Hi all-

I've been searching forever, and i finally figured i'd just ask. I'm sure someone on here knows for sure from experience. I'm looking at purchasing a 1990 camry w/ the 3S-FE engine. It needs a timing belt. Can someone tell me for SURE if this is an interference engine or not? This is the deal breaker, because if the car's going to need valve work i'm not going to buy it. Thanks a lot you guys.

 

Go to http://www.gates.com/brochure.cfm?br...3487&go=TBHome
look for "interference issues" put in your make/model/year/engine/etc and see if it lists your engine as interference or not. If there is no designation then it is non-interference.

 

Alec_b did you get your question answered? I went to the site but found no definitive answer. I too am needing this info as a friend of mine has his Camry at a mechanic after a timing belt failure. The mechanic has replaced the belt but now is saying the valves are bent because it won't start. I asked my friend if the mechanic had run a compression check to validate his belief? He was not sure, but would ask. So I thought I would do my own digging to determine if his engine was in fact an interference engine or not.

Does anyone have another link or a definitive answer to whether the 3S-FE is or is not an interference engine?

Your help is greatly appreciated.

 

OK, Pedro was right. The information was there. I opened the Timing Belt Replacement Guide and in there was the designations for interference or not for each vehicle and engine type. According to this guide, the 1988-91 2.0L 4-Cyl is NOT an interference motor.