VSV for EGR, Belts and pulleys R&R

AJP · 07-27-08, 08:51 PM

Replaced the VSV for EGR (with much help from Beowulf and Rookie2); also did the belts and both pulleys.

Some idle observations

Tools needed/highly desireable: metric "gear wrenches" , 6pt sockets , PB BLASTER .

I had the new VSV, a throttle body gasket in case it needed to come off - it didn't - also had a couple of lengths of new OEM vacuum/EGR hoses, the three belts and two pulleys. Also some excellent "Orange" handcleaner .. I needed it.

The VSV was replaced due to recurring PO401 code ; the test (ohmeter and battery) showed a faulty VSV. The belts were ok at 240k KM's but I had new ones and the pulleys sitting waiting for a day when I could get at them .. I was getting a cold start-up squeal in the winter ... maybe this will corect that.

VSV R&R (from the side ...eg intake manifold and throttle body "on" the engine)

removed the intake support bracket top and bottom bolts ... used a "wobbly" and extension on the bottom bolt and it came out easy.
working throught the side of the manifold I used a metric gear wrench on the front VSV bracket bolt and several (4 or 5 ??) extensions working from underneath the vehicle to remove the rear bracket bolt as described elsewhere. Worked like a charm - No Problem there.
Working through the side of the manifold opening - removing the electric connector from the VSV was a real nuisance... tough bugger till it finally "let loose" ... I think you need to push the connectors together a little bit .. then squeeze the tab real hard and it releases ..in my case was a PITA as I was afraid of breaking the wires etc from the connector.
removed two hoses from VSV .. one is on a curved piece of tube that is attached to and winds around the VSV bracket..the hose on this tube follows the curve for a bit and needs "persuasion" with a pair of needle nose pliers.(I wrapped them in tape to avoid tearing the hose)
VSV with bracket then comes out of its hiding spot and the new VSV gets screwed on...a little PB Blaster encourages the VSV to bracket retaining screw to come off the bracket and some "no-seize" helps the screw back in (in case I have to do this again)
I replaced all the vaccuum hoses except the one on the curved tube as that rubber hose also curved up under the rear of the intake plenum and I could not tell exactly where it ended or get a satisfactory grip on the upper end to ensure I would not tear it.
Replacing the VSV with bracket attached is same same ... but watch out for a larger vacuum hose that runs from under the intake manifold to a "T" connection ... in my case that larger vacuum hose came off the "T" as I was pulling the VSV bracket out ... the "T" is also connected to the rear, smaller hose on the VSV for EGR. The front VSV bracket bolt gets started by hand then later tightened with the gear wrench...the back bolt is secured with the extensions reaching up from underneath as before for removal.
The bottom bolt on the Manifold supporting bracket is fiddly but the "wobbly" helps to tighten it securely.

The Belts and both Pulleys R&R

(helps to use a breaker bar or extension on the alternator idler pulley bolt - and a 6 pt socket ... it is a little stiff)

I worked from underneath (and above) ....I did not remove battery or its case .
I removed the three bolts holding the PS reservoir (recommended elsewhere - good idea) , 4 bolts on the cover plate under the rad AND used "PB BLASTER" on all the adjusting bolts as well as the idler pully for the A/C so that I could "eventually" budge the through bolt that the bearing rides on.
The AC belt is easy ... and of course it MUST come off first before the other two belts can be removed.
With the AC use PB Blaster again on the adjusting bolt AND loosen the centre nut on the Idler pully ... this releases the tension on the adjusting bracket and allows the adjuster to work.... unscrew the adjuster bolt far enough to remove the belt.....of course DO NOT put the new AC belt on till you R&R the alternator belts. FWIW the new AC belt also goes on with little drama

For the Alternator belts: (all described elsewhere better than I can)

loosen Alternator pivot Bolt
loosen locking bolt on adjusting bracket
Working from underneath, loosen the adjustment bolt to the end ... but not off. BTW I could NOT connect/reach to the Alternator adjusting bolt through the wheel curtain as others have reported despite the Power Steering resevoir being moved aside -- but it does help to move reservoir aside anyway. I reached the Alternator adjuster from underneath with a "gear wrench" and a small socket attached to the wrench with an adapter - it made for a very flat ratchet wrench and worked "ok" ...but as others have reported ... it is slow work
next I removed the idler pully for the Alternor belt as I was replacing it anyway but I believe removing it also makes it a lot easier to get the new belts on later anyway
remove and replace belts etc ... getting them off is easy like any other vehicle. Putting the new ones on is fiddly as they should go into the groove on the pulleys in a particular sequence which makes it easier for the belts to ride over the the last "V" pulley - use trial and error but it is my impression that one of the pulleys has a deeper "V" and seating the belt into that V first makes it easier to get them to roll over the other pulleys. I "think" the sequence I ended up using was looped on the bottom and upper left "V" pulley first and then the alternator "V" pulley last (from my adled memory)

