Timing Belt for Dummies writeup (1 Viewer)

[ton504]

Okay that's what I did.

Cool, you're not missing anything

 

[lowenbrau]

So mine looks more like a belt with 45k on it and not 145k? Did your original say made in USA?

This is what mine with 145K looked like. It wasn't original and I don't know what the brand was.

 

[Pahizzl]

I used your guide while doing mine...very impressed with how thorough it is. I hit a few snags with the removal process, but I eventually got everything apart. However, I'm having a really hard time getting the belt on for some reason. At first, I had the crank at 0 degrees TDC, but I had no slack at all to wrap it around the passenger side cam gear. So I began looking at the instructions that came with the Aisin kit and it mentioned moving the crank to 50 Degrees ATDC. I now have ample slack on the passenger side where the tensioner is, but getting the cams to align with the belt marks seems impossible...the water pump gives me no slack up top to keep the belt marks aligned with the cam gears. Any tips?

 

[LockedCollector]

Thanks to the OP, just finished the 90k service. Just sayin, this tool made it real easy to take off and put on the crank pulley.

 

[98100Crusher]

I wasn't changing out timing belt this weekend but did have to remove the water inlet housing on my 98 (155k) for what I suspect was the first time it was off since the factory. It was very much stubbornly stuck on and wanted to stay where it was.

Given all the broken inlet photos I've seen. I decided to take my time with it and use heat repeatedly.

I couldn't find the specifications for the Toyota seal packing (08826-00100) but the FIPG melts in the 400F range. I didn't want to use a torch but my Dewalt heat gun output temps range from 120-1100F per Dewalt's specs.

I cut some heat shields out of some flashing material I had in the shop to keep the heat localized and away from any other components like the wiring that's behind that housing.

I kept increasing the heating by duration and increased setting. Heating points in orange ellipses on photo attached. I would then tap the housing (blue rectangles) with a rubber mallet. I was at two-thirds the way up the max setting on the Dewalt with a four minute duration when it started to give.

I then focused on the o-ring (circular housing) in order to soften it up. I was assuming that after 18 years that o-ring was pretty hard.

Took a while and standing there with a watch was boring but I figure it was easier and a lot less stressful than breaking the housing off.

 

[98100Crusher]

A follow-up to my prior post with something to check for early generation 100s (mine was built in Feb 1998).
What I thought was a leak off the inlet housing o-ring was actually a micro-crack in the housing itself. I thought I might have damaged it myself but the crack is there in the photos I took earlier. It was really surprising because it was weeping out coolant in a red spot. I wiped it thinking it was just splash from my refill. I was shocked as it was just weeping up slowly onto the surface of the housing.

Photos of the crack with the green coolant(since replaced) and some comparisons of the old and new generation part attached. The new one comes with a gasket so you don't have to use seal packing (I added a little outside the factory gasket just because)

 

[sleepycruiser]

So looking through this thread....on my phone....my eyes ache from reading MUD all day. But what other stuff should I have done while “I’m in there”...well, while the mechanic is in there. I’m at 240k now and almost due for the timing belt as last was done at 154k.

Any part numbers etc of other stuff I should have done while doing this would be great. Going to buy the Aisin kit.

 

[1997 FZJ80 40th]

So looking through this thread....on my phone....my eyes ache from reading MUD all day. But what other stuff should I have done while “I’m in there”...well, while the mechanic is in there. I’m at 240k now and almost due for the timing belt as last was done at 154k.

Any part numbers etc of other stuff I should have done while doing this would be great. Going to buy the Aisin kit.

I have not read this entire thread in a while so this may already have been said above, but alternator is much easier to get to when you’ve removed the stuff required for this job. I had to replace my alternator about 10k miles ago at which time ironically my second timing belt (water pump, etc) was overdue. I wish I had had the time to do everything at the same time but only did alternatoer to get it back on the road. If you are at 240k and have never done the alternator, I would seriously consider it. Mine went out at 215k.

