Here is a list of what my 4Runner needs as of 01/20/2008:

Description Qty MSRP Price Your Price Core Price Total Cost
Cooling system, Radiator, Lower hose, Lower hose, 4-runner, 8 cylinder 1 $17.50 $12.73 $0.00 $12.73
Cooling system, Radiator, Upper hose, Upper hose, 4-runner, 8 cylinder 1 $15.81 $11.51 $0.00 $11.51
Cooling system, Thermostat, Thermostat, 4-runner, 8 cylinder 1 $20.69 $16.98 $0.00 $16.98
Cooling system, Water pump, Water pump, 4-runner, 8 cylinder 1 $131.02 $95.12 $0.00 $95.12
Engine, Camshaft and timing, Idler pulley, Idler pulley, 4-runner - 4.7l - 4.7L 1 $81.22 $59.08 $0.00 $59.08
Engine, Camshaft and timing, Tensioner, Tensioner, 4-runner - 4.7l - 4.7L 1 $51.41 $37.40 $0.00 $37.40
Engine, Camshaft and timing, Timing belt, Timing belt, 4-runner, to 2/04 - 4.7l - 4.7L 1 $52.33 $38.07 $0.00 $38.07
Cooling, Water pump, Water pump, Gasket, Gasket - 4.7 liter - 4.7 liter 1 $5.37 $3.91 $0.00 $3.91
Cooling, Radiator and components, Radiator cap, Radiator cap - 4.7 liter - 4.7 liter 1 $13.00 $9.45 $0.00 $9.45
Cooling, Belts and pulleys, Serpentine belt, Serpentine belt - 4.7 liter - 4.7 liter 1 $48.41 $35.21 $0.00 $35.21
Brakes, Brake components, Front brakes, Rotor, Rotor, 4-runner, all, w/17" wheels 2 $151.93 $110.52 $0.00 $221.04
Total: $540.50
Estimated Shipping:
54.05

I have read every thread on this web site in regards to the timing belt replacement. What I don't have is a list of what special tools are required for the timing belt R&R and the Toyota Maintenance Manual Instructions for the timing belt and water pump replacements. I'm looking to get detailed M.M. instructions and the torque specifications to do this job.

Any help would be appreciated and I will be willing to pay someone for their labor to copy and email the M.M. instructions and torque values.

Application: 2003 4X4 4.7 V8 sport edition with the 2UZ-FE.

Best regards
Aaron

I have over 90k miles on mine. I am waiting for the spring time to do the job, so I would be interested in this info as well. To the best of knowledge I have not heard of anyone here doing this themselves??

My main concern is removing the large crankshaft nut. Old-school way is to attach a cheater-bar to the nut and turn the engine over with the ignition disabled (so that the engine does not start but turns over) and the force on the cheater-bar against the ground loosens it. This sounds scary but I have seen my dad do it several times when I was a kid in the 70

I have done 4.7 T-belt on just about everything but 4runners.(land cruiser, sequia, tundra, and even a Lexus LX470).....but all in all will be nearly the same, just some clearance differences, and maybe slight accessory changes.

First off I would NOT recommend this job to a novice do it yourselfer. It isn't really a hard job, but it takes at least half a day to do one on a lift with all the right tools, and knowlegde. And if you make a mistake it can and will be costly.

With that said, No, impact wrench will not fit for the balancer hub. I use a long chain wrench to hold the balancer, and a long(24-30") breaker bar to break the bolt loose....very tight most of the time

Aaron, how many miles on you truck? You really don't NEED to change some of those parts listed....might save you some $$$$.....like rad hoses, and idler, and tensioner.....I mean the pulleys are ok to change for peice of mind....but I don't change them unless they are bad. Also, I didn't see any RTV sealant on your list. If you change the WP, Toyota doesn't make a gasket for the water neck that bolts to the WP......RTV here

Hope that helps, Jason.

When I did the timing belt on the civic I pulled the starter and jammed a screwdriver thru the flywheel, put the car in first gear with tires on ground and used a breaker bar with pipe on the end. Came right off. Will be doing the runner this summer also as I have about 110k plus and never change the chain. Should be fun times.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by greasefingers
[B]
My main concern is removing the large crankshaft nut. Old-school way is to attach a cheater-bar to the nut and turn the engine over with the ignition disabled (so that the engine does not start but turns over) and the force on the cheater-bar against the ground loosens it. This sounds scary but I have seen my dad do it several times when I was a kid in the 70

No need to change a timing chain. The 4th gen V6 uses a timing chain, the V8(being discussed here), uses a timing belt.

You said chain, so I'm assuming you have the V6? If so, no need to worry about changing it.

