Dmitry,
I've not done a timing chain on a Corolla but have done chains on many other cars and a timing belt on the Corolla. You could check for noise by placing one end of a broomstick to the cover and the other end to your ear. You will hear some noise,,,,which could be normal. Maybe a friend has a similar Corolla that you could compare to????
If you haven't already, go buy a Haynes repair manual for your car. They are in most auto parts stores. My experience is that Chiltons is not as good. They may not show everything but they do point out the important things and often times will give you tips to make the job a little easier. Chiltons tend to tell you the obvious things and leave out the important stuff.
It's really not that hard to open up the front of the engine. You just need good lighting and decent eyesight. At least everything is metric.
By what I read above, it appears that you are going to change the seals at the same time....good idea. Not sure about this engine but the Camry 4 cylinder apparently has an oil pump seal that is known to leak with age....check to see if yours has a similar seal....the Haynes would probably point this out to you. By all means run the Mobil1, it's great stuff.
Most important is to pay attention to the positioning of the crankshaft in relation to the cams. They should have marks on them for alignment in the event that they move on you. Check the sprockets for excessive wear and take a look at the tensioner as well. It too might benefit from replacement at the same time.
Good luck,
Jay in MA
Hey guys, so I have a 2002 Corolla (1zzfe engine) with about 155K miles on it and I'm about to put a new timing chain in it.Just wondering if anyone has any last minute advice/pointers for me.
Now I realize that a timing chain should last the lifetime of the engine, but the mileage is racking up and I want to keep it for as long as I can, which probably means I will have to do this at least once, and I think 150K is a pretty good time, at least for a check. And if I am going as far as taking it apart, I might as well put new parts in it.
Another motivation for the job is that I see some oil leaking out from the back of the timing chain cover, and the tensioner as well. Not a big deal, but it makes me less confident about the similar water pump gasket (FIPG) in the center of the cover.
That's another point - it's pretty tight in there, and I'm a little nervous about doing the FIPG in places that are hard to reach - any pointers?
Some background on the car - I've had it since it was brand new, did all the maintenance myself. Synthetic oil only (except one time when I was really broke). It's been Syntec, and yes I know now from reading the reviews that it's by far not the best, and I will probaly switch to Mobil 1 from now on, but that's what it's been so far.
Anyway, I appreciate any advice, and I'll post some pictures once I'm done.
Thanks,
-Dmitry
