fzj80 Drive belts (1 Viewer)

[p8nt]

I dont want a be a bother, but I cant find anything specific about this in the archives. Ive heard of threads addressing it but for the life of me I cant produce anything helpful.

Im looking for directions to change the drive belts on my 97 TCL. If someone has the link to an existing thread or can give me a "step by step" I would be forever in there debt.

Please help the noob and dispence some of that wisdom I know is floating around this forum......please

 

[OGBeno]

I dont want a be a bother, but I cant find anything specific about this in the archives. Ive heard of threads addressing it but for the life of me I cant produce anything helpful.

Im looking for directions to change the drive belts on my 97 TCL. If someone has the link to an existing thread or can give me a "step by step" I would be forever in there debt.

Please help the noob and dispence some of that wisdom I know is floating around this forum......please

Divergent opinions on this. I'm going to explain my method for ease of access and to make sure I have time for #6's along the way.



1. Get under truck. Take little metal skid plate off--IIRC, ~12mm bolts.
2. Take out battery and battery tray.
3. Take out wheel well little curtain like things. Throw them away--you'll never use them. Besides, you then get constant view of the innards of your rig.
4. Go back underneath truck and loosen pulley tensioner below the small pulley that is underneath your AC compressor.
5. Take off AC belt. Run it through the fins of your fan and wrap it around turning the fan as you go. The belt will come off.
6. Go in from side of wheel wheel--get rid of wheel if you want so you have better access, especially if you have bigger hands or a bigger body. I'm a small dude, so all of my bits fit everywhere.
7. Use a universal ended extension and you'll see the alternator adjustment bolt...IIRC, 13mm.
8. Loosen till you can move the alternator. Push alternator all the way towards the engine to get you slack. Take two belts off the way you did the first one--through the fan while you turn the fan.
9. Have a drink, relax, look at your engine and marvel at Toyota engineering.
10. Back to work. This is a good time to do other things: change out fan clutch to newer designed "blue based" fan clutch. Check alternator connections (make sure battery is disconnected). Check fins on the inside of radiator. Look for leaks. Check hoses at this time too. You got some guts lying out, so check everything while you are in there--AC connections, PS hoses, gear box, PS pump, valve cover.
11. Put belts on and then put bolt back in, tightening the tension on the AC adjustment bolt until you have a pretty stiff tension.
12. Put 3rd belt on the AC compressor. Put tensioner bolt in and tighten till you got decent tightness.
13. Check you work: all three belts should have around 1/2" of deflection at their mid point. Remember, your belts are new, so they will loosen after driving a bit. Recheck after about 500 miles and re tighten as needed.
14. Put everything back in and start her up. Should be good to go.

If I've forgotten anything here, the fact checkers here in the 80's section will correct my work as needed, I'm sure, making sure I know that I fawked up in explaining it.



best regards.
-onur
Oberlin, OH

 

[p8nt]

WOW! Beno you are the Man! Ive been on this forum for about to weeks now and am amazed daily at the time and effort you guys put into helping complete strangers. This is exactly what I needed and you came through with with a quickness! Thank you again, I REALLY appreciate it!

 

[cruiserdan]

The beer part is perfect...........

I don't think you need to remove the battery and tray but it does open it up and make it easier to muck around in there.

 

[trainrech]

I'd say that it is about a break even proposition on the savings of removing the battery tray versus working around it. I'd suggest you remove the battery tray if you do not have ratcheting end wrenches, skip it if you do.

 

[trainrech]

Oh boy, that was #1000... did some one say something about beer?

 

[OGBeno]

WOW! Beno you are the Man! Ive been on this forum for about to weeks now and am amazed daily at the time and effort you guys put into helping complete strangers. This is exactly what I needed and you came through with with a quickness! Thank you again, I REALLY appreciate it!