Jason thanks for the info. I currently have 82,000 miles on the 2003 4Runner. I figure I will hit 90K by this summer. I recently started doing my maintenance on the "overkill" side because that is what I am used to for the line of work I'm in and it pays off in regards to reliabilty when you need it most. My wife and I use this 4Runner as a tool with towing a 5K pound trailer all over California and up some steep grades to Tahoe, CA. I work this 4Runner hard, but also do allot of preventative maintenance. So far not one break down. You are correct that I don't need to replace all those itmes; however, when I add them up it only came out to just over $100. The piece of mind is worth it to me versus re-living the memories of having a $15 radiator hose blow out on me that ruined a family vacation years ago or have a thermostat stick that overheated my dodge truck and ruined a great deer hunting trip to the Trinity Alps years back. I now replace all consumable items if I'm in the area. I have a tool box full of high temp RTV, so I will keep in mind your suggestions. Hopefully the RTV won't be expired by the time I use it. That stuff isn't cheap. By the way do you let your RTV completely cure before installing the water neck or do you just let it set up and thicken a little and then install it? When I remove the differential covers on my dodge, I usually just let it set up for about 3-5 minutes and then install. I have always wondered if letting it cure completly is the better option.

Let us know how your timing belt replacement goes on the 4Runner. Somebody here will have to pave the road for the rest of us.

Aaron, I see where you're coming from on the preventative maintenance stand point. I work at a service department and I'm used to doing what is needed at the time. Most customers won't buy anything if it's not "needed".

As for the RTV, I put a thick bead on, and put it right together. It has plenty time as you're assembling everything else to set up. The most important part is cleaning all of the old sealer off of the water neck before applying the new RTV..... I had one leak on me because I left behind some old RTV. If it's going to leak though, you will see it leak right away.

Hope that helps.

So am I to understand that you break the force of the harmonic balancer(crankshaft nut) with the force of your hands on the chain wrench?

Also: Isn't the tensioner the most important part of the timing belt. I would think that this would be the main thing that would fail after replacing the belt in the next 90,000 miles or 180,000 miles total for that component?

Hey dude, can you answer me a question then. I was at the dealership talking to a tech and he told me that the 4.0V6 was a non-interference motor. Couple people on here informed me that it was an interference motor. I would suspect from the compression and timing chain that it is a interference. If not I will just wait till it breaks

Aaron,

Funny all this timing belt replacement talk. I replaced my timing belt just this last weekend. It took myself and a buddy a day and a half to replace the timing belt, idler pulleys (left & right), tensioner, water pump, serpentine belt, & coolant. The job was not really that bad just time consuming. Plus wanted to make sure everything was correct. I would not suggest doing this unless you are a little mechanically inclined. I used the instructions from the Toyota service manual. All the torque specs are in there as well as pretty good step by step instructions. And yes you need to use a chain wrench to get the crankshaft pulley off. Once we figured that out it was a piece of cake. The timing belt did not look bad at all. Probably could have gone another 20,000 mi. My 4runner had 96,000 mi. on it. If you have any questions please just let me know.

I am 99.9% it is an interferance motor. Most chain motors are. I have been with Toyota for about a year, but almost certain it would be interference. But, there is no need to change a timing chain unless you have some type of problem with it, which are rare unless you have a TON of miles....... No service required for the timing chain on the 4.0 V6.

Yes, correct....the chain wrench in one hand, and the breaker bar in the other. If I can't get it loose that way, sometimes you can let the chain wrench up against the bottom of the frame rail, then you can pull with everything you have on the breaker bar. Or get a buddy to hold it. Know that it will be very difficult to loosen on the ground, or a jack.

As for the tensioner, I have yet to see one go bad.(not saying it can't, or won't fail....just speaking from what I have personally seen) I have however, replaced a couple of Idler pulleys(including the one for the tensioner, but so far, not the tensioner itself).

This is great news!!! Thanks for the info. I sent you a few questions via email. I didn't know there were two idler pulleys...are they the same part number? I researched online and even the timing belt kits only show one idler pulley and one tensioner.

Looks like there are a few of us getting ready to perform this task on the same 4.7 engine. Feel free to share with us the difficulties you ran across.

Aaron

Yea I have 93,000 miles on her now. I will wait for May/June to come around before I dive into it. That way my son will be home from college and can give me a hand with the crankshaft pulley.

Someone mentioned a timing belt kit. Is this a dealer item? I was thinking of buying my stuff from Partznet.

I once saw a timing belt with white tick marks on it for alignment. Does the 4runner belt have this?

I replaced my Volvo

Here is a link for an example of what they call a timing belt kit. It's actually a joke because it doesn't save you any money if you compare it to a online web site where you can purchase the items separately. I'm basing this decision on the picture that only shows 1 tensioner and 1 idler.

By the way...I don't believe these are even dealer parts. I will be buying my parts separately from a toyota parts supplier.

http://www2.partstrain.com/store/?N=...264+11921+5903

Aaron