Timing Chain In 98 Corolla And Others - Corolland: the Toyota Corolla Forums

A very long time ago, the service bay attendant at the dealer told me that my car very likely has a timing chain rather than a belt, depending upon when my '98 was built. Well, the decal on the door shows it was built November of '97, so 9 years and 120,000 miles later nothing's broken yet. I find this very encouraging, and wonder did all the later Corolla models keep the chain, or did they eventually go back to the belt?

Corolla model years from 1998 and newer use timing chains instead of the timing belt. Though generally not a maintence item, like the timing belt change every 60K miles, they should be checked occasionally for stretching and/or timing chain guide wear. Usually they will last the life of the car - but that depends heavily on maintenance and usage. I've seen some engines (older Toyota 22R engines with chains) that have 400K+ miles on the clock. Then there are some ones that let go at 20K miles. Safe bet is that as long as you keep up on maintenance (having a chain is a little harder on the oil), then you should be OK.

Corolla model years from 1998 and newer use timing chains instead of the timing belt. Though generally not a maintence item, like the timing belt change every 60K miles, they should be checked occasionally for stretching and/or timing chain guide wear. Usually they will last the life of the car - but that depends heavily on maintenance and usage. I've seen some engines (older Toyota 22R engines with chains) that have 400K+ miles on the clock. Then there are some ones that let go at 20K miles. Safe bet is that as long as you keep up on maintenance (having a chain is a little harder on the oil), then you should be OK.

Cool! Yet another reason to love Corollas! Still wish they came in wagons, though...

Bikeman982

Corolla model years from 1998 and newer use timing chains instead of the timing belt. Though generally not a maintence item, like the timing belt change every 60K miles, they should be checked occasionally for stretching and/or timing chain guide wear. Usually they will last the life of the car - but that depends heavily on maintenance and usage. I've seen some engines (older Toyota 22R engines with chains) that have 400K+ miles on the clock. Then there are some ones that let go at 20K miles. Safe bet is that as long as you keep up on maintenance (having a chain is a little harder on the oil), then you should be OK.
Cool! Yet another reason to love Corollas! Still wish they came in wagons, though...

Isn't there Corolla wagons, or do you mean wagons with chains, instead of timing belts??

I'm in the middle of rebuilding the engine on my 98 with 131k miles, and the original timing chain still checked within specs and the guides look good. Most people will not have to worry about changing a timing chain due to failure.

The only benefit I see of engines with timing belts is that they are much quieter when running. The chains tend to add a bit of engine noise.

Bikeman982

I'm in the middle of rebuilding the engine on my 98 with 131k miles, and the original timing chain still checked within specs and the guides look good. Most people will not have to worry about changing a timing chain due to failure.
The only benefit I see of engines with timing belts is that they are much quieter when running. The chains tend to add a bit of engine noise.

Which engine do you have?

I'm in the middle of rebuilding the engine on my 98 with 131k miles, and the original timing chain still checked within specs and the guides look good. Most people will not have to worry about changing a timing chain due to failure.
The only benefit I see of engines with timing belts is that they are much quieter when running. The chains tend to add a bit of engine noise.
Which engine do you have?

I have the 1.8L 1ZZFE. From what I've read, 98 was the first year for it.

Bikeman982

I'm in the middle of rebuilding the engine on my 98 with 131k miles, and the original timing chain still checked within specs and the guides look good. Most people will not have to worry about changing a timing chain due to failure.
The only benefit I see of engines with timing belts is that they are much quieter when running. The chains tend to add a bit of engine noise.
Which engine do you have?

I have the 1.8L 1ZZFE. From what I've read, 98 was the first year for it.

How does it differ from the 1.8 7A-FE engine (also on the 1998)?

you can read about the engine series differences on wikipedia. all corollas from 98 and on do not use any A engine in the united states.

Bikeman982

you can read about the engine series differences on wikipedia. all corollas from 98 and on do not use any A engine in the united states.

Thanks

Bad_dude

Corolla model years from 1998 and newer use timing chains instead of the timing belt. Though generally not a maintence item, like the timing belt change every 60K miles, they should be checked occasionally for stretching and/or timing chain guide wear. Usually they will last the life of the car - but that depends heavily on maintenance and usage. I've seen some engines (older Toyota 22R engines with chains) that have 400K+ miles on the clock. Then there are some ones that let go at 20K miles. Safe bet is that as long as you keep up on maintenance (having a chain is a little harder on the oil), then you should be OK.

Is it really easy to service the chain? Or does it requires a mechanic?

Thanks.

That job requires some mechanic aptitude....not terribly difficult but you need to remove most of the right side (front) of the engine such as accessories and belts and then a timing cover. Care must be taken that the sprockets stay in the same orientation during the process. Otherwise the cam and crank must be aligned...usually using marks on the sprockets. With regular oil changes the chain should last the normal life of the car.

Jay in MA

Corolla model years from 1998 and newer use timing chains instead of the timing belt. Though generally not a maintence item, like the timing belt change every 60K miles, they should be checked occasionally for stretching and/or timing chain guide wear. Usually they will last the life of the car - but that depends heavily on maintenance and usage. I've seen some engines (older Toyota 22R engines with chains) that have 400K+ miles on the clock. Then there are some ones that let go at 20K miles. Safe bet is that as long as you keep up on maintenance (having a chain is a little harder on the oil), then you should be OK.

Is it really easy to service the chain? Or does it requires a mechanic?

Thanks.