New guy here, timing chain on 4.0 V6

Hello all.

It recently fell on me to take care of the maintenance on my mothers 2005 Tacoma PreRunner 4.0 V6.

I just had to pay for a complete transmission rebuild (it's an automatic) due to a fluid line cracking and all the fluid being..being absent for about a month of driving. Ouch.

After that unpleasantness I have decided to take a good look at the maintenance done on it, or lack of... It has 190,000 miles and, other than oil and brakes, had pretty much no upkeep.

I know just from general experience it needs a new timing chain, however some of my collages who use/love Toyota's say I also need to replace the water pump and thermostat.

Now, I have a pretty good knowledge of vehicles, but I am a classic 60's-70's Ford pick up guy (no hate towards the Tacoma though, that truck has been put through WAY more than it should and keeps ticking). My trucks have no A/C, no power anything, and are all made from cast iron and kind of hard to break. So, need some advice here. Firstly:

A-Do I really need to swap the water pump and thermostat too?

B-According to my friends, unlike old Fords, there is a large variety of aftermarket parts that can range from better than OEM to "kill your engine within 5 miles". I could use some guidance on what brands to avoid and who to look for.

Thanks in advance gentleman.

 

I think it's more, one of those things with that many miles and you already will have them off, it's a good time to do it. I know there are plenty of threads on here about doing the job, hit that search function. I'll be doing mine in the next 50,000 miles I suppose, before 200,000 miles.
Checkout Toyota's Scheduled Maintenance Guide http://smg.toyotapartsandservice.com/guides.php
Checkout www.RockAuto.com for parts.

 

The 4.0 engine does not have a timing belt the cams are chain driven and it should last the life of the engine as for the water pump if it aint broke don't fix it unless you have it off for another reason.

 

Refer to your Warranty and Maintenance Guide to determine when timing belt inspection and replacement is recommended.

Because the costs involved with inspecting the timing belt may be similar to those of having it replaced, many customers may find it more cost effective to replace the timing belt. Should the timing belt break while you are driving the vehicle, severe engine damage could result. The higher the speed, the more extensive the damage could be.

If your vehicle is equipped with a timing chain rather than a timing belt, there is no prescribed replacement interval.

 

Timing chains generally do not need to be replaced. Run the engine for 400k-500k miles and then maybe.

 

There is a guy on here running with 350k+ miles. Original nearly everything on the motor.

 

OP I would not worry about the timing chain, you have a better chance of the frame rotting out first.

 

I'm coming up to 300k miles on my engine, with all original parts, excluding spark plugs. No need to bother with the timing chain. As mentioned, from a mechanical standpoint the engine will outlast the frame, etc.