"Replace This Tensioner Pulley Now, or You Will Do It Later Anyway...When The Engine Blows" ―Toyota Warning

Is there any reason why you should replace the timing system components on a used Toyota with low mileage? There is if your Toyota meets this criterion.

Buying a used Toyota that not only looks great and appears well maintained is the holy grail of used car searches, but finding one with exceptionally low mileage on the odometer is almost too good to be true.

Aside from odometer fraud, which is a continual problem with used vehicles today, there are those Toyota finds from time to time that are the real thing and the ones you will want to snatch up before someone else does.

Toyota's That Do Not Show Their Age

One problem with finding a car with mileage that seems too good to be true is that this could be a warning sign of a used vehicle that has not been driven enough to keep it healthy.

For example, one automotive truism is that "If it sits, it rots" when storing a car in a garage for prolonged periods. A vehicle has to be driven enough to keep the oil seals and other rubber parts from rotting. There is also the case made against driving a car for only brief periods with each trip―say, for example, down the block to a grocery store or only to church on Sundays―unless you are changing your oil and other fluids more often than typically recommended, you risk moisture condensation in your engine and transmission.

However, there is another hidden problem: timing system-related components made of rubber. Not unlike the reason why car tires have an expiration regardless of how well maintained they are, rubber ages like the skin on your body over time and thereby weakens.

Toyota Tensioner Pulley Warning

That was the message in a recent Toyota Miantenance YouTube channel episode, in which the host points out that even if a used Toyota has low mileage, its age is a good reason to perform some preventive maintenance by having the timing system-related components taken care of before the normally recommended replacement interval.

Related article: Truth from a Toyota Mechanic Might Offend Toyota Truck Owners

The Value of This Video demonstrates how easy it is for you to check the tensioner pulley on your Toyota and determine whether it is time to get it replaced and the remainder of the timing system serviced as well.

Follow along with the host as he demonstrates this point, plus some of the finer points of pulley bearings info that is good to know using this well-maintained 2005 Toyota Tundra with only 68,000 miles on the odometer.

Replace This Tensioner Pulley Now, or You Will Do It Later Anyway...

For additional car maintenance and repair advice, be sure to check out these recent three:

• Finding Top Dead Center TDC on Your Toyota Engine
• Toyota Tacoma Shredded Drive Belt Diagnosis You Can Make
• The Car Repair Anyone Can Do That One Garage Could Not

Timothy Boyer is an automotive reporter based in Cincinnati who currently researches and works on restoring older vehicles with engine modifications for improved performance. He also reports on modern cars (including EVs) with a focus on DIY mechanics, buying and using tools, and other related topical automotive repair news. Follow Tim on Twitter at @TimBoyerWrites for daily news and topics related to new and used cars and trucks as well, on Facebook and his automotive blog "Zen and the Art of DIY Car Repair."

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