Cam Belt Question.help.

[mudinuri]

Hi all,

I have been told by a previous owner that he "Thought" the Cam Belt on my 1998 petrol engined Rav 4 has been changed but he does not have proof of this, or when it was done.. My question is: Is it possible to examine the Cam Belt condition without having to dismantle any parts? As an OAP I can ill afford to pay for the fitting of a new Cam Belt if it really doesn"t need one, but I am able to clamber underneath the car to examine the belt if it is possible to do so.

Please, any help or advice would be really appreciated.

Mileage 108000.

Thanks

[gjnorthall]

You may be able to see that a belt is virtually brand new - after that it's difficult to tell if the belt has done 20 or 80 thousand miles. With the belt off the car - cracking in the root of the teeth when the belt is folded back would indicate reasonably high mileage. On an interference engine - it's not really worth taking a risk - in the absence of hard evidence of the last change, get the belt replaced.

[Guest]

Either ask Toyota if it was done at a Toyota dealership, or just have it done by a good local indie after getting a few quotes and bite the bullet but be sure it was done.

[APS]

Normally the workshop should put a sticker in the engine bay somewhere in the vicinity of the belt with a date and mileage of the belt replacement. I believe all Toyota dealers do this. Open the bonnet and have a look.

I would say there's no reliable way of determining the age of a belt by purely inspecting it.

Check the Toyota dealer for record. Ask the prev owner which garage the car has been service with and do some detective work.

If in doubt, get it changed.

Sent from my iPhone

[mudinuri]

Hi all,

Thanks for your helpful advice. I am having the Cambelt and waterpump changed by a mobile mechanic on Saturday using a Gates K015202XS powergrip timing belt kit and a Fahren FAC0034 Water pump.

Will let you know the costs etc and how the work went.

Cheers

[gjnorthall]

It's wise to change the coolant pump and idlers / tensioner , as appropriate, when replacing the belt. The 4.1 has a manual tensioner and you'll find the belt quite slack at the change interval. A correctly tensioned new belt with a worn coolant pump is a recipe for pump failure well before the next scheduled belt change! Whilst pump failure is often the shaft seal - a bearing failure can cause the pump to jam and this can quickly burn out the belt with serious consequences.