Changing drive belts write-up ??? (1 Viewer)

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Joined
Apr 3, 2003
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Hello all,

Do we have any write-ups on how to replace all drive belts ? I looked at Slee & Lcool sites but there's none.

Anyone knows ???

Frank.
 
Frank it's not too bad. Each belt has its own respective tensioner and lock nut. Loosen the lock nut and ease up on the tensioner until they come off. I also chose to take off the steering damper and little skid plate down there to make access a little easier. If you have specific questions I'll be happy to address them.

All in all a :banana: job
:cheers:
Nick
 
Thanks Nick!!!

I've got the new belts for a few weeks now but was afraid to tackle this (thus doing the front&rear brakes first since I know I'd finish it on time). I'd feel more confident if I could find out where the damn FSM is! I'll take a close look at the engine compartment tonight to see how things go.

Oh, base on your reply, it seems like I don't need to remove the fan/fan's shroud, true ?

Frank.
 
Correct. An easy job assuming you don't round off the lock bolt on the alternator tensioner.
 
[quote author=sjcruiser link=board=2;threadid=6317;start=msg50858#msg50858 date=1066163658]

Oh, base on your reply, it seems like I don't need to remove the fan/fan's shroud, true ?

Frank.
[/quote]

Yes, There is no need for that extra work. The belts will clear the fan no problem.
 
[quote author=cruiserman link=board=2;threadid=6317;start=msg50866#msg50866 date=1066164571]
Correct. An easy job assuming you don't round off the lock bolt on the alternator tensioner.
[/quote]

:doh:
 
Just did this last week for the 2nd time in a decade. You know you're getting your money's worth when you're into the second cyle on things like this....heh.

You don't have to take off anything at all except the bolts for this job. Well designed an lots of room for it. The belts come off over the fan by feeding it betwen the blades and pulling them out in the space between the fan blade tips and shroud. It REALLY helps to have the FSM on hand to identify the lock bolts and the tensioner bolts. But in my '93 FSM I had to look all over the place to find a good picture. This time, I wrote the page numbers in my maintenance log, so I'll go to the garage and tell you where the diagram is.

Here it is. It won't be on the same page in other year FSM's but it will be in the same section. I found the diagram of the A/C belt nuts on page AC-38, and the alternator belt in the engine section on page EG-332. Kinda annoying that it was not in the Maintenance section where it belongs.

On the A/C, the lockbolt is easy to find - it's the center bolt of the pulley itself. The tensioner is then accessed via a hole in the skidplate under the A/C unit. On the alternator, the lockbolt is nearly exactly in line with the belt itself, facing forward and under the alternator. It has a Torx head on the bolt, but I prefer to use the bolt. This bolt presses directly on the tensioner bolt, whose head points at the left battery box. The tensioner for the A/C needs to be loosened nearly all the way to get the new belt on, and I had to use the engine to bump it on even then.

It's a :banana: :banana: job.

IdahoDoug
 
if you unbolt the power steering pump mounts to the motor (3 bolts iirc) you will find you can move the hoses around a little and it is much easier to access the alternator tensioner bolt. You will find you have to undo the alternator tensioner screw a long long way before you can get the belts off and coax the new belts on. Be patient. It can be done, but it helps to have two people to get the new belts on.

I would also definitely remove the skid plate to get at the a/c bolts, but I did not need to remove the damper.
 
Semlin,

I'll respecfully disagree with you on removing stuff - waste of time. There is no need to touch any bolts other than the lock bolts and tensioners on the A/C and alternator (total of 4). The skidplate has a hole in it specifically designed to access the A/C belt tensioner. Bring a penlight under the truck with you and you'll see the wisdom of Mr. Toyoda's design... direct shot through the hole to the A/C tensioner.

As to the alternator lock bolt being tough to get a socket on because the belt's in the way, I avoided the whole issue by using a wrench instead. Use the box end to break it loose, then flip to the open end for a couple turns. It is a lock bolt after all, and only needs a few turns before you can turn your attention to the tensioner (which needs a lot of turns). I also used a wrench on the tensioner FWIW.

Don't get me wrong. You can do it your way and maybe for someone doing it the first time it helps them "get the lay of the land" under there, but it's not neccessary.

IdahoDoug
 
Doug, I was a rookie at the job so maybe fair comment. It may be just the way my hoses lined up, but access to the tensioner was very tight. I did get a socket on the alternator tensioner once I moved the hoses, and given the number of turns required, it would not have been fun to do with a wrench (maybe a box/ratchet wrench?)
 
I just wanted to add my newbe 2 cents worth :) I found it easier to get at the hardware when I removed the battery box.
 
The tool you really want to use to loosen the alternator mounting bolt is a 3/8 drive long 6 point 12mm socket. It needs to be 6 point so you don't round over the bolt head. It needs to be long so that you can effectively lever out of the way the fan belts that obstruct the bolt head, again, so that you don't round over the bolt head.

Rich
 
Rich,
Would a 12mm nut driver be easier?
-B-
 
[quote author=Beowulf link=board=2;threadid=6317;start=msg52281#msg52281 date=1066491874]
Rich,
Would a 12mm nut driver be easier?
-B-

[/quote]

A couple of obstacles to using a nut driver would be the restricted space between the alternator and the radiator and the torque required to break loose the mounting bolt.

It is odd that the belts run right in front of the bolt head.

3/8 inch ratchet wrench fits the space ok and gives enough torque to break lose the bolt.
 
I'm certain that the placement of that alternator bolt and the PHH were both decided by the same guy on the engine design team. That same fellow assisted in fuel filter placement and was a member of the VSV location group........ :rolleyes:
 
He also decided the location of the components blocking access to the steering box adjuster nut... I tried to get to this once a couple years ago and gave up, though I have no slack as yet.
 
All,

I've done it on the cruiser the for the first time - within less than an hour; including seeing how things layout closely to begin with (which consumed most of it) :)

Removing the AC belt is straight forward - Even though there's no FSM on hand, it took only few minutes (2 bolts total as Doug stated; Thanks!).
I used a 12mm deep socket to turn break the alternator lock bolt loose - not hard at all; just need to press it slightly against the belts; then used a small ratchet with 12mm short socket (which I found scoped perfectly to the steering hoses setup) to loosen the alternator tensioner bolt. After a few turns, I used bare fingers since its much faster (See, I'm good with my hands :p )

:cheers:
Frank.
 
FYI,

I had tightened the belts what I thought to be properly tight, but after a few days I got some belt slippage (A/C startup chirp, PS slip at full lock) and gave the tensioners quite a bit more tension before they were tight again. There seems to be more "settling in" on those deep pulleys than other vehicles I've had.

IdahoDoug
 
I'm getting ready to replace my belts for the first time and also the fan clutch/coupler. I've got a couple of comments/questions:

- This seems to be the best thread on the subject of replacing belts. Excellent work by Doug to indicate where the bolts are, Rich on the socket selection and Dan commenting on the B team at Yoda that was relegated to PHH and belt tensioner placement. Everybody (even Toyota) has a B team right? ;) I think I'll ping Junk to add to the FAQ maintenance section.

- Question: I need to replace both my belts and fan coupler. Should I first pull the belts and then replace the fan coupler and then put the belts on?

Any special tips for replacing the fan coupler or the order? Perhaps I should dig in and stop researching.

- Rich mentions using a 6 point "long" 12mm socket. I assume that's a 6 point deep socket (must be california speak).

Should I bother to buy / use a Torx toolset or just use the bolts?
 
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