When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Non-VVTi 2JZ. I know the timing belt was done at ~60k and 123k, and then dealer service records stop at 175k. It's now at 243k, and it's an unknown whether the belt was changed at 180k and 240k.
I couldn't get a super clear picture of the underside of the belt, but it felt smooth, un-glazed, and crack-free. Tension appears good. Not super clean but not overly dirty. I've read that modern belts are tough to differentiate the age between 10k and 100k.
The previous owner only had it for a week (no room to keep it as a project), acquiring it from a friend who I think had it for a year. Maintenance history wasn't retained through those transfers, but it's possible I can get in touch with one of the owners (I have Bill of Sale transfer copies going back a couple people) and see if they remember anything.
Belt looks a little old but I would be more concerned about the water pump, see what the color difference between that and the block is to get an idea of how old it is.
Until the belt starts to fray at the edges its usually good to run, not on the top or underneath but usually on the sides where it looks kinda like stitching, at least that is where mine have frayed.
Belt looks a little old but I would be more concerned about the water pump
I was going on the assumption that both would have been done at the same time, but not everyone is that sensible...
see what the color difference between that and the block is to get an idea of how old it is.
Until the belt starts to fray at the edges its usually good to run
You learn something new every day, but it's a good day when you learn two things at once! Here are some pics of the water pump. Probably doesn't help much; inconclusive at best. Some is clean, some is grungy. Would it be worth getting in there with some degreaser to help with the visual test, or is the amount of grime part of what you were looking for?
My guess is the 180k service was put off when the car was sold from CA to WA at 175k, so maybe 190-200k, and the 240k likely hadn't been done yet with the car changing hands a few times.
The amount of grime is part of what you're looking for. The difference in corrosion of the metal is also a good indicator too. It has definitely been replaced before, but its hard to tell how long ago it was replaced. I would just got an Aisen timing belt kit for a little over $200 and replace everything. It's not too hard of a job if you're mechanically inclined and have decent tools.
Or you could wait it out and see what happens. I think the non vvt-i 2jz is non interference, so a snapped timing belt isn't a big deal.
I've never done a timing belt job myself. The write-ups seem daunting, but I haven't looked at what's involved for the 2JZ yet. I had planned on having the mechanic do it when the time comes, which makes it a pretty expensive item on a car still in TBD condition, but DIY would be much more palatable for just parts cost.
I'm assuming again, but I assumed the 2JZ is non-interference for non-VVTi, same as the 1UZ. Since this car will mostly be used around town, stretching out the timing belt / water pump uncertainty window a bit probably wouldn't be catastrophic.
the grime build up helps but really that is just from a leaky distributor o-ring which you have had in the past or still have, you can see the oil on the distributor shield and how it leaks down onto the back of the waterpump. you might also have a valvecover leak in that area.
I mainly look for the corrosion in the metal casting itself, it will get darker as time goes on cause its not as good metal as the engine, they start out perfectly shiny and will be alot darker by the time it needs replacing.
The pump doesn't look old enough to warrant changing immediately or anything, but unless you can find out I would schedule it in sometime in the next 20k for peace of mind.
I know some people will get upset blah blah whatever, but you can pretty much go 120k intervals on stock 2jz's as long as you always do timing belt, waterpump, and the tensioner/rollers.
60k is very conservative and 90k is I think the recommended interval, I wouldn't expect that all the previous owners did it every 60k.
You are pretty much 120k out from the last confirmed job so if it hasn't been done you are getting due, but the pump doesn't look that old to me so I suspect it might have been done in there somewhere. again all guess work but as said above, its a non interference engine so you can literally run it till it goes, but it will leave you stranded.
Yeah, I would just run it and not worry about it. It is indeed non-interference, so all that will happen is that you will get stranded somewhere. Timing belt change is really not bad at all. Especially if it's not your DD and you can do it without rushing because you need a car to drive. You will also learn a lot doing it.
All you have to do is:
-put 22mm socket and breaker bar on crank pulley bolt and turn CLOCKWISE until the timing mark on the lower timing cover matches 0 deg, and the timing marks on the cam gears match up with the upper timing backplate. If the crank mark lines up, but the cams do not, then rotate crank pulley one more revolution and then they should.
