Toyota Timing Belt Replacement (PART 1) for 3.4L V6 5VZ-FE

[mtbtim]

Just now saw this thread. I haven't had a chance to watch it yet but thanks for taking the time to make a timing belt video! Also appreciate the tool links & the different methods for installing the belt in the description. I also struggled getting the belt on & was probably the most time consuming part for me. Loosening the tensioner bolts sounds like a good trick I'll have to try next time. I tried the other method you mentioned but was also concerned about cross threading the bolt so I discontinued that route.

When I helped my friend do his timing belt on his 3rd gen, we had a new tensioner but had to remove & re-compress it a few times because we thought we had all the timing marks on the sprockets lined up but soon as we pulled the tensioner pin it shifted the timing marks off a tooth. We had to use a 6" c-clamp to compress the tensioner since we didn't have the tensioner tool.

That's interesting you had problems with the sprockets shifting once you pulled the timing belt tensioner pin. When I pulled the pin, nothing happened because that belt was on there so tight the #1 idler pulley was very firmly pushing against the piston of the tensioner. I was thinking that the tensioner is just there to keep proper tension on the belt as the belt ages and stretches a little. I was also thinking that not all belts are created equal and maybe some are a little tighter than others. The one we used was from the kit "aircabinman" sells on Ebay. We were also trying to put this belt on at 10:30pm and maybe having the belt colder and less pliable wasn't helping us either.

 

[fourfive]

That's interesting you had problems with the sprockets shifting once you pulled the timing belt tensioner pin. When I pulled the pin, nothing happened because that belt was on there so tight the #1 idler pulley was very firmly pushing against the piston of the tensioner.

Well, since we were able to eventually get things lined up I'm guessing it was an error on our part & we probably shifted or bumped something out of place when we were fumbling around trying to get the tensioner installed.

 

[mtbtim]

Well, since we were able to eventually get things lined up I'm guessing it was an error on our part & we probably shifted or bumped something out of place when we were fumbling around trying to get the tensioner installed.

Roger that. It was a definite learning experience for me. I think the next one I do will go much smoother now that I have the bolts to use with my puller to get the crankshaft pulley off and now that I know some other tricks to getting the timing belt on easier.

 

[octanejunkie]

Can't wait to watch this video, thanks for your hard work in documenting and updating the info [MENTION=120071]mtbtim[/MENTION] and [MENTION=102606]infamousRNR[/MENTION] :dancin:

Regarding removing/installing the belt, there is a 3.4L head gasket swap series on YouTube that was linked recently on another thread, the guy in the video takes the tensioner off completely from underneath - he had to remove the PS pump and AC compressor and brackets (not disconnect, just unbolt and move aside) to get to the tensioner bolts - that was on a Taco

 

[BigFishAllDay]

Great video guys! It's on the long side, but definitely worth the time to watch. I think you guys did a good job of editing it down to be as short as possible without leaving anything out... there really are a lot of steps to cover.

I have never had the occasion to use one of your videos before, but this one I will definitely refer to as I have this job coming due on my '01.

Thanks for you contributions to the knowledge base, and keep up the good work!

 

[mtbtim]

Great video guys! It's on the long side, but definitely worth the time to watch. I think you guys did a good job of editing it down to be as short as possible without leaving anything out... there really are a lot of steps to cover.

I have never had the occasion to use one of your videos before, but this one I will definitely refer to as I have this job coming due on my '01.

Thanks for you contributions to the knowledge base, and keep up the good work!

Glad you like the video. But, please don't follow our lead on getting the timing belt onto that last pulley with the plastic bicycle tire lever. I've since learned the trick of backing off the tensioner bolts a little so the #1 idler pulley rotates over more and makes it WAY WAY easier to get the belt on. We list this option and another option to getting the belt on easier in the video description.

We have a Part 2 to this video coming out because we had to dig back into Sean's motor investigating a sound that surfaced two weeks after the job. Ends up my heli coil fix for the #1 idler pulley bolt hole wasn't perfect and caused the pulley to sit a little crooked and also made the pulley have a ton of resistance to pivot which probably didn't allow the tensioner to do it's job effectively to keep the belt properly tensioned. The good thing was we were able to film a few things we didn't get to film before, one of them being showing an easier way to get the belt on. So, stay tuned!

 

[BigFishAllDay]

Yup, I saw the tips and info you guys added after the fact about getting the new belt in place. I'll keep an eye out for your next installment.

 

[mtbtim]

Toyota Timing Belt Replacement (PART 2) for 3.4L V6 5VZ-FE

Part 2 to this job came about because Sean and I had to investigate a noise that surfaced 2 weeks after we finished his Timing Belt Replacement. To say the least, we weren't excited that we had to tear apart the front of his engine again but the good thing is we are now able to show you some things we didn't show in Part 1. https://youtu.be/vHC46ypHxWc

The Big One we're able to show you is an easier way to getting the timing belt on. In Part 1 we fought the belt and ended up using a plastic tire iron to lever the belt up onto the #1 idler pulley. In this video, we use the technique of backing off the tensioner bolts a little to make it much easier to slip the belt on. It worked great!