Some also say to replace/rebuild the starter given somewhat easier access. I am at 225k now and about to do my second timing belt (and serpentine belt, water pump, idler pulleys, crank seal). I will be using this opportunity to also replace the stater or rebuild. I am also going to do the valve cover gaskets, new valve cover bolts and spark plugs/spark plug tubes. Spark Plug Tube Seals - Anybody Replaced These?

I am also going to brave doing the cam seals which are considerably harder to do on a VVTi engine. Mine is a 2006.

 

[sleepycruiser]

I have not read this entire thread in a while so this may already have been said above, but alternator is much easier to get to when you’ve removed the stuff required for this job. I had to replace my alternator about 10k miles ago at which time ironically my second timing belt (water pump, etc) was overdue. I wish I had had the time to do everything at the same time but only did alternatoer to get it back on the road. If you are at 240k and have never done the alternator, I would seriously consider it. Mine went out at 215k.

Some also say to replace/rebuild the starter given somewhat easier access. I am at 225k now and about to do my second timing belt (and serpentine belt, water pump, idler pulleys, crank seal). I will be using this opportunity to also replace the stater or rebuild. I am also going to do the valve cover gaskets, new valve cover bolts and spark plugs/spark plug tubes. Spark Plug Tube Seals - Anybody Replaced These?

I am also going to brave doing the cam seals which are considerably harder to do on a VVTi engine. Mine is a 2006.

Thanks. The alternator was replaced a few years ago. I am going to have the starter replaced as well...getting some of the early signs of starter issues. Going to do an OEM reman. Also going to have the valve cover gaskets done at the same time.

 

[Dox]

So looking through this thread....on my phone....my eyes ache from reading MUD all day. But what other stuff should I have done while “I’m in there”...well, while the mechanic is in there. I’m at 240k now and almost due for the timing belt as last was done at 154k.

Any part numbers etc of other stuff I should have done while doing this would be great. Going to buy the Aisin kit.

Fan assembly bracket.

 

[bluesquirrel]

I'm doing mine now.
Use the cardboard... Or maybe something tougher.

 

[ClassyJalopy]

Thanks for this thread. It was immensely helpful.
As for the pulley holding, using a chain wrench while protecting the pulley with a piece of old v-belt worked great for me!

 

[liveoak]

I've been collecting part numbers for this job or at least what I'm going to do while in there.
I have a 2000 Landcruiser with July manufacture date. I will update as I get more info. I like having
part numbers in one place. Chime in if you can think of something I missed. Best viewed on a PC. Special thanks to Qtonic

1. It is my opinion that the radiator should be replaced around 150,000. Yes, it can survive longer but if you're doing a timing belt around this mileage you should replace it along with the upper and lower hoses and thermostat. A few days after you drain the radiator for this service, it will dry out a bit and reveal it's age by showing the "yellowing" of the upper tank especially at the upper hose connection.
I used a Koyo replacement and it was direct bolt-in including hose connection sizes

Best replacement radiator for the money today...

What's radiator is working best today at a reasonable price that is a direct replacement bolt in? I personally have had zero issue with OEM (T/Rad) Read post if you'd like to save time, jump to...

forum.ih8mud.com

2. You should also replace the 3 oil cooler coolant hoses from the throttle body to the oil filter(3 hoses that connect to the metal tee), once you disturb the old hose connections and try to put them back, they will likely leak or seep. It's just not worth it to reuse the old hoses after doing all this work. The fourth hose, from the oil filter to the block, could probably be left in place since you won't be removing it for this job and it's very hard to get to the connection at the block.

3. If you haven't replaced the 2 front/rear heater tees behind the intake manifold, don't wait, DO IT NOW along with the 6 associated hoses. I elected to do my starter contacts at this time so I had the intake removed which allowed for better access to the hoses.

