GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Just discovered my father-in-law's '05 Vibe Base hit 96K mi. Being a Honda person most of my life I told him we should replace the timing belt. I'm used to putting a timing belt kit into a Honda at 90k (all belts, tensioners, and water pump). Did this on my Wife's '01 Sienna which is the only Toyota I've owned, and thought it'd be the same with the Vibe. I fired up AllDataDIY to find out much to my surprise that 1ZZ's have a timing chain. I looked in my electronic copy of the owner's manual and I can't find a maintenance interval for the timing chain.

So, my question is, when does one change the timing chain?

That's the nice thing about a chain. You don't change it.

With timely oil changes 200k miles or more.

I'm pretty sure the timing chain in ours will outlive the rest of the car.

The main timing chain related component that often needs attention in the Vibe is the tensioner. The O-ring often gives out over time and it starts to leak oil. It wouldn't be a bad idea to check the rear of the engine on the passenger side for signs of fresh oil or grime, if so it's an easy fix to replace either the o-ring itself or the entire tensioner with a new one. Aside from that, I wouldn't worry much about the chain.

Thank you all for your quick and informative replies.

I'll check the tensioner to see if it's leaking. I imagine replacing it is easier than doing a timing belt kit on a Honda.