Before tightening the alternator adjusting bolt ... replace the idler pully. When you are tighting the adjusting bolt from underneath you can feel the tension on the belts ... I used about a 1/2" deflection from center.
The AC belt R&R is accomplished completely from underneath the vehicle.
If you are replacing the AC idler pulley ... once you get the old one off ...the new one is installed in the bracket - simply run the nut (on the front) on to the through bolt (that goes through the bracket and the idler pully) but do not tighten it securely until you have adjusted the belt tension ... then tighten the nut on the front of the AC idler pulley to secure the adjustment bolt .

Sorry lots of words for a fairly simple process .. but maybe of use to someone.

Oh yeah... put the bottom cover back on under the rad (4 bolts) and resecure the Pwr steering resevoir (3 bolts)

'97 LX450 240k Km's

Beowulf · 07-27-08, 11:34 PM

AJP,
Combine this with a few pics and it would be a good addition to the FAQ. Feel free to use any of the VSV pics that I posted in the other thread. Alia176 has a great pic of the location of the VSV that you could link to in this thread and attribute to Ali. It shows the underside of the intake. Maybe a picture of the intake bracket and the electrical connector on the VSV.

-B-

AJP · 07-28-08, 12:24 AM

Beowulf ... I am extemely flattered that you think I actually might know how to link photos to my rambling discourse

And I don't have any photo's of my own - for some reason I attract grease to my hands like a magnet - took me 20 minutes to wipe off all the tools I used!! Can't imagine what a camera would have looked like with my mitts on it

If I can ever figure out how to do the linking - I'll give it a shot - unless there is a competent volunteer that would like to do it?

PS ... thanks again for your help on this!