DIY: Replacing heater hose pipe T's *important*

Today I replaced my Pipe T's for the heater hoses. This should be included in your 90k service, but most shops (even Toyota) usually don't do it. If your service was done at Slee, they are one of the few that do it. That should tell you something. It could leave you stranded and overheating...

forum.ih8mud.com

4. When removing the fan bracket, you should barely loosen all 3 bolts 1 or 2 turns holding the AC compressor before trying to remove the 2 needed to get the fan bracket off. The third one is hard to get to but having it just loose allows the fan bracket bolts to be removed without possibly stripping the threads and aids in the alignment during fan bracket installation. I highly recommend replacing the fan bracket with a new one, you're doing all this work, don't you want it to be as smooth and quiet as possible? Don't forget to tighten that third bolt after installing the fan bracket.

5. Since you're replacing all the bearings associated with the timing belt, why not do the same for the serpentine belt, you'll have all the pieces off anyway. The serpentine pieces are as follows. Serpentine belt, serpentine tensioner pulley(includes bearing), serpentine belt idler pulley(includes bearing), fan pulley bracket(includes bearing). All the part numbers are below.

6. This is a good time to make sure your spark plugs aren't loose.

Recommend to be replaced along with timing belt:
Timing Belt Kit
contains water pump with gasket and o-rings,
2 idler bearings, belt & tensioner-----------------Aisin TKT-021
Serpentine Belt-------------------------------------Mitsuboshi 6PK2240
Serpentine Belt Tensioner pulley------------------16620-0W101
Serpentine Belt Idler Pulley------------------------16604-50030
Fan Pulley Bracket(includes bearing)--------------Aisin FBT-002
Thermostat-----------------------------------------90916-03100
Thermostat Gasket---------------------------------16346-50010
Thermostat Housing FIPG--------------------------Aisin AB1207B1
Camshaft Seal x2-----------------------------------90311-38065
Crankshaft Seal-------------------------------------90311-A0001
Upper Radiator Hose-------------------------------16571-50150
Lower Radiator Hose-------------------------------16572-50150
Coolant Hose Throttle Body to Tube---------------Gates 18455
Coolant Hose Thermostat Housing to Tube-------16281-50030
Coolant Hose Tube to Oil Filter Housing----------16282-50040
Coolant Hose Filter Housing to block(optional)---15777-50030
Toyota Long Life Coolant x4------------------------00272-SLLC2
Radiator---------------------------------------------see link above
Front/Rear Heater Tees & hoses--------------------part numbers below

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Additional things to consider:
PCV Valve--------------------------------------------12204-50020
PCV Grommit----------------------------------------90480-18001
PCV Valve Hose-------------------------------------12261-50050
Other PCV Hose(no valve pass side)---------------
Valve Cover Gasket Left-----------------------------11214-50011
Valve Cover Gasket Right---------------------------11213-50031
Spark Plug Tube Seal x8----------------------------11193-70010
Valve Cover Bolt Rubber Washer x18---------------90210-07001
Valve Cover Gasket Complete Kit-------------------Fel-Pro V550592R
Fuel Filter---------------------------------------------23300-50090
Fuel Injector Grommits------------------------------23291-41010
Spark Plugs x8---------------------------------------NGK 1FR6T-11 or Denso SK20R11
Starter Contacts
1998-3/2000-----------------------------------------28226-54412 & 28226-72010
3/2000-8/2002---------------------------------------28226-50070 & 28226-50080
Starter Plunger
1998-8/2002-----------------------------------------28235-54380

Heater Tees and hoses by years:
All Years
Heater Tee x2----------------------------------------87248-60460
Clamps Rear Heater x4(optional)-------------------90467-19022
Clamps Front Heater x8(optional)------------------96134-42100

Hoses 3 Per Tee(6 Hoses Total)
From 01/98 to 02/99-------------------------------87245-6A180
------------------------------------------------------87245-6A190
------------------------------------------------------87245-6A170
------------------------------------------------------87245-6A210
------------------------------------------------------87245-6A220
------------------------------------------------------87245-6A200

