The videos and posts found throughout this forum have given me courage to start wrenching on my 96 4runner 5VZ (with AT).

This past weekend was my second time ever taking a wrench to it. I replaced the front brake hoses, changed the oil, and drained and filled transmission and power steering.

When cleaning up, I found a bolt on the floor that I don’t recall taking off (pictured below) by the front driver-side tire. I am a bit freaked out. Does anyone recognize it? It doesn’t look like any I saw elsewhere on the T4R. Maybe it was laying on my skid plates from a previous repair? (I had the starter worked on in December).

Any ideas would be appreciated. I didn’t find anything (obviously) missing a bolt. I’m afraid to drive it with a missing bolt!

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Looks like a timing bolt cover bolt. Plastic timing belt cover. See if this bolt matches it.

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the timing belt cover either the top part above the fan or the lower part behind the crankshaft. Find a picture of these parts as there are a couple of hole that are hard to find.

Definitely one of the upper timing belt cover bolts. The one on the bottom left is the hardest to see.

Thanks all! Hopefully this is something that I can put back without having to take off the belts, fan, or radiator.

🤞

Hopefully I can find the process and torque spec somewhere in the FSM.

Yup. Bet the bolt fell onto the topside of the the skid plate during a previous repair.

No you should be good. A flashlight or a small mirror helps since some of the bolt locations are a little tricky to see looking straight down. I attached the page from the FSM. There's 6 bolts total and they are torqued to 9 N·m (90 kgf·cm, 80 in.·lbf). That's essentially just a tad tighter than finger tight, only snug enough so it doesn't fall back out again.

Attached Images

Timing Belt Cover.pdf (172.6 KB, 47 views)

Yep, that was it. It was the one on the bottom left.

Was able to get it with a deep socket and a torque wrench. Will check the rest of them in the AM for proper torque.

Thanks all! So helpful.