07-27-08, 08:51 PM	#1
AJP IH8MUD Regular Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 289	VSV for EGR, Belts and pulleys R&R Replaced the VSV for EGR (with much help from Beowulf and Rookie2); also did the belts and both pulleys. Some idle observations Tools needed/highly desireable: metric "gear wrenches" , 6pt sockets , PB BLASTER . I had the new VSV, a throttle body gasket in case it needed to come off - it didn't - also had a couple of lengths of new OEM vacuum/EGR hoses, the three belts and two pulleys. Also some excellent "Orange" handcleaner .. I needed it. The VSV was replaced due to recurring PO401 code ; the test (ohmeter and battery) showed a faulty VSV. The belts were ok at 240k KM's but I had new ones and the pulleys sitting waiting for a day when I could get at them .. I was getting a cold start-up squeal in the winter ... maybe this will corect that. VSV R&R (from the side ...eg intake manifold and throttle body "on" the engine) removed the intake support bracket top and bottom bolts ... used a "wobbly" and extension on the bottom bolt and it came out easy. working throught the side of the manifold I used a metric gear wrench on the front VSV bracket bolt and several (4 or 5 ??) extensions working from underneath the vehicle to remove the rear bracket bolt as described elsewhere. Worked like a charm - No Problem there. Working through the side of the manifold opening - removing the electric connector from the VSV was a real nuisance... tough bugger till it finally "let loose" ... I think you need to push the connectors together a little bit .. then squeeze the tab real hard and it releases ..in my case was a PITA as I was afraid of breaking the wires etc from the connector. removed two hoses from VSV .. one is on a curved piece of tube that is attached to and winds around the VSV bracket..the hose on this tube follows the curve for a bit and needs "persuasion" with a pair of needle nose pliers.(I wrapped them in tape to avoid tearing the hose) VSV with bracket then comes out of its hiding spot and the new VSV gets screwed on...a little PB Blaster encourages the VSV to bracket retaining screw to come off the bracket and some "no-seize" helps the screw back in (in case I have to do this again) I replaced all the vaccuum hoses except the one on the curved tube as that rubber hose also curved up under the rear of the intake plenum and I could not tell exactly where it ended or get a satisfactory grip on the upper end to ensure I would not tear it. Replacing the VSV with bracket attached is same same ... but watch out for a larger vacuum hose that runs from under the intake manifold to a "T" connection ... in my case that larger vacuum hose came off the "T" as I was pulling the VSV bracket out ... the "T" is also connected to the rear, smaller hose on the VSV for EGR. The front VSV bracket bolt gets started by hand then later tightened with the gear wrench...the back bolt is secured with the extensions reaching up from underneath as before for removal. The bottom bolt on the Manifold supporting bracket is fiddly but the "wobbly" helps to tighten it securely. The Belts and both Pulleys R&R (helps to use a breaker bar or extension on the alternator idler pulley bolt - and a 6 pt socket ... it is a little stiff) I worked from underneath (and above) ....I did not remove battery or its case . I removed the three bolts holding the PS reservoir (recommended elsewhere - good idea) , 4 bolts on the cover plate under the rad AND used "PB BLASTER" on all the adjusting bolts as well as the idler pully for the A/C so that I could "eventually" budge the through bolt that the bearing rides on. The AC belt is easy ... and of course it MUST come off first before the other two belts can be removed. With the AC use PB Blaster again on the adjusting bolt AND loosen the centre nut on the Idler pully ... this releases the tension on the adjusting bracket and allows the adjuster to work.... unscrew the adjuster bolt far enough to remove the belt.....of course DO NOT put the new AC belt on till you R&R the alternator belts. FWIW the new AC belt also goes on with little drama For the Alternator belts: (all described elsewhere better than I can) loosen Alternator pivot Bolt loosen locking bolt on adjusting bracket Working from underneath, loosen the adjustment bolt to the end ... but not off. BTW I could NOT connect/reach to the Alternator adjusting bolt through the wheel curtain as others have reported despite the Power Steering resevoir being moved aside -- but it does help to move reservoir aside anyway. I reached the Alternator adjuster from underneath with a "gear wrench" and a small socket attached to the wrench with an adapter - it made for a very flat ratchet wrench and worked "ok" ...but as others have reported ... it is slow work next I removed the idler pully for the Alternor belt as I was replacing it anyway but I believe removing it also makes it a lot easier to get the new belts on later anyway remove and replace belts etc ... getting them off is easy like any other vehicle. Putting the new ones on is fiddly as they should go into the groove on the pulleys in a particular sequence which makes it easier for the belts to ride over the the last "V" pulley - use trial and error but it is my impression that one of the pulleys has a deeper "V" and seating the belt into that V first makes it easier to get them to roll over the other pulleys. I "think" the sequence I ended up using was looped on the bottom and upper left "V" pulley first and then the alternator "V" pulley last (from my adled memory) Before tightening the alternator adjusting bolt ... replace the idler pully. When you are tighting the adjusting bolt from underneath you can feel the tension on the belts ... I used about a 1/2" deflection from center. The AC belt R&R is accomplished completely from underneath the vehicle. If you are replacing the AC idler pulley ... once you get the old one off ...the new one is installed in the bracket - simply run the nut (on the front) on to the through bolt (that goes through the bracket and the idler pully) but do not tighten it securely until you have adjusted the belt tension ... then tighten the nut on the front of the AC idler pulley to secure the adjustment bolt . Sorry lots of words for a fairly simple process .. but maybe of use to someone. Oh yeah... put the bottom cover back on under the rad (4 bolts) and resecure the Pwr steering resevoir (3 bolts) '97 LX450 240k Km's Last edited by AJP; 07-27-08 at 11:05 PM.

07-27-08, 11:34 PM	#2
Beowulf The quick brown fox ..... Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Somewhere in the foothills... Posts: 10,566	AJP, Combine this with a few pics and it would be a good addition to the FAQ. Feel free to use any of the VSV pics that I posted in the other thread. Alia176 has a great pic of the location of the VSV that you could link to in this thread and attribute to Ali. It shows the underside of the intake. Maybe a picture of the intake bracket and the electrical connector on the VSV. -B- __________________ 97 FZJ80 - Wing Nut MAF, locked, 315 Toyos, 4.88s, Slee 4", George's sliders, Slee bumpers, M12000, OBA, Outback drawers + other stuff. Transformation in progress... Sometimes you find yourself in the middle of nowhere. And sometimes in the middle of nowhere, you find yourself.

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07-28-08, 12:24 AM	#3
AJP IH8MUD Regular Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 289	Beowulf ... I am extemely flattered that you think I actually might know how to link photos to my rambling discourse And I don't have any photo's of my own - for some reason I attract grease to my hands like a magnet - took me 20 minutes to wipe off all the tools I used!! Can't imagine what a camera would have looked like with my mitts on it If I can ever figure out how to do the linking - I'll give it a shot - unless there is a competent volunteer that would like to do it? PS ... thanks again for your help on this!