Bought an 07 Kluger that just had the timing chain replaced

[Balakay]

Hi all,

Just bought a 2007 GX-S Kluger 150KM’s on it. Bloke i bought it off says he paid $4k 1.5 months ago to replace the timing chain due to a rattle noise. I had the car inspected by a reputable mechanic who thought the timing chain was weird too but says the car was in great knick, service history only has 1 or 2 intervals that were around 15k but otherwise on time. But its my understanding the only way a timing chain goes at that low of KM’s would be letting the oil get too low/dirty. Do you guys think i could potentially be looking at some major issues in future?

[campbeam]

Rattle noise on cold start up is usually attributed to the VVTi actuator. Regular oil changes with a quality brand name oil is a must for the 2GR-FE engine.

There are quite a few threads on this Forum about oil change intervals, oil viscosity and recommended oils for the 2GR-FE engine. Consensus of opinion is to use a full synthetic oil with 5W-30 viscosity. I am currently using a 5W-40 full synthetic oil. As for the oil change interval, best to change the oil before it becomes too contaminated and dark in colour.

Just for information purposes, this video is worth viewing.

 

[Tony Prodigy]

On 10/25/2020 at 8:46 AM, Balakay said:

Bloke i bought it off says he paid $4k 1.5 months ago to replace the timing chain due to a rattle noise

Did it cure the rattle noise I wonder ??? Or did he simply do an engine flush to get the VVTI actuation to settle down and charge him like a wounded Bull.

Wow, what a major kick in the guts !!

[Balakay]

The receipt he gave me was a hand written one - says he got it cheaper for cash at a mechanic in hornsby. I called them and they stated they recommended and quoted him to replace both the chain and gears once they had the engine apart, but the owner only wanted to pay for the chain.

So he did not get the timing gears replaced. Other than that the guy reassured me the car is in good knick, and said they checked the oil after 500 KM's and it wasn't using any, still not sure if the guy got ripped off or what. As I said it does have service history with highest intervals being 15k - however it was driven in Sydney, could take you years of peak hour traffic to gain 15k... Does anyone think it matters that the timing gears were not replaced? And could other issues potentially arise?

[Tony Prodigy]

7 hours ago, Balakay said:

still not sure if the guy got ripped off or what.

I think that poor bloke did get shafted because it is extremely unusual for a 2GR-FE engine to need a new timing chain after only 150k. It should never need the chain replaced to be honest. I am still gobsmacked. I would've loved an inspection before they did that to see for myself, because I don't believe it. Those gears would be fine even at that mileage. Just another attempt to gouge the poor, gullible soul.

There are some real pieces of work out there !