While the Highlander Hybrid has a timing belt and a non-interference engine, all regular 2010 Toyota Highlander models have timing chains and interference engines. Check out the information in the table below.
In This Article...
How can I tell if my engine is causing interference or not?
A basic internal combustion engine has valves that open toward the pistons and are located in the cylinder head.
The distance between the completely open valve and the piston at the top position distinguishes an interference engine from a non-interference engine.
The engine is referred to as a non-interference engine if there is a gap. An interference engine is used if there is no gap. We produced these two animations as examples.
As seen in this image, the pistons in many non-interference engines include valve relief zones for greater valve-to-piston clearance.
When it comes to problems involving a timing belt or timing chain, understanding the type of engine is crucial. The engine crankshaft and camshaft rotate in unison thanks to a timing chain or belt.
The primary component that transforms the pistons’ reciprocating action into rotating motion is a crankshaft. The component that regulates valve opening and shutting is a camshaft. An exact two crankshaft rotations are equal to one camshaft revolution, which revolves at half the speed of the crankshaft.
Each valve only fully opens when the piston of the same cylinder is not in the top position since these two shafts are synced (called “top dead center” or TDC).
Q: What vehicles have interference engines?
What automobiles have interference engines, if that is your query? Chrysler 1.4L, Audi 1.8L, 1.9L Interference, all Acura (excluding SLX Interference), GEO 1.0L Interference, GM, Saturn 1.0L Interference, 1.5L, etc. are among the vehicles on the list.
The majority of Toyota models have freewheeling transmissions, and some of them have interference engines. Toyota Sequoia, Toyota Land Cruiser (19982000), and Toyota Tundra are common examples.
Please read the section that explains how to spot vehicles with interference engines if the make and model of your car aren’t listed above and you’re not sure whether it has one.
Q: What makes an engine an interference engine?
Interference engines are four-stroke car engines in which, when the engine is operating, one or more of the valves in the fully open space reach any place where the piston moves. As a result of taking up the same space as the open valve, the piston causes interference.
In an interference engine, there is no space between the completely open valve and the piston at top dead center (TDC). In the case of non-interference engines, however, there is a gap. Yes, this is a key characteristic that sets an interference engine from from a non-interference engine.
Q: What happens if a timing belt breaks on a non-interference engine?
A few cam or gear teeth will be skipped when the timing belt in an interference engine breaks. If so, there will be an improper synchronization between the rotation of the crankshaft and the camshaft.
The pistons will automatically strike the valves as a result of the timing belt breaking since they will keep moving and do so while the valves are fully open. If this keeps happening, the valves will get damaged, and the engine of the car will probably too.
Therefore, a timing belt failure in a non-interference engine will cause the vehicle’s engine to shut down immediately. As opposed to an interference engine, it won’t result in the piston striking the valve.
The solution in this situation would be to replace the damaged timing belt and re-time the engine of the car. Once everything is finished, you can be sure that the engine in your car will once again run without any problems.
Q: What engines are non-interference engines?
Returning to the definition of engine type, non-interference engines are those used in vehicles that don’t have any space for the piston to obstruct the valves. The piston enters the gap produced by the fully open valves of the engine, which is completely the opposite of an interference engine. The following engines are on the non-interference engine list:
Is the Toyota Tacoma 3.4 engine interference?
All four-cylinder Toyota Tacomas feature interference engines with a timing chain as standard equipment. Timing chains and interference engines are standard in V6 Toyota Tacomas from 2005 through 2021. Timing belts and non-interference engines are standard on V6 models from 1995 to 2004.
In contrast to the 2004 Toyota Tacoma 3.4L V6 190 hp (5VZ-FE) option, the 2021 Toyota Tacoma 2.7L 4 Cyl. 159 hp (2TR-FE) option has a timing chain.
Will my engine be destroyed if my timing belt breaks?
First of all, how could you possibly predict when your timing belt will fail? Your car cannot function at all without a timing belt, which is really fairly basic. The automobile will quickly break down if the belt breaks while you’re driving, and your engine could sustain extremely catastrophic damage. In order to take action before it is too late, you need to be on the lookout for warning signs and symptoms of a weakening timing belt. These include your engine making loud clicking or screaming noises, misfiring, and not starting at all.
What occurs if the timing belt on an interference engine breaks?
The engine won’t start if the timing belt snaps. An interference engine’s camshaft will stop turning if a timing belt breaks while the engine is running, leaving some engine valves open.
By virtue of inertia, the heavier crankshaft will continue to rotate, lifting and lowering the pistons. The pistons will then strike the open valves as a result of this. As a result, the engine may sustain severe damage, including cylinder head and block destruction, broken or bent valves, damaged pistons, and perhaps damaged or bent pistons.
