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