From 02/99 to 08/02-------------------------------87245-6A180
------------------------------------------------------87245-6A190
------------------------------------------------------99556-20200
------------------------------------------------------87245-6A210
------------------------------------------------------87245-6A220
------------------------------------------------------87245-6A201

From 08/02 to 12/04-------------------------------87245-6A180
------------------------------------------------------87245-6A190
------------------------------------------------------99556-20155
------------------------------------------------------87245-6A210
------------------------------------------------------87245-6A220
------------------------------------------------------87245-6A800

From 01/05----------------------------------------87245-6A181
-----------------------------------------------------87245-6A191
-----------------------------------------------------99556-20155
-----------------------------------------------------87245-6A210
-----------------------------------------------------87245-6A220
-----------------------------------------------------87245-6A800

 

[Myers]

Thanks for the write up. Helped me tremendously! Not very difficult but very time consuming. I also used these 2 videos from YouTube....
Part 1.
Part 2.

They are long, about an hour each, but walk you through taking everything off to putting everything back on.

AS POINTED OUT BY SOMEONE ELSE, BEFORE YOU START DEFINITELY TURN THE WHEELS DRIVERSIDE, this allows you to have much easier access to the lower A/C bolt via socket extensions. Also, you don’t have to remove the upper A/C bolt completely, just get it unbolted from the fan bracket and leave it in its hole, I actually left my small ratchet connected to it for reinstall, saved some time.

I did have trouble separating the fan clutch and pulley from the fan bracket. They were kinda rusted together at the very tip of the fan bracket (see picture). Oklahoma truck so not rust belt, I just got lucky I guess. I ended up taking the fan clutch and fan bracket out together and working on them in the garage. I can’t imagine trying to separate them in the engine compartment. Took about an hour of hammering. I let PB Blaster work over night but I really don’t think that helped at all. It definitely sucked taking them out together but again, allowed me to really hammer away without worrying about hitting something else in the engine. I was putting on a new fan bracket so had to separate them. I used 2 putty knives, flat headed screw driver and a ply bar. If this happens to you put a bolt back on the fan before trying to separate them because it will pop off and probably snap a fan blade when it hits the ground.

I also broke my fan shroud, well cut it in one spot then it broke in another, removing everything together. I cut up some old plastic we had in the garage and used rivets and the black sealant used on the thermostat housing as a patch. Looks like hell but was very stout after drying over night.

One of my fan shroud bolt tabs was snapped too, I used epoxy to glue it back together and also epoxied some washers on both of them for extra durability.

 

[KFunk740]

Hey, for the curious, this is what a 15 year old timing belt and 78K miles looks like. You can see some cracks there, but its still pretty damn strong. They say to change it every 6 years due to age, but I don't put much stock in that. I did hear some noise from tensioner/pump bearings (not serpentine), which is why I changed it. No telling if the previous mechanic changed those things back in 2004 at 101K miles, and don't want those seizing on me. When I got them out, indeed the bearings felt very loose. Not full on grinding yet, but they probably would by 200K.

Other big contribution:
Yeah, I did the starter bump, and it popped the crank bolt right out. Easy as can be. I had tried to make the tool in wood, failed, didn't have a big enough piece of metal, and said screw it. I'm using the starter. I've done that on several other cars before, and it's more drama free than you expect. I did screw up and was thinking of the rotation wrong. My big cheater pipe on my ratchet whacked into hood instead of the fender like I had been wrongly thinking. I scraped some paint off the edge of my hood and bent my cheater pipe. No big deal, my LC is just a beater.

Oh, and for loosening fan clutch nuts, I just used two 12mm wrenchs. I put them on opposite nuts. One to hold it in place, and the other to loosen. Yeah, you end up with 1 that you can't get without any leverage. Just put some grease on one and put it back opposite the remaining nut. Loosen remaining nut, then your freshly greased nut shouldn't be too hard to get loose just holding pulley by hand or with hammer on wrench. Just hammer alone in beginning didn't do crap for me. It's rusty and old.

