Timing Belt Change and misc. Gen3 T4R

[Tmac2010]

Hey there everyone, I'm obviously a new guy to this forum and so far I love it. Most everyone seems to be very helpful. I have however not found much information on changing timing belts and the entire process. I have watched Toyota Tim's video but just wanted to see if any one else had any recommendations or past excursions into the engine bay that might help me out.

I also have some kind of coolant leak that doesn't appear to be just from the radiator.. it looks like all over so I'm thinking water pump gasket... but i think i also found some up on top of the intake manifold.. are there any coolant lines up there??? Thank you all so much for all of the help.

The guy I bought this from didn't do the best of taking care of regular maintenance other than oil changes from what it appears.

Parts I've bought: Radiator, Power Str Pump, Both lines for the Steering Pump, Fan Clutch, Rotors, New front calipers (they were toast..), Brake pads, Front sway bar bushings, front and rear sway bar links.

Parts to buy: Front Struts, Rear shocks, Tie rods front and rear, some other smaller things.

If anyone has any additional advice about anything I'd be grateful.

 

[phattyduck]

Have a backup vehicle to use in case you have a problem and go for it.

You probably have a coolant leak that is getting on the engine fan and that's spraying it all over. The closest coolant to the top of the intake manifold is at the bottom of the throttle body.

The timing belt is pretty straightforward as V motors go...

Do the work in sections - get all the engine stuff done and fixed/working, then move to the suspension. If you aren't used to big projects, it can be intimidating to try to do that much at once.

-Charlie

 

[TheDurk]

^^what Charlie said about the coolant leak. Here is my favorite (non-video) DIY:

https://web.archive.org/web/20160302203507/http://www.nwtoys.com/forum/tech-article-submissions/1261-5vz-fe-timing-belt.html

My own contribution is this trick for getting the belt on:

What you want to do is loosen the center idler (the green one until it tilts up. Then position the belt using the clips on the cam wheels. Then tighten bolt on idler, recheck position, and then release the tensioner.

There are lots of threads if you search for them, for example on how to build a holder tool for getting the crank bolt on and off. You need that, as well as a torque wrench which can do 216 ft-ilbs. here was mine:

On the 2x4 type, key is putting the boltholes on the diagonal and leaving a lot of woof PAST the hole. Otherwise, it will split.

 

[128keaton]

^^what Charlie said about the coolant leak. Here is my favorite (non-video) DIY:

https://web.archive.org/web/20160302203507/http://www.nwtoys.com/forum/tech-article-submissions/1261-5vz-fe-timing-belt.html

My own contribution is this trick for getting the belt on:

What you want to do is loosen the center idler (the green one until it tilts up. Then position the belt using the clips on the cam wheels. Then tighten bolt on idler, recheck position, and then release the tensioner.

There are lots of threads if you search for them, for example on how to build a holder tool for getting the crank bolt on and off. You need that, as well as a torque wrench which can do 216 ft-ilbs. here was mine:

On the 2x4 type, key is putting the boltholes on the diagonal and leaving a lot of woof PAST the hole. Otherwise, it will split.

I love seeing how other people solve these problems. I did something similar to you with welding some allen wrenches on some angle iron.

 

[JKD]

If you like spending money on tools, for the crankshaft/harmonic balancer:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009TCA758/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Tmac2010]

Gotcha, I have noticed it in several places and it doesn't leak down daily but the overflow tank needs to be refilled like every 2 to 3. So its not a monster leak but its there for sure. I think the water pump might be leaking pretty bad, but I won't know until I get everything off.

 

[Tmac2010]

Is it possible to change the water pump without removing everything?

 

[AntleredRuin]

Nope, the water pump is behind EVERYTHING. Everything must come off.
I did the full job a few months back because my water pump was leaking. I couldn't pinpoint the leak, as it was ALL wet, and I had about 90k miles since the last job, so it was time. The belt still looked fine, but I figured I might as well, while I'm there.


I'm just repeating info stated elsewhere, but 2 things that will save you a lot of time and grief:

1: You can access the tensioner bolts from underneath - you do NOT need to remove the A/C compressor. That's a ton of extra unnecessary work. You will need a few 6 inch extensions and swivelers, but you can reach them. I had to use a 1/4" drive flexible extension and swivelers because the 3/8" sockets were too thick, but I got it.

2: Do NOT tighten the tensioner bolts until the t-belt is fully on. The tensioner mounts upside down (the bolts point up) so as you tighten them, the tensioner is lifted higher. Get the bolts just barely threaded on, then slide the t-belt on. That will give you about an inch of slack in the belt which will be VERY helpful.

If you've not already, buy an OBD2 BlueTooth adapter and get the Torque app and monitor those coolant temps! Keep several jugs of distilled water with you at all times and top off the radiator before you drive EVERY TIME. Don't go by the overflow tank, go by the radiator. The overflow tank only works well when the radiator is properly full. If it drains too much, putting a few quarts of water in the overflow isn't going to help much.


To remove the crank bolt, I braced my breaker bar against the frame and bumped the starter. Rather, my dad bumped the starter while I watched to make sure it didn't slip. It broke loose the bolt easily with a loud crack, and scared the crap out of my dad because he though the crack was the breaker bar hitting me in the face. (I was well out of the way; I was just eyeballing it to make sure it didn't fling itself through the fender).

To tighten the bolt, I made this:
https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f116/crankshaft-camshaft-bolt-removal-tool-186081/
Cost me like $11 all in, and worked great. I had to rent a 250ft/lb torque wrench from AutoZone. (tip: make sure the torque wrench actually works before you leave the store. I had to make a second trip there because the one I picked up just spun)