When to change timing belt on 2007 highlander?

Answer 1

Apart from changing the engine oil and the oil filter at recommended intervals, car and pick-up owners should pay some serious attention to regular maintenance and the timing belt is among the most important things to consider. This belt (or in some cases a metallic chain) connects the engine crankshaft with the camshaft. The latter has the important function of controlling the closing and the opening of the valves in the cylinder head. Now, there is a lot of things these belts must endure, such as tension, running at high speed and temperature differences. They must therefore be made of durable material. Different manufacturers will recommend different specifications when it comes to the approximate life of these belts. This may range from 60.000 up to 100.000 miles. As the repair is as a rule costly if the belt breaks, it is a good rule of thumb to change them according to these specifications. In my opinion, 100.000 miles is an absolute upper limit and I would change the belt before this mileage was achieved. The reason is, it is cheap to replace the belt but expensive to rebuild or change the cylinder head. There is a belt tensioner that serves to keep the belt under constant tension, this is sometimes or often changed too. On many or most car models there is an indicator light in the dashboard that lights up after a certain mileage, in Japanese and European models this is most often confined to 100.000 km. Vehicle owners should be aware that a belt seldom breaks, slippage is more common but the effects are the same, catastrophical engine failure followed by expensive repair. The wheels on which the belt runs have "teeth" for better contact with the belt, the teeth may get worn out or "stripped" as it is called in the industry. If the belt is not tight enough, it will flap and whip inside its housing at the front of the engine, if it is too tight a screaming sound will result, indicating high strain on the bearings of the "cog" wheels. Bearings can also give or break, with a similar result, belt slippage when cog wheels even break off. Having this in mind, and the serious consequences of neglecting regular belt change, car owners will soon realize the importance of regularly changing timing belts. However, on newer vehicles, where the owner follows the producer's maintenance and guarantee "book" that comes with the vehicle, qualified auto mechanics will see to the replacement of the timing belt. With older vehicles, such as those that have often changed owners, checking the timing belt will be among the first things a new owner needs to do.