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

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

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

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?