Celica Forums General Discussion Exterior Timing Chain

According to the manual I am long overdue for changing the timing chain. Because these motors have interference heads on them the consequence of a failed timing chain is pretty serious. If those valves are still open when the piston comes to TDC, metal is fly.

I priced having it done & they want $1,500 CDN with labour. Apparently they change all three sprockets as well as the chain, including the one that controls VVT-i. Thinking I may just take the chance & see what happens.

Anybody done theirs? Had it fail?

I wouldn't risk it unless you feel supremely confident in your mechanical abilities. If you botch something, it's on your shoulders to fix it. It will cost you quadruple the cost of the timing chain to fix the engine if the chain fails.

when are you supposed to have the chain changed?

140,000KM ... I'm at 200,000KM now ... the chain is still tight & all the teeth on the sprokets are in good shape.

how many miles do you have?

don't do it. you can really f*** up. if it is not perfectly in line and put on exactly right say to your engine. repares then will not be fun and will easily double what your goin to pay. take it into the dealorship or to a shop and let the pros do it. the timing chain is key to your engine working properly and key to it working at all.

No, no ... not if I should do it myself ... I'm deciding if I want to chance it & not do it at all.

CLOSEUP

dude, if its time to do it, of course do it. this is not rocket science, a good mechanic can do this. they just have to match the marked lines with each other. btw, from wut i know, if you mess up putting the timing chain in perfectly, ull have no power and have to redo it, and it doesnt mess up the engine from wut i know.

7th gen motors have interference heads, if you are off enough, the valves will come in contact with the pistons. Same goes if the chain slips or breaks.

I broke my timing chain in my Nissan 240SX and ended up having to rebuild a large portion of my engine... it wasn't fun or cheap! I ended spending almost $2000, I'd reccomend just getting it changed out now to prevent future problems.

if it breaks then just get a new engine

LOL, I wonder what a used motor would be worth? Hot?

Don't change it. You have a GT. Hope you blow the motor and can use the money you saved toward a 2zz (GTS) engine.

Now your thinking. Smart guy.

Timing chains arent nearly as prone to breaking as timing belts if it was a belt I say definitely. the chain should show signs of wear before it fails the problem is from the time it shows signs until the time it fails is very short. Toyota probally determined the failure at 200K and set the service point at 150K. I doubt there is much difference in price from a 1zz to a 2zz but you'll need a lot of other parts as well.

Anyone know where I might find a used 7th gen motor?