In a non-interference engine, the damage will be less severe, but in both situations, the engine will stall and leave you stranded.
What happens if a Toyota’s timing belt snaps?
An engine that is freewheeling will simply stop running if the timing belt fails. But interference engines are used in several other Toyota motors. In other words, the pistons take up the same amount of space in the cylinders as the open valves do.
What happens if a timing belt on an engine that doesn’t interfere breaks?
Your engine will stop working, to put it bluntly. If your engine is an interference engine, you may also notice serious engine damage, such as:
- piston injury
- damaged cylinder head
- a damaged camshaft
- damaged cylinder walls
- fractured or bent valves
Failure of the timing belt could result in expensive engine repairs costing thousands of dollars. This kind of engine damage happens because the camshaft stops turning when your timing belt snaps while the engine is running. But because of inertia, the crankshaft will continue to rotate. The pistons will therefore continue to rise in the cylinder and strike the valves.
But what will happen if a non-interference engine’s timing belt snaps? Although it won’t sustain any harm, a non-interference engine will stop operating. This is due to the fact that open valves won’t be struck by the pistons in a non-interference engine.
Why don’t all engines have a non-interference design, you might be wondering? The reason why interference engines can have higher compression ratios is the solution. In turn, this enables the engine to produce more power while using less fuel. Modern engines almost universally have an interference design.
Can valves be bent in a non-interference engine?
The engine isn’t likely to be wrecked if the timing belt breaks, but you might wind up with bent valves and need to rebuild your cylinder heads. This is because non-interference engines have clearance between the valves and pistons.
Is the 3.4 V6 Toyota engine reliable?
One of the most dependable engines on the market is the Toyota 3.4L V6. The 19952004 Tacoma, 20002004 Tundra, 19951998 T100, and 19962002 4Runner are among the American vehicles that have the engine code 5VZFE.
The Toyota VZ line of engines, which were manufactured from 1988 to 2004, culminated in the 5VZ-FE. By the time Toyota reached the fifth generation, they had incorporated all of their knowledge into the engine to create a fantastic, dependable powertrain. Depending on the design, they can produce up to 190 horsepower and 220 pound-feet of torque.
Off-road fans love them for their excellent oil cooler that is built right into the radiator. When you are driving the engine hard or in dusty conditions when you do not get a lot of airflow into the engine, this helps keep the engine oil cool. If you take care of these motors, they are known to endure well over 300,000 miles.
What occurs if the timing belt on a Tacoma breaks?
The engine will run badly and the check engine light will probably come on if the timing belt is beginning to fail. The engine will immediately stall if the belt snaps, and internal engine damage may result.
Is the Toyota Tacoma engine interference?
The Toyota Tacoma has a variety of engines with either a timing belt or a timing chain from the model years 1995 to 2021. Both interference and non-interference engines are also present.
Is the 5VZ Fe an effective motor?
I certainly hope there aren’t any surprises in this. Throughout this post, we have done our best to make things very obvious, if not a little repetitious. Some people rank the Toyota 5VZ-FE engine, which powers many Toyota vehicles, as one of the most dependable ever. The 3.4L Toyota engine might not last as long as some other engines. Few engines, nevertheless, can run for that long with so few failures.
It would have been practically difficult to write about any Toyota 5VZ-FE engine issues ten or fifteen years ago. All engines, nevertheless, suffer from the effects of aging, and even the most dependable ones eventually fail. With time and mileage, gaskets, hoses, cables, etc. deteriorate. It’s possible that you will experience at least one or two minor issues if you intend to keep the 3.4 V6 for a lengthy period of time.
Otherwise, if you take care of the 5VZ-FE, it will probably repay you with outstanding dependability. Use high-quality oils, replace the fluids on schedule, and address issues as soon as they arise. If you follow these steps, the Toyota 5VZ-FE may very well last for 300,000 to 400,000 miles or more. Examples of this on engines with a long lifespan and few issues are not difficult to locate.
About Zach Mayock
Zach, who lives in Aurora, Colorado, received his degree from the University of Colorado Boulder in 2016. He co-founded 8020 Media with Jake and was a key contributor to the creation of TuningPro, BMWTuning, and DieselIQ. Zach has been working on and writing about vehicles for more than ten years.
Zach’s main love is BMW, and he presently travels in a 2007 335i with almost 600 horsepower. Also waiting for him is a new G80 M3. He has worked with Ford, Chevy, Honda, Subaru, and a lot more, so his expertise goes far beyond BMW.
Zach is an accomplished writer with more than 400 articles to his credit in the auto sector. Zach is able to produce in-depth, high-quality automobile articles for our blogs thanks to his knowledge and experience.