For loosening/tightening the cam bolts, I'd definitely get a special tool for that. My impact wrench wouldn't even loosen mine, and I didn't want to torque it using belt to hold it or strap wrench. They ordered this in at O'Reilly and got it the next day:

https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/b/lisle-4148/tools---equipment-16488/mechanics-tools-16816/engine-tools-17994/bb466241b099/lisle-universal-cam-adjuster-tool/38220/4413756

Its not a firm hold exactly since theres no threaded holes available, bit it worked perfectly well if you held it straight and solid.

Also be warned, the cam sprockets are different for each side. The driver's side one has a lip on the outside to keep the timing belt from slipping off. No lip on the passenger side. I was trying to follow the FSM install instructions, and realized I had them reversed, which made it near impossible to slip the belt onto passenger side sprocket second.
And yes, do follow the FSM instructions for putting the belt on. Crank sprocket on first, followed by lower cover and pulley. It won't really slip off there easily. Then slip it on driver's side pulley with right mark. Rotate driver side pulley counterclockwise to put tension between pulley and crank, and take tension off passenger side. Then slip belt onto passenger side pulley. Then of course, triple check its all still lining up right, pull pin on the tensioner, and rotate lots of times and triple check.
My passenger side timing mark is always just a hair to towards the inside of the mark when crank and drivers side pulleys are at TDC. I made not of that during disassembly, so knew to expect that.

Finishing my job did take an extra week. One of my cam seals got messed up on install for some reason, the inner lip got peeled inward, and no way it'd hold. Nobody had one in town, and had to order one.

It's all back together and running fine now. It was substantially more work and energy than the 4 cylinder cars (Corolla, Miata, Escort, Subaru) I've done before. It seems simple, but there's so much crap to deal with, and its a much bigger engine and harder to get to it. Got red marks all over my chest from leaning over my grill.
Very happy to have it together and back behind the wheel of the LC for another ~100K miles.

 

[gatormark91]

Hey, for the curious, this is what a 15 year old timing belt and 78K miles looks like. You can see some cracks there, but its still pretty damn strong. They say to change it every 6 years due to age, but I don't put much stock in that. I did hear some noise from tensioner/pump bearings (not serpentine), which is why I changed it. No telling if the previous mechanic changed those things back in 2004 at 101K miles, and don't want those seizing on me. When I got them out, indeed the bearings felt very loose. Not full on grinding yet, but they probably would by 200K.

View attachment 2038384


Other big contribution:
Yeah, I did the starter bump, and it popped the crank bolt right out. Easy as can be. I had tried to make the tool in wood, failed, didn't have a big enough piece of metal, and said screw it. I'm using the starter. I've done that on several other cars before, and it's more drama free than you expect. I did screw up and was thinking of the rotation wrong. My big cheater pipe on my ratchet whacked into hood instead of the fender like I had been wrongly thinking. I scraped some paint off the edge of my hood and bent my cheater pipe. No big deal, my LC is just a beater.

Oh, and for loosening fan clutch nuts, I just used two 12mm wrenchs. I put them on opposite nuts. One to hold it in place, and the other to loosen. Yeah, you end up with 1 that you can't get without any leverage. Just put some grease on one and put it back opposite the remaining nut. Loosen remaining nut, then your freshly greased nut shouldn't be too hard to get loose just holding pulley by hand or with hammer on wrench. Just hammer alone in beginning didn't do crap for me. It's rusty and old.

For loosening/tightening the cam bolts, I'd definitely get a special tool for that. My impact wrench wouldn't even loosen mine, and I didn't want to torque it using belt to hold it or strap wrench. They ordered this in at O'Reilly and got it the next day:

https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/b/lisle-4148/tools---equipment-16488/mechanics-tools-16816/engine-tools-17994/bb466241b099/lisle-universal-cam-adjuster-tool/38220/4413756

Its not a firm hold exactly since theres no threaded holes available, bit it worked perfectly well if you held it straight and solid.

