Shoutout to my odometer for finally rolling over 200,000 miles

I was driving home from work last Tuesday and glanced down right as the numbers hit 200,000. My 2003 Toyota Corolla has been through three alternators and a cracked radiator but the engine still purrs. I did a full timing belt swap myself at 180k and replaced the valve cover gasket last winter. Has anyone else hit a big milestone with a car they fixed up themselves?

2 comments

2 Comments

paulc936d ago

Actually you don't need to swap a timing belt on a 2003 Corolla at 180k miles. Those 1ZZ-FE engines have a timing chain, not a belt. It's a really common mistake though, a lot of people mix them up with the older models that used belts. Still good that you were keeping up with maintenance, that engine will probably go another 100k easy if you keep the oil changed. The valve cover gasket job is a pain on those, I did mine a couple years ago and it took me way longer than it should have.

seanperry5d ago

Hold up, I gotta push back a little. The 1ZZ definitely has a timing chain, not a belt, so you're right there. But honestly, at 180k miles, I'd still be checking that chain tensioner and guides. I've seen those chains stretch enough to cause issues if oil changes were sloppy.