anthony:

If you think I was being "snippy" you're mistaken. I did use the f'ing search function and it did not return any pertinent hits.

As luck would have it the A/C crapped out in the middle of the Florida trip, so it was a hot ride home. Expansion valve stuck closed, so while it was in the shop to fix the A/C, had them change timing belt and water pump, as well as a transmission fluid service. Good to go for another 100,000 miles.

To blk_on_blk, mburnickas and amf1932, thanks for your help.

Rainman

[anthonyiez]

don't know what to tell you about the search button there chiefy, but this topic has been discussed over and over. while most of us don't mind helping, it gets old explaining the same thing over and over again.

[Eric Cheung]

...Is the current belt too tight (whirling sound), or too loose? All these things will shorten a belt's life cycle. If the belt has been well cared for, never seen extreme temps, never exposed to solvents/oil/fuel, and is tightened properly on an engine with a good drive train (read as 'no excessive drag'), then you should be just fine...

My car is having the whirling sound after a timing belt change. Can it be the timing belt not up to spec, or the tension of the pulleys or something like that being too high? If so, is the tension adjustable?

Thanks