Mechanic said might as well replace the engine if the timing chain needs replacement

[toylandcruiser]

Yeah...

I wouldn't use it.

LC Engineering just started selling a good set for about a quarter what the dealer gets, but maybe the mechanic is not familiar with LC. I bet he is familiar with auto parts store brand timing sets, which is why he won't use them.

That's still less than half what you stated before


I found a brand new oem kit for 150 bucks




The following is a signature.
"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."

 

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

That's still less than half what you stated before


I found a brand new oem kit for 150 bucks

Do you have a link?

I have priced out the OEM parts and the chain alone is over $300.

 

[toylandcruiser]

Do you have a link?

I have priced out the OEM parts and the chain alone is over $300.

http://m.ebay.com/itm/JAPAN-TIMING-...3D251558288505&_trksid=p2056116.c100408.m2460


The following is a signature.
"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."

 

[toylandcruiser]

Do you have a link?

I have priced out the OEM parts and the chain alone is over $300.

Hers a timing chain for 49 dollars
http://toyotapartsestore.com/2000-t...speeds-engine-valve_train_components-8510153/


The following is a signature.
"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."

 

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

To paraphrase Forrest Gump, life is like a box of auto parts bought off Ebay, you never know what your gonna get.

I would have to know someone who has experience using that set before I would recommend it to a customer.

In defense of my earlier comments, I was explaining that the original mechanic may not be familiar or comfortable with parts that don't come in red Toyota boxes. Maybe he had previously priced the OEM parts, as I had done, and knew how expensive they were. He then cut to the chase and said it may be cheaper to replace the motor than to replace the [extremely expensive OEM] timing parts.

 

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

I just checked my Toyota parts source and the parts have come down in price significantly since I checked last. The previously $300 chain is now $116.

Last time I checked was about 4 years ago.

Sorry for the confusion.

 

[toylandcruiser]

I just checked my Toyota parts source and the parts have come down in price significantly since I checked last. The previously $300 chain is now $116.

Last time I checked was about 4 years ago.

Sorry for the confusion.

There ya go. Maybe you should update your info before spewing incorrect info


The following is a signature.
"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."

 

[Skim]

You need a better mechanic.

 

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

There ya go. Maybe you should update your info before spewing incorrect info

Whoa dude. Sorry for trying to help.

Point is, if I got it wrong, maybe the OP's mechanic did too. Thanks for making my point for me.

 

[toyrunner95]

Yeah my regular guy said a timing chain in my 22re was $800 out the door installed, $600 if I brought my own kit in. So it's 6 of 1 had dozen of the other. Prices vary so much from model to model and year to year it's hard to keep up with.

 

[GeoRoss]

To paraphrase Forrest Gump, life is like a box of auto parts bought off Ebay, you never know what your gonna get.

I would have to know someone who has experience using that set before I would recommend it to a customer.

In defense of my earlier comments, I was explaining that the original mechanic may not be familiar or comfortable with parts that don't come in red Toyota boxes. Maybe he had previously priced the OEM parts, as I had done, and knew how expensive they were. He then cut to the chase and said it may be cheaper to replace the motor than to replace the [extremely expensive OEM] timing parts.

He may have misinterpreted the request and thought the chain had failed and not some sort of irregular PM.

 

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

He may have misinterpreted the request and thought the chain had failed and not some sort of irregular PM.

Maybe. Probably actually.

If you're going to be an ***, you better dot your i's and cross your t's.

 

[toylandcruiser]

Maybe. Probably actually.

If you're going to be an ***, you better dot your i's and cross your t's.

I'm not an *******. You put out incorrect info and I corrected you.


The following is a signature.
"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."

 

[Doc_]

Leakdown test. Interesting.
Seems like it's possible to do that yourself, but maybe the gauges themselves are expensive... I'll look into it!

Way late reply, sorry!
Yes, it's entirely possible to do on your own, the tools are affordable. The big concern is that if you give the cylinder too many PSI than it can take, you might drop a ring.

Leakdown gauge sets are not cheap, you're right there, but it's not a simple process either. There are some tricks to getting accurate readings during a leakdown test. And then there's interpreting the data that can be confusing.

Leave that one up to an expert.

A couple guys have mentioned it here already, but the reasoning was incomplete. Yes, the valves tend to beat into the head, but the reason they burn is because the valves hang open, not because they are beating into the head. A simple valve adjustment at the right time can save you thousands. These Tacoma motors burn valves and crack heads at the same time, and a leakdown can catch that before it's a problem.

Edit: looks like Matt's got you covered with a better response.
In the long run, a leakdown from my usual shop runs me $150, which is still less than a decent gauge set for doing it at home. Plus, having a pro who knows what he's up to do the test and handle any liability will always be a safer bet. A good shop will give you your PSI ratings by cylinder on your invoice afterwards and not spin it into a sales pitch.
When purchasing, I would never buy without leakdown numbers and a written inspection report from my mechanic. It's the best way to know what's going on inside your engine. If a cylinder reads abnormally low they can bore scope it and tell you if it's a valve, valve guide seal, piston ring, cylinder crosshatch, or head gasket issue. It's worth every penny.

 

[Doc_]

Yeah my regular guy said a timing chain in my 22re was $800 out the door installed, $600 if I brought my own kit in. So it's 6 of 1 had dozen of the other. Prices vary so much from model to model and year to year it's hard to keep up with.

Thats actually really cheap. My last TC go-round was $1,200 out the door, but a 22R timing job is a head-off process and the cost snowballs.

Kinda late to the party here and I did not read all replies, so bare with me if I'm repeating what someone already stated.

He isn't far off on one count, but totally off his rocker on the other.

1- A timing chain set from Toyota for the 3rz 2.7L 4cyl engine is quite costly. At about $1600 for the entire set, I can see why he was thinking it might be better to replace the engine. A used engine from a recycler with low miles usually costs about that much. Now you may be thinking, well it just needs a timing chain. You don't just replace the chain, you usually replace the whole cam timing assembly. And why use OEM Toyota parts? Because.

2- This is where he is totally off base. A Toyota 3rz timing chain is said to have a life expectancy of about 300K miles. I have heard of pieces in the set going bad at a young age, but never the chain.

So let's just say that your mechanic's intentions may not have been totally insane, but a tad misinformed.

From my side of the counter, $1,600 sounds reasonable after labor.
If you're just doing the chain it'll be less than that, but that's actually a major mid-lifespan overhaul requiring several new gaskets, timing gear, a water pump, oil pump seals and maybe even a new crank pulley and balancer.
Still cheaper than a decent rebuilt motor.

And I'm with you, I wouldn't touch a $40 flea-bay timing chain set with a forty-foot pole.