We also show you how you'd compress your tensioner in a vice so you can reuse it, a final way to confirm your timing belt is on correctly and share some advice when dealing with the aluminum oil pump body when pulling parts off and putting them back on.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mErd7xoBS9I" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[LittleCaesar]

Very nice Tim. My guess is that with the 10mm hex bolt for the #2 idler the previous mechanic used an impact to remove and install it. I have found through the years that using a ratchet instead of an impact in such a situation (think of removing caliper pins on brake calipers) lessens the chance of stripping threads plus allows for the correct amount of tension to be placed on the bolt when installing.

In my timing job I removed a oil cover bolt by accident thinking it was part of the water pump. No harm, no foul.

 

[sogoood]

you dropped an F bomb lol. i think you can't monetize on a youtube video if you swear now. i want you to make more videos so bleep out those words!

 

[mtbtim]

you dropped an F bomb lol. i think you can't monetize on a youtube video if you swear now. i want you to make more videos so bleep out those words!

Well, it's monetized for now. I reckon we'll have to see what happens. It was one little swear word so maybe the YouTube police missed it.

 

[Gulah]

Tim, thanks so much for making these videos. I just finished my timing belt replacement and it was wonderful having this available whenever I ever needed it. All of your videos that I've referenced so far have been excellent. If our paths ever cross the beers are most definitely on me.


A couple comments just in case they help someone else:
This write-up had the missing torque specs, 38ft/lb for the fan bracket (seems correct) and 48in/lb for the fan (the author was suspicious of this value, as was I; I went by feel).

I didn't remove the dipstick tube to minimize risk of contamination, I unbolted it briefly and spun it out of the way.

The hardest part for me was installing the cam seals. I didn't have the seal tool you used and tried to tap them in with an appropriately sized ball joint press sleeve. Next time i will buy the correct tool. The crank seal went in by hand.

The next most difficult part was getting the timing belt on the right crankshaft tooth after aligning everything TDC. I ended up setting the crankshaft about a half tooth before TDC to get everything aligned. I left the tensioner completely uninstalled until I got the belt on. My FSM does it in this order as well IIRC.

My timing belt looked new with 120k miles, the idler pulleys and tensioner had ~0 oil seepage with likely 177k miles. My fan bracket bearing however was a bit rough so I replaced it. Other people on the internet have mentioned replacing it as regular maintenance.

Not comfortable with unspecified belt deflection, and not dying to buy that fancy belt tension tool you have, I gave this tool a try. It seems surprisingly precise; I'll have a better feel for it when I recheck tension tomorrow.

Thanks again.

 

[mtbtim]

Tim, thanks so much for making these videos. I just finished my timing belt replacement and it was wonderful having this available whenever I ever needed it. All of your videos that I've referenced so far have been excellent. If our paths ever cross the beers are most definitely on me.


A couple comments just in case they help someone else:
This write-up had the missing torque specs, 38ft/lb for the fan bracket (seems correct) and 48in/lb for the fan (the author was suspicious of this value, as was I; I went by feel).

I didn't remove the dipstick tube to minimize risk of contamination, I unbolted it briefly and spun it out of the way.

The hardest part for me was installing the cam seals. I didn't have the seal tool you used and tried to tap them in with an appropriately sized ball joint press sleeve. Next time i will buy the correct tool. The crank seal went in by hand.

The next most difficult part was getting the timing belt on the right crankshaft tooth after aligning everything TDC. I ended up setting the crankshaft about a half tooth before TDC to get everything aligned. I left the tensioner completely uninstalled until I got the belt on. My FSM does it in this order as well IIRC.

My timing belt looked new with 120k miles, the idler pulleys and tensioner had ~0 oil seepage with likely 177k miles. My fan bracket bearing however was a bit rough so I replaced it. Other people on the internet have mentioned replacing it as regular maintenance.

Not comfortable with unspecified belt deflection, and not dying to buy that fancy belt tension tool you have, I gave this tool a try. It seems surprisingly precise; I'll have a better feel for it when I recheck tension tomorrow.

Thanks again.

I considered the belt tension tool you provided a link to but opted to buy the more expensive tool after reading through reviews on Amazon. That's good to know the inexpensive Gates tool works well.

 

[cfb2702]

How an old guy did it...

The video turned out good. The only thing I wish we did is have an easier way to show people how to get the timing belt on. I ended up using a trick from my bicycling bag of tricks but I know now there's a couple different options that would have made the job easier.

The trick I'm going to try next time first is to back off the timing belt tensioner bolts a few turns each to allow the #1 idler pulley to move over a little more to the left so it would be easier to slip the belt up onto the pulley. After the belt is up on the pulley, I'll just tighten the 2 tensioner bolts back up.

