Does Toyota still use cam belts in their latest motors as they are a real problem in older cars?. Are there any advantages for owners ,or are cambelts just cheaper than chains to manufacture?
saxman99,
Aug 21, 11:36am
I wouldn’t say cambelts are a problem as such, but yes of course they need changing more often than a chain. The advantage is that you can get away with just changing the belt, although you should do rollers, tensioner and water pump etc as well. Also they are generally reasonably straightforward to change.
Changing a chain is usually far more complicated and involves more parts like sprockets and guides as well as the other normal stuff. Usually Costs heaps.
intrade,
Aug 21, 12:56pm
The problem is not if they use cambelts or not. The problem is where have they fitted the lowest price components from the same district purchased as all the 2$ shop get there goods from.
whynot47,
Aug 21, 1:08pm
Very good intrade
franc123,
Aug 21, 1:28pm
Timing belts are only an issue if you leave them for longer than you should, for everyone else they're a periodic service item. They were preferred for cost and NVH reasons. Premature chain wear is again largely caused by poor servicing, engines that use VVT tend to be harder on chains and it's even more important that the oil is kept acceptably clean and acid free. Using a double row chain helps considerably but again it's just more cost.
budgel,
Aug 21, 1:28pm
I dont think Toyota earned their reputation by doing that, do you have evidence that they do?
kazbanz,
Aug 21, 2:42pm
20 years now Toyota have used chains in almost all their sub 2.0l engines
s_nz,
Aug 21, 3:34pm
As above the vast majority of new toyota engines have timing chains.
That said, there is nothing wrong with a timing belt. The rarely give issue when replaced on schedule. The replacement is kinda expensive $1000 - $2000 incl seals, water pump replacement etc. But the replacement interviews are long (150,000km on my car), so cost over the life of the car isn't too bad.
Big advantages of a timing belt over a timing chain or gear system is that it is cheaper to build, and it runs quieter & smoother.
Also having a timing belt eliminates issues with timing chain stretching, which necessitates very expensive replacement. Some models (i.e. Holden commodore) have a bad reputation for this.)
intrade,
Aug 21, 4:04pm
What do you think them toyota oil burning ring problems is.
laurelanne,
Aug 21, 4:42pm
Stop that intrade. The problem was the drain holes in the pistons were to small. It could be argued that if these engines had been well serviced, the under sized holes may not have blocked anyway.
franc123,
Aug 21, 7:22pm
And in many instances it WASN'T a problem. There seemed to be more issues in the USA than anywhere else, which of course (generalising here) has a culture of bagging manufacturers, bagging mechanics and of course not servicing vehicles well.
tony9,
Aug 21, 8:04pm
I think he is talking about replacement cam belts.
Original Toyota belts are pretty forgiving and seem to outlast many others.
kazbanz,
Dec 3, 12:10pm
coincidentaly more with the US built Toyota's too.
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