Newbie question on car maintenance

[gipsy102102]

OK..all..I guess this is a pretty dumb question on car maintenance.

My Camry has done 60K as of right now and i believe that its right about now that I have to change the timing belt....What I wanna know is if it is safe to not change it for say another 2000 miles or so...many people have already told me that it wont hurt it .... things should be ok. Only reason I am doing is this i dont have the $210 for that work right now...and also have a road trip planned beginnign of next month.( not too long a road trip just 1400miles round trip)

So what do you all think...is it ok for me to put it on the back burner for a while ????

 

[Kraeji]

Its just a guideline.. go ahead and drive for a few thousand miles. It's ok. I changed my timing belt at 60K and i'm at 143K right now. Am I worried? NO. But will i change it soon? Yes, just to be sure.

 

[cmdavid]

yeah.. its safe to drive it for another 2000 miles... its actually safe to drive it until it actually breaks except that you'd be stuck somewhere and you'd have to get it towed and what not and it could actually ruin other parts of the car when it rips if you're driving.... but it won't rip in another 2000 miles.. so yeah.. its ok..

 

[goodoptics]

I'd say it's ok for it to go another 2000 miles. Make sure to have it changed soon after your trip for safety purposes.

 

[gipsy102102]

Cool ...thanks for the input guys

 

[Mr.IncrediblyBored]

Long trips are hell on engines. I'm leaving for a road trip this friday (about 3000miles round trip) and the timing belt is next on my list of things to change before I leave.

 

[lowfatbaconboy]

timing belt should be fine it would just make the car feel more responsive.....but since its a camry...those are never responsive...ie in acceleration

it just won't have perfect firing or cylinders or something like that i don't rember blehg

 

[shiner]

Make sure to check your blinker fluid levels while you're under the hood.

 

[gipsy102102]

BLINKER FLUID LEVELS???????????

 

[psteng19]

we have 2 cars approaching the 60,000 mile mark. one is at 63,000 and my own is at 52,000.
my mechanic says that it's actually safe to go until 100,000 miles but dealers want you to get it done at 60,000 so they can make more money. but to be on the safe side, mechanic says bring it back at 80,000 for change. i'll compromise and bring back at 70,000

 

[shiner]

Yes....the last thing you want to do is run out of blinker fluid. Look in your manual and see what the proper levels are and check it. If you want just call your local auto parts store and tell them what kind of car you are driving and they can tell you what the proper levels are and what viscosity of blinker fluid your car uses.

 

[JohnnyKnoxville]

I wouldn't do it,see there is a little japanese lady that lives under the hood and her job is to make sure to cut the timing belt at the exact moment your car hits 60k miles.

 

[gipsy102102]

YEAH RIGHT!!!! Shiner...Sure.....what else

 

[Cyberian]

<< timing belt should be fine it would just make the car feel more responsive.....but since its a camry...those are never responsive...ie in acceleration

it just won't have perfect firing or cylinders or something like that i don't rember blehg >>



I don't think a worn timing belt has any thing to do with acceleration performance.

gipsy102102
Have you already changed the air in your tires to summer air?

 

[db]

JohnnyKnoxville, next thing you'll be giving away the secret handshake....

 

[Viperoni]

<< timing belt should be fine it would just make the car feel more responsive >>



Smoke crack?

Timing belt either works or doesnt.

 

[goodoptics]

<< Make sure to check your blinker fluid levels while you're under the hood. >>

WTF is that? LOL

 

[Argo]

Does the dealer replace timing belt when you buy a car as certified pre-owned? Just wondering...

 

[flot]

You should be fine going the extra 2000 miles. HOWEVER, you should find out if your engine is an &quot;interference&quot; or &quot;non-interference&quot; design. If it is an interference design, and the timing belt breaks, the pistons will collide with the valves, sending metal shrapnel through your engine and basically destroying a lot of expensive stuff. This is why you change timing belts.

However, if it is a non-interference design, and the timing belt breaks - your car will stop moving, you will get it towed, and all they'll have to replace is the timing belt. The extra expense will be the towing bill - no big deal.

You may want to establish which type of engine it is before waiting TOO long. If it's a non-interference engine, and nothing bad will happen - chances are the belt will easily go 70,80, maybe 90,000 miles. The 60k is a guideline, but nothing you want to miss by TOO much if engine damage could result. Call the dealer (maybe try 2 to make sure you get the right answer) tell them which car/engine you have, and ask what happens if the timing belt breaks. They should be able to let you know.

 

[rufruf44]

Most Toyota engines are non-interferences (except few earlier model of Celica &amp; Camry, if not mistaken), so if the timing belt does break, it wont do much harm to the engine. You still be stuck though
Honda's on the other hand are interferences engine, so its better not to skip too long on them.

 

[freebee]

Ummm.....The camry engines (Edit: 6 cyclinder) are an interference-type engine. I don't think the 4 cylinder is. If the belt breaks, you can bend valves, etc. The repair isn't really that bad, probably no more than 2 thousand. Many people never even change it and suffer no problems. The good thing is while those belts do break, most times they do so at considerably more than 60k miles. You should be ok. Just remember if you are an unlucky person in general, you should probably get it replaced as soon as possible.

Oh, and that price seems really cheap for a timing belt change (as these are often done with a water pump replacement). Be sure you know what is included in the service.