timing belt change - help needed

[dthlo]

97 4runner v6 limited

I am a very novice gear head. How difficult of an undertaking is changing the timing belt? Is it something that can be done in a day? If so, is there a bulletproof tutorial, and are there other items that should be replaced/inspected while working on this? Thanks!

 

[kball]

http://www.nwtoys.com/forum/tech-article-submissions/1261-5vz-fe-timing-belt.html

The best I've seen.

 

[Buckaroo]

This job is not impossible for a novice but you will need patience, time and access to some tools. I would plan on 3 days if everything goes well - if not, it could take more. An experienced person could knock it out in a day. You need to have a plan for removing the crankshaft bolt. Note also the issues others are having with the hydraulic tensioner - if you are not replacing it, it needs to be compressed to get the belt on....

Good Luck....

 

[TheKorstjens]

This job is not impossible for a novice but you will need patience, time and access to some tools. I would plan on 3 days if everything goes well - if not, it could take more. An experienced person could knock it out in a day. You need to have a plan for removing the crankshaft bolt. Note also the issues others are having with the hydraulic tensioner - if you are not replacing it, it needs to be compressed to get the belt on....

Good Luck....

I agree with this. I did mine in ten hiurs but i have done quite a few on different vehicles. Crank bolt and belt tensioner are biggest issues on this job. Spray down alternator and a/c tensioner assemblies with some pb blaster the night before to make the nice and easy to work with. Youtube it up. Watch plenty of vids if u dont have experience. This will help etch the job into your brain a bit and then keep your favorite video close by to reference if an issue comes up. Have a good tourque wrench on hand. You need a big boy for the crank bolt. It was like 217 ftlbs if i remember correctly. Good luck

 

[Buckaroo]

Also would suggest buying a kit with all the parts. Lots of discussion on this forum about which kit is best. I purchased one on Ebay from Aircabinman. While you are in there, you probably should replace the water pump (mine was leaking). I replaced the hydraulic tensioner and the idler pulley as well but there was nothing wrong with them (at 187,000 miles) Also, it is a good opportunity to replace all the drive belts, the upper & lower radiator hoses and the thermostat (if you have not done this recently).

Korstjens is right about the torque wrench. Generally, the higher capacity wrenches have a range from ~50 - 250 ft-lbs. You really should use one of these to make sure you get that crank bolt tightened to spec....if it loosens up, it will make a lot of noise but in the mean time it will beat up the harmonic balancer pulley and perhaps damage the crankshaft.

 

[agloukhoff]

Let me know if you're close to Philly. I got the tensioner compressor you could borrow to avoid having to deal with the AC compressor.