-remove drivebelt
-remove drive belt tensioner
-put 22mm socket on breaker bar and situate the breaker so that it is resting against the underside of the passenger side
-crank the key to start just enough to break the crank pulley bolt loose
-go back and verify that the timing marks are still lined up, and if they did move a little bit, then it's ok to move the crank back counter clockwise a tad to line them back up
-get a puller and pull off the crank pulley
-remove timing belt covers
-loosen the timing belt tensioner mounting bolts, but only enough to slip the old timing belt off. Otherwise it will be hard to re-mount it. Or better yet, just remove it and install a new tensioner (but leave the pin in the new tensioner until it's mounted, otherwise you will not be able to retract the shaft
-take off timing belt and put new timing belt on making sure it is nice and snug and that the timing marks are still good
-either tighten the tensioner back up (if still using the old one), or install the new one, and then pop the clip out once you know the belt is on right
-put the timing covers back on
-put the crank pulley back on and torque to a gazillion ft-lbs (actually like 225, but I was only able to get mine to around 150 because that was the limit of my torque wrench)
-then install the drive belt tensioner, but make sure to stuff some shop towels on top of the lower timing cover in case you drop the bolts. You don't want the bolts falling down there, then you have to pull it all apart again to retrieve it
-put drive belt on and you're all set.
I have some of the steps shown in my thread I made to install bc264 cams on my 1JZ:
I usually break the crank bolt loose before lining it up to TDC, it always seems to move and I dont like to turn it back.
I just do the starter bump method as mentioned, then the bolt is loose so you tighten it just enough to turn crank to tdc then its easy to loosen/remove once aligned.
the grime build up helps but really that is just from a leaky distributor o-ring which you have had in the past or still have, you can see the oil on the distributor shield and how it leaks down onto the back of the waterpump. you might also have a valvecover leak in that area.
Yeah, I noticed that when I took the pics. I'll clean that up in addition to de-greasing the water pump, so I can: a) verify the surface corrosion level, and b) see if it's an old leak that a P.O. fixed but didn't clean the spillage.
The pump doesn't look old enough to warrant changing immediately or anything, but unless you can find out I would schedule it in sometime in the next 20k for peace of mind.
That works for me. To-do but not urgent.
60k is very conservative and 90k is I think the recommended interval, I wouldn't expect that all the previous owners did it every 60k.
That's a good point. I haven't checked the SC300 manual, but the SC400 is a 90k interval, I believe.
Originally Posted by LoveSCs
Yeah, I would just run it and not worry about it. It is indeed non-interference, so all that will happen is that you will get stranded somewhere. Timing belt change is really not bad at all. Especially if it's not your DD and you can do it without rushing because you need a car to drive.
Thanks for the tips and additional non-interference confirmation. Indeed, getting stranded and needing a short-distance tow is about the worst that would happen. I've bookmarked your post to come back to when it's time to do the timing belt job.
Here's an updated pic of the water pump cleaned up a bit:
The metal does have a fairly new appearance.
I think Ali's alternative guess about a valve cover gasket leak at some point is correct. I de-greased the distributor shield to have a baseline for monitoring leakage, but there are similar signs around the valve cover of an old leak that was never cleaned up. None of it looks fresh, but we'll see...
A good indicator for me is to take a look at the lands on the belt. See if the trailing edge is tight in the groove of the timing sheave or pulley.if there is a gap, change it, but don't panic. it will go a long way if you can't get to it. Make a note of it so you don't space out a forget things like I do.
A good indicator for me is to take a look at the lands on the belt. See if the trailing edge is tight in the groove of the timing sheave or pulley.if there is a gap, change it, but don't panic. it will go a long way if you can't get to it. Make a note of it so you don't space out a forget things like I do.
What are lands? Is that the teeth of the belt? They seemed pretty snug.
I thought about going with the clear cam cover for cool points and to be able to keep an eye on the belt, but then I realized how much easier the 2JZ's cam cover is to remove than the 1UZ's (as opposed to the intake manifold, spark plug covers, and EGR system).
The water pump in the pictures looks perfectly fine. And does show that it has been replaced before. The belt doesn't look "bad" but you should do whatever maintenance you think is necessary.
The belt doesn't look "bad" but you should do whatever maintenance you think is necessary.
Just got done doing the valve cover gasket, spark plugs & wires, oil and coolant, throttle body & y-pipe cleaning, IACV connector, PCV grommet, EGR, intake filter, engine grounds, lots of new hoses, and a bunch of cleaning. Timing belt is on the keep-an-eye-on list.
10-20-16, 08:04 PM
any guesses how old this timing belt is?
Here are some pics of the water pump. Probably doesn't help much; inconclusive at best. Some is clean, some is grungy. Would it be worth getting in there with some degreaser to help with the visual test, or is the amount of grime part of what you were looking for?
