longdrive

I have a '97 es 300 with 220k miles on it. I am not the original owner and don't know if the timing belt has ever been replaced.

It died on the road in what appears to be a dead battery. (Fairly new battery and it acted funny for a battery fault.)

Anyway the shop says I should consider changing the timing belt and that is about $1000.

Is that right?

BDSL

If you are talking about just timing belt alone, you can get it done at a shop for $500-600.
I did it in my garage in 2.5 hours with basic hand tools.

ES300NZ

even if the belt was to break, on the side of the road, your model is a non-interference engine, so there will be no damage. I would focus on the 'battery/charging' fault, and resolve that. If it turns out to be a timing belt issue, (its unlikely) so be it. Otherwise, wait until you can afford the timing belt easily, or are under going a heavy round of maintenance,

cephas

My local Toyota dealership had timing belt specials - got mine done there for about $300. They inspected the waterpump and tensioner and did not advise a change so I left those alone. Personally, I was torn on whether to do the whole bunch at once, but since I'm not sure I'll keep the car for too much longer, I went with the minimal maintenance option.

BDSL

I advise against waiting for the belt to break even if you have a non-interference engine.

With the engine stalling, you will lose power steering, vacuum assisted braking, etc.
It can be very dangerous if you drive in high density area.....
People do get killed while changing their tires on the side of the street.
If you car can't make it to the side, you might get rear ended....

ES300NZ

*rolls eyes* .. having a timing belt break is exactly as dangerous as running out of fuel. so not.

BDSL

It is...but when you are about to run out of fuel, engine will shutter for a little bit before it completely stalls.

ES300NZ

so ? I've had a timing belt break on a busy motorway, where there is nowhere to pull over. It was a complete non-event, we coasted to a stop 1km down the road in a safe place. That car was equipped with power steering and power brakes, both worked fine without the engine.

You're over selling the drama by a wide margin.

BDSL

Your power brake is vacuum assisted. Vacuum is only maintained if the engine is running. With the engine off, you might only have one assisted brake application. The next brake application will not be assisted. Try stomping the brake pedal with the engine off. You will see the pedal is more stiff on the 2nd or 3rd application.

Your power steering is belt driven. With the engine off, the belt is not moving. Therefore, there will be no power steering. Try steering your steering wheel with the engine off.

I live in a major city and I see rear end collision on highway / local street few times a week. Stopping / slowing down in the middle of the highway not only creates a hazard for yourself but for everyone else on the road.

Some people don't wear seat belts and never get into any major injuries. Does that make it the right thing to do?

LeX2K

You know with reasonable accuracy when you are running out of fuel, with a timing belt you have absolutely no idea when it will let go. I 100% agree with BDSL it is very dangerous to have a timing belt break and could even be fatal.

ES300NZ

obviously I don't agree, but I'll concede that an inexperienced driver, OR a very unfortunate moment could lead to a serious crash.

samsonn25

I wish I had option for $300 special :P

BDSL

You might be an experience race driver with the best brakes/tires/suspension. The drivers/vehicles around you might not be very experienced. They will rear end you or not letting you get to the shoulder.

ES300NZ

*rolls eyes*, tell me about it!, we have alot of people from other countries living in New Zealand, no issues with that, but it leads to issues.

surgeon0

$1000 is too much. Maybe they are including other services as a package quote? TB inc wp and seals, Valve adj, spark plugs, etc?

I have not checked for specials but my mechanic charges $650 I think. Its been a while since I asked.

cephas, $300 is a good price but I am assuming that was because of no waterpump and tensioner. I would have preferred to change out the water pump though. Its not worth the time or money later if does go when its not time to change out TB at the same time.

I have done my own TB+valve clearance adjustment on my honda so would prefer to do myself too like BSDL.