i just purchased a 1995 es300 with about 120K miles for $6,500. the timing belt has not been changed and i'm assuming not much else has been done. do i need to change the timing belt and water pump soon? where is the cheapest place to purchase these parts and is there a website that has directions for changing the timing belt? i used to own and work on a 3000GT VR4 so i'm quite confident that this job would be fairly simple. thanks in advance for all the help you can offer me.

 

Welcome to ClubLexus hrusky! The timing belt and water pump for the ES generally need to be changed at the 90K maintenance, so you should look into changing both of them ASAP, whether or not you suspect anything wrong with either of them. Once changed, both of them can last for another 90K miles, so that should give you peace of mind.

As far as DIY, I've never done it myself, but I'm sure someone else here in this forum can point you to the right direction. I had the timing belt and water pump replaced by the dealership on my '96 ES, and that amounted to hundreds of dollars, typical for that kind of service.

 

Welcome! You will be relieved to know that the same year Camry V6 parts will fit on your vehicle...and usually costs substantially less or sometimes of equal value. For the timing belt, Toyota usually goes with Dayco as a supplier for belts. You can probably get the best price for an OEM belt from Toyotaparts4u.com or www.partznet.com. Also try Steve Ganz at Carson Toyota Parts at www.carsontoyota.com.

 

I immensely appreciate both of your help. The only other question i have is if anyone knows where to find directions for changing the timing belt and if i'm going to need a tool for the tensioner pulley? thanks again

 

the camry has the exact same engine as in my car?...are you positive? because i would hate to order all these parts and have them not fit. thanks