General Maintenance on 1998 Camry

[cdlubbe]

Hello:I have a 1998 Camry with the 4 cylinder.
It has 99,000 miles on it and has never had the timing belt replaced.
I am going to replace the belt in the very near future.I have heard that the water pump shpuld alos be replced at the same time.What is the reason for this?Do they go bad after awhile?Do they leak or start making noises?What syptoms of a water pump going bad?
I also see some oil seepage near the bootom of the engine and it looks to be coming from under the timing belt cover.Are there seals or gaskets that should be replced when changing a timing belt?
Something else that has never been done to this car is having the valves adjusted.How can you tell if it needs the valves set?Would I notice some tappet noise when cold,until it warms up?
This is all new to me.Does Toyota recomend set the valves at a certain mileage?
Any information would be greatly appreciated.
Best Regards...Chuck Lubbe

[Mike Gerber]

Chuck,

The waterpump is under the timing belt, so some people choose to replace it while replacing the timing belt. If the pump goes out, all the labor for removing and replacing the timing belt has to be absorbed again. It adds about 1/2 - 1 hour of labor and the cost of the water pump itself to the cost of the timing belt job when both are done together. It's really a gamble either way, but my preference is to ignore it on the first timing belt change. YMMV.

There are some seals behind the timing belt. Ask the tech to inspect the seals when replacing the belt.

I'm not sure of Toyota's recommendation for the valve adjustment. Check the owner's manual if you have one. If the car is running quiet, I would ignore it for now. No additional labor is involved in doing the valve adjustment at a later date, if it becomes necessary. If you don't have a manual, you can try this site for some information on maintenance: www.edmunds.com/maintenance/vehicle.do

Mike