There's another trick that supposedly many use to get the belt on and that's taking the #2 idler pulley off and starting the belt on the crank pulley gear first, then getting it onto the #1 idler pulley, onto the water pump pulley and then onto the cam shaft pulleys lining up the marks on the belt with the pulley marks. You capture the timing belt with the #2 idler pulley and then bolt it to the engine. Supposedly it's an easy process and there's low risk to cross-threading the #2 idler pulley bolt or bolt hole. Using this method still has me skeptical because I'd hate to try to start the bolt with a lot of tension on that pulley and then end up stripping the bolt hole. I'll have to experience it firsthand to be a believer unless somebody shows me a video of how easy it is.

I was really thankful for finding Timmy's and Sean's video. A few weeks ago I had just finished putting struts on my wife's Navigator and thought all the projects were done for the year. Needless to say, an early morning puddle of coolant under my 97 Limited and my plans changed.

I didn't have a helper on the job, and noticed that each time I was able to get the belt over the tensioner, my cams would move one cog to the left (facing the engine). Crank mark was still spot on. After it happened a second time, I called it a night and decided to give it (and me) a rest for the day.

The next morning, I thought about how to use this cam movement to my advantage. I didn't want to rotate the crank because I didn't have a helper to hold it in the event that the bolt was too tight to remove. I slipped the belt off the crank and the tensioner idler, leaving it at TDC.

I then used my pulley rotation tool (like the Schley) and rotated the cams to one cog right of TDC. You have to be patient because this is very near the point they want to flip over. After I was satisfied with their position, I clamped the belt to the pulleys with one-handed bar clamps. I then routed the belt back over the water pump and crank, and when I put it over the tensioner idler, all the timing marks lined up correctly. Followed through by turning over the motor a couple of times using the cam pulley to TDC again and checked marks to make sure timing was correct.

While I had the timing covers off, I changed the valve cover gaskets and plug seals. The additional room with the covers off allowed more room to clean up the mating surfaces and get a good seal on the covers.

Thanks again for the great videos....

 

[cfb2702]

How an old guy did it... (part deux)

Was having trouble getting my taped 1/4" wobble joint to hold steady enough to install the hidden tensioner bolt. Used a flexible mechanic's grabber and it was a little easier to hit the hole without an extension blocking my view..

https://www.amazon.com/RamPro-Flexi...119678&sr=1-4&keywords=flex+cable+pickup+tool

 

[mtbtim]

Was having trouble getting my taped 1/4" wobble joint to hold steady enough to install the hidden tensioner bolt. Used a flexible mechanic's grabber and it was a little easier to hit the hole without an extension blocking my view..

https://www.amazon.com/RamPro-Flexi...119678&sr=1-4&keywords=flex+cable+pickup+tool

I like this idea. I think I'll buy the same tool. Thanks for sharing this.

 

[cfb2702]

I learned a lot thanks to you and Sean. Don't think I would've ever tackled it without your video. I glad my cam move worked. Don't know how I would've ever been able to get the belt tight enough without some help.

 

[mtbtim]

I learned a lot thanks to you and Sean. Don't think I would've ever tackled it without your video. I glad my cam move worked. Don't know how I would've ever been able to get the belt tight enough without some help.

Hey Bud,

There was some serious frustration for us too getting the timing belt on, but once we learned that trick of keeping the tensioner bolts backed off some so the idler pulley would move over a bit more, it was a piece of cake.

When we were first trying to force the belt on in the Part 1, the cams did turn on us a bunch. But, when very minimal force is needed to get the belt onto the last pulley like we show in Part 2, the cams didn't move on us.

The factory service manual actually recommends putting the timing belt tensioner on last, after the belt is on. I missed reading this when we were doing the job. However, when I do this job again, I'll repeat what we show in Part 2. I'll put the tensioner on but keep the bolts loose so it's easier to get the belt on. I think this method works really well.

I'm stoked our video gave you the confidence to tackle this job. This kind of feedback makes me very happy and let's us know the time we are putting into making these videos is worth it. Thank you for sharing your success with us. Happy Wrenching Brother!

 

[cfb2702]

I watched both parts of the video before starting the job, thanks in part to your encouragement to watch part 2. I thought I had it the very first shot when I got the belt on. Was already doing a happy dance in my head and wiping off my hand to give myself a pat on the back when I noticed the cams off.

I didn't have any of the clips you used, so I used the one-handed bar clamps like these:https://www.homedepot.com/p/DEWALT-...LVOPBri_eKBPRRRE_ANgg5-uzuPx7tNhoCjhsQAvD_BwE

Had a bigger set as well and thought wedging one or both into the engine compartment to hold the cams steady when it occurred to me that a tiny bit of forward rotation on the cams might solve my issue. I got lucky and it did.

I know it takes a huge amount of time to do what you guys did with the editing and posting of the video. I've already recommended it to others. Thanks again.

 

[4Runner4Leon]

I'll put the tensioner on but keep the bolts loose so it's easier to get the belt on. I think this method works really well.

Tim, that's exactly how I did it, and it worked great! Of course as you know, I also took the approach of loosening the AC compressor and PS pump (as the FSM recommends), so the tensioner bolts were perfectly visible. I did not feel comfortable threading bolts into holes I could not see .