My 2000 LEV6 is about ready for a timing belt replacement (90K). In terms of preventative maintenance, what else is it wise to replace at the same time? Water pump? Drive belts? More than these two items?

 

May be too soon for the WP, most owners wait until the second change.

Whoever changes the belt should inspect the crank and cam seals for oil leakage and idler bearings for wear.

Would change the belts as you stated.

 

Hi i just joined the forum and after reading many threads on TB change this one seems to fit best,i have a 2001 Cam XLE v6 there is only 20,201 miles as of tonight,i recently had Toyota change the oil to a full synthetic oil and do the usual 10,000,000 point inspection. I know the TB is beyond the recommended 72 month but as far as the other parts ie water pump,idler rollers ect ect i see no reason being the rotational wear is not even close,do the water pumps have a ceramic seal ? if the cam and crank seals are dry leave them ? Toyota wants $320.00 for just the belt and that is fine,i could do it myself but i want to keep the chain of service documentation going with Toyota . Well any opinions will help and i greatly appreciate it......Randy

 

Is that $320 for a belt change? If so, not a bad price for a dealer.

Suggest just replacing the belt, the dealer can inspect the seals for leakage.

How is the coolant? The various chemical additives can break down with age.

Is there a reason for keeping the chain of documentation? The car is long out of warranty and you could save a lot of money in the future by DIY.

 

Thanks for the reply Joey, yes on the $320.00 the service manager gave me a printed quote,he and i looked at the service records and found the cooling system had been flushed on a time basses as recommended per Toyota specs,and they found from testing the fluid it was fine -40 degree i believe. As far as chain of service being documented My father whom bought the vehicle new in 01 only had Toyota care for the car and now that he handed it down to me just before he passed last month i feel the value of having all services documented by Toyota continue is well i guess keeping the tradition of my father going. I know this is more of a feel good thing for me because of the personal connection,but it too does give the Cams value a boost as well.....funny how hard it is to answer that question but it is a valid one,as a mechanic of over 35 years its nothing to me to do all the upkeep on the car its just different with this one.....Randy

 

Fully understand on the repair issue.

You might still seek out some service info on the car/engine/trans. The internet has files if you look or pickup a Haynes service manual. You can then review the Camry design in detail and learn more. Plus it can help with the dealer who can at times have their own opinions. They are in the business of making money after all.

If the car has leather seats still in good shape might start keeping these up to prevent cracking. This tends to start at the head rest due to higher heat when car is parked in the sun.

A few other things to note if you want the car to last a long time:

Check trans fluid condition and suggest changing all sooner rather then later. Worn out fluid causes most trans issues and the Camry is no different. Many owners have been switching to synthetic with good results. Ditto for the PS fluid which is the same as trans. For PS it is good enough to just draw out the old from the reservoir and add new. Do this between drives until the fluid is clear.

Not too many brake issues from never changed brake fluid but always a good idea at some time.

Don't let the dealer sell you on fuel injection treatments as they are rarely needed and you would know it by the engines operation. The V6 is one of the best engines Toyota made. The 1MZFE design prior to VVT-i is non-interference.

When refilling the tank don't top it off to excess as this can cause issues with the EVAP canister ingesting fuel instead of vapor.

Pretty much all is known about this car in terms of what can wear out or fail. It is a great car but like all cars will need repairs as the miles add up.

 

Hey Joey great info there is a lot to consider with a vehicle this old,i am thankful my father spared no expense on keeping up with fluid changes it was only 3,000 or so miles ago(march of this year) he had the engine,trans,cooling system fluids changed out again,he was a flight specialist in and out of the Navy,then had a career in Aerospace so he was a stickler for caring for machinery. The interior is something i wish to keep in shape too(it is full leather) not having any cracks or signs of much wear in the front,and the rear looks as nobody ever stepped into or sat down on the seats yet i need to pick a good leather product to keep things from going south.On the issue of fuel i have been seeing a lot of problem in my line of work with "gasoline" engines on units such as welding equipment compressors,and pumps due to the ethanol blend of fuel now ,has there been much discussed here on this issue? I will get around to posting pics here of "Dads Cam " and i look forward to a life with such a wonderful ride by Toyota. Randy

 

There haven't been any issues with ethanol with Camry of later years such as yours. The car should be designed for 10% ethanol max. The owners manual would have info on this. There could be issues if the car sits for a long time and the fuel starts to degrade.

I only use non-ethanol now in small engines unless running for days as with a generator but change to a non-blended fuel for the final run. To many problems with hard starting and lean fuel running. This even if the tank was drained, engine run out of gas and float bowl drained.

Ethanol is what keeps small engine repair shops in business and scrap yards filled with small engine powered products who owners gave up and thought the equipment had failed.

 

yes ,one tipis to replace all the ruber fuel line with high grade fuel injection hose + filter not only after fuel tank,but after fuel pump this will keep the power on during the outage.

 

If your engines crank and seals are not properly placed then you'll have to face a bit of problem. As with your problem i guess it's just the timing belt issue.