Cam Belt Potential Disaster

[SapphireBean]

Hi all,

I'm new on here today and looking for a little advice. I have a 1999 Avensis s.e. 1.8 car and it's always been great for the 10 years I've had it. I have never had much money with which to do things like update a cam belt and now i'm worried as there is a ticking noise that I believe to be coming from that. I cannot afford to not drive the car to work but am terrified that I may cause more damage to the car. Is a cam belt replacement for this car really expensive? if possible, could someone please give me a ball park figure for this? Thank you.

[avensisd4d786]

depends what kind of parts you want.

below are a price for aftermarket parts, ring your local toyota parts dep to get a price on Toyota genuine parts.

eurocarparts list your cam belt kit for £40

http://www.eurocarparts.com/ecp/c/Toyota_Avensis_1.8_1999/p/car-parts/car-service-parts/major-service/timing-belt-kits/?349771055&1&0814a526b54c746a944ef088b3cb82dc20466155&000332

http://www.eurocarparts.com/ecp/c/Toyota_Avensis_1.8_1999/p/car-parts/car-cooling-parts-and-car-heating/cooling/water-pump-gasket/?201820041&1&9f652f07096c4ea080c722122ae4f361d2241311&000366

might be worth doing the water-pump too. only £25.00

[blackcts]

Check your oil level!!

[avensisd4d786]

Im sure the 1.8 7a-fe is a non interference engine.

[Konrad C]

Hi Alexandra.

If your car has the 1.8 leanburn engine as mine it will have 7A-FE stamped on the cam cover. The cam belt and pulley are not expensive. I bought the kit and gave it to a garage who charged me £80. That was in July this year. The water pump is not driven by the belt, but if you have been loosing coolant or can afford it, change the water pump. It does not matter as the pump can be changed independent of the cam belt, and visa versa. By the way if your belt snaps, the engine is non-interference so no damage should occur. I have ready members who have confirmed this. I have retained my old belt for inspection and they looked as good as new. The pulley had a bit of play so it was good to change. The Avensis is kind to the cambelt compare to other cars.

I too have had my car ten years. The belt was changed by my brother months before I took ownership, then every 5 years since.

The ticking noise hard to diagnose. As my fellow repliers have said oil level. Do regular oil changes. Oil filter is very cheap for this car. The air filter is cheap too.

HT (spark plug) leads make sure one is not arcing. The car will hesitate or ***** when trying to accelerate. The spark plugs may be overdue change.

One other source of the sound could be a leaking exhaust manifold.

To help diagnose the ticking noise, run the engine with the bonnet up and listen. Try and pinpoint where the sound is coming from or get a mechanic or somebody who knows what to listen for to help you.

Euro Car Parts are doing half price online sale so you car save a bit of money to get the things you need to maintain the car.

I know this was a bit long winded, but hope this has been helpful.

Konrad

[Konrad C]

Im sure the 1.8 7a-fe is a non interference engine.

I was just posting. Yes it is.

The belt drives only one camshaft, which then drives the other camshaft by gears.

The water pump is drive by generator belt. Again less strain on the cambelt.

[SapphireBean]

Thank you all for your help. It is very much appreciated, especially with the links and suggestions.
I have checked my oil and coolant levels. Those, the exhaust manifold and the spark plug leads seem fine.
The engine would appear to be the same as yours Konrad, which is a relief as a non interference engine sounds really good at the moment!
I've just been informed that a work friend's husband is a mechanic and has agreed to have a look over everything tomorrow, to check that I have the right source of the noise. I will start looking around for a new part tonight though as I'm pretty sure driving around with it like this is doing it no favours. I'll go ahead and order one as soon as my friend's husband confirms it's the right thing to get. Thank you so much again for your advice.
Alexandra.

[Konrad C]

Hi again Alexandra. Glad to help.

If the mechanic is unsure of anything, get him to check this forum.

I hope you know that you have one of the best long term cars.

Of course I have had to do things like wheel bearings, starter motor, brakes, and put a couple of incar audio upgrades and the bluetooth.

Once the car has been serviced and the belt changed, you should be fine.

Konrad

[SapphireBean]

Thanks again Konrad :) I've always been impressed by how well my car has run over the last 10 years. Not 1 break down in all of that time. I have also replaced the starter motor and brakes (and numerous tyres) but have never been stranded anywhere with anything more serious, thankfully. It has served me very well and I am very glad I went for this make and model back then.
Alexandra.