You have to realize a few things:

1. Some of us have nothing better to do.
2. Some of us are addicted--literally like a drug--to our trucks.
3. Some of us have no lives.
4. It is a job to be on here on MUD for some members--it enhances their contribution to the cruiser community because of the fact they have technical knowledge that most people pay lots of money for at the dealer or at an independent shop.
5. Some of us have no lives.
6. The cruiser community really is a community both "virtually" here on the interweb and in real life--we're all real people (well, except for Dan--he's some type of Toyota parts cyborg sent from the Araco plant to watch and report back to Wantanabe in Toyoda City)... We love cruisers, we enjoy being with other people who share our sickness (nod to Marv Specter on that one), and we like it that other people get to know their trucks. They are very enjoyable, frustrating, and fullfilling to work on--sort of like all authentic relationships.
7. Some of us have no lives.
8. Being on MUD is our counseling group and is even prescribed by some psychologists for Cruiseritis Manifestationis in our heads-is

Spend some time going through the FAQ's that Romer and Reffug have spent time on organizing. There is a wealth of information there that people have spent hours on compiling (and doing in real life!).

Good luck and happy cruisering!
-onur
Oberlin, OH

 

[OGBeno]

Oh boy, that was #1000... did some one say something about beer?

Congrats!

Come to OH. I have a nice 6 pack of Red Stripe for wrenching purposes only.

I gotta get the block heater installed....

 

[baxter650]

There is a hole in the skid plate that you can access the AC belt tensioner.
With a swivle head racheting wrench it is easy to get at the alternator tensioning bolt without removing battery.
Easy 10 min job.

 

[IBCRUSN]

Don't forget, there is one individual working towards a few more letters after his name and this kind of thing is right up his alley.

 

[Fly Rod]

Great instructions! I did it all with just the removal of the skid pan. Major PITA! It wouldn't have been so bad if I could find my racheting box ends. The only thing I can add is to loosen the tensioners all the way. You will need the room to get the new belts on. At least I did.

Beer will help the job significantly.

 

[OGBeno]

Don't forget, there is one individual working towards a few more letters after his name and this kind of thing is right up his alley.

Now that's funny Kris....

 

[IBCRUSN]

It's only funny for those in the know.

 

[IdahoDoug]

I'm with Baxter. Remove nothing but the belts and do the whole job in 15 minutes, then go inside to the couch for the #6s. I like Beno's 'remove everything' approach if you live somewhere warm and have a sweet garage to hang around in like CruiserDan probably does. In fact, I've heard Dan has the Farrah Fawcett poster with her hair just right on his garage wall. Prolly has Raquel Welch, too....

DougM

 

[Toxic240]

This is a great write up. My wife was helping me read the instructions and I found later that she left out #9 until I was done.

I suggest two things - remove the battery box as its easy and I hate messing with tough to get to bolts. The other is loosing all the tension screw to make the job easy. Note that on the AC unit tension screw I had to use a hammer to loosen the belt. Other than that - this is an easy DYI if you follow the instructions. Always use Toyota parts.

 

[69LC]

Beno, Thanks for the instructions. My wife's engine is caked with goo and gunk. I don't like fighting. I couldn't figure out what I was looking at until doing a quick search for fan belt tensioner. Now maybe I can get the new belts on.

 

[OGBeno]

Beno, Thanks for the instructions. My wife's engine is caked with goo and gunk. I don't like fighting. I couldn't figure out what I was looking at until doing a quick search for fan belt tensioner. Now maybe I can get the new belts on.

Wow... 2006 on my post... Amazing what happens in 6 years.

 

[Delancy]

Wow... 2006 on my post... Amazing what happens in 6 years.

Here I thought you were educated abroad, but looks like some good ol' US 'rithmetic to me.

 

[OGBeno]

Here I thought you were educated abroad, but looks like some good ol' US 'rithmetic to me.

Ok, 6.5 yrs....

I was doing some roundin'

 

[69LC]

I still ended up fighting to get the belts on. My NAPA guy even crossed the numbers available on mud to make sure they were correct. I think NAPA's belts were a bit too short or the goo on the engine wouldn't let the alternator move in enough. I used the redneck belt installation method of having my wife bump the key while working the belts into place. I used goodyear 15456 11AV1145 Gatorback belts. I think they could stand to be an inch or so longer.

I ended up unthreading the belt tensioner all the way, got pissed and "hurt my hand". (My wife needs a new fender anyway.) I fatigued pretty quickly and got mad. I'm a week out of surgery and this is my first major undertaking. I did get it all back together, and she's off to class.