Also be warned, the cam sprockets are different for each side. The driver's side one has a lip on the outside to keep the timing belt from slipping off. No lip on the passenger side. I was trying to follow the FSM install instructions, and realized I had them reversed, which made it near impossible to slip the belt onto passenger side sprocket second.
And yes, do follow the FSM instructions for putting the belt on. Crank sprocket on first, followed by lower cover and pulley. It won't really slip off there easily. Then slip it on driver's side pulley with right mark. Rotate driver side pulley counterclockwise to put tension between pulley and crank, and take tension off passenger side. Then slip belt onto passenger side pulley. Then of course, triple check its all still lining up right, pull pin on the tensioner, and rotate lots of times and triple check.
My passenger side timing mark is always just a hair to towards the inside of the mark when crank and drivers side pulleys are at TDC. I made not of that during disassembly, so knew to expect that.

Finishing my job did take an extra week. One of my cam seals got messed up on install for some reason, the inner lip got peeled inward, and no way it'd hold. Nobody had one in town, and had to order one.

It's all back together and running fine now. It was substantially more work and energy than the 4 cylinder cars (Corolla, Miata, Subaru) I've done before. It seems simple, but there's so much crap to deal with, and its a much bigger engine and harder to get to it. Got red marks all over my chest from leaning over my grill.
Very happy to have it together and back behind the wheel of the LC for another ~100K miles.

If you got the fan pulley bolts off with a regular 12mm box wrench, you got lucky. I absolutely recommend using a 12mm flare nut wrench for that, so they don't get stripped, and if the nuts look a bit worn before you start, don't put the old ones back on, buy new, they are cheap. One of mine rounded off, and I had to use a torch when I took the fan bracket off to get that fan clutch pulley nut loose. Lesson learned.

 

[KFunk740]

I did spray a 50:50 mix of acetone and ATF onto those fan nuts, and pretty much everything else as well. Believe its been tested to be better than PB Blaster and other such stuff for loosening bolts. I keep a spray bottle around.

 

[Lean Jalop]

Hi guys !

I need a quick consult before I do something stupid.

Vehicle:

Lexus LX470
Engine – Toyota 2UZ-FE
Mileage – 72,200
No engine codes, or check engine lights

Problem description -

At low idle (700 rpm engine warmed up) the engine stumbles and runs rough.
At fast idle (1300 rpm engine cold) the engine smooths out a bit, but still isn’t smooth.

Power-wise, I would describe it as “sluggish”

Trouble Shooting –

No dealer records, or labels to indicate any previous service work on the timing belt, but when I started to tear into it, I started to find sharpie marks in odd places – on the harmonic balancer and crank shaft.

Now, I cannot get the timing marks to line up. With the Driver Side Cam (RSC) and the Passenger Side Cam (LSC) on point, the Crank Shaft (CS) won’t line up. In fact the CS appears to be about 20 degrees off of 0.

The original timing belt is still installed. Before I pull it off and rotate the CS back to zero, I want a second opinion.

Thank you for your help!

 

[Lean Jalop]

Forgot to add: 1999 Model.

Timing belt is not necessarily original ( I suspect it's not), but it is still installed, so I can still rotate the Crank and Cam Shafts in unison.

 

[JunkCrzr89]

My hillbilly cam seal remover. When I used this on my crank seal the seal popped out while I was pulling on the screw to see if it was in deep enough, I wasn’t ready, was pulling at an angle, and the screw scratched the crank slightly. I polished it out, but I still feel like an idiot for not getting a cheap seal puller for this job.
View attachment 465412View attachment 465413View attachment 465414

What did you use to polish out that scratch on the crank? I’ve been using the wood screw method for a decade without issue, then nicked the end of a camshaft this morning when pulling out the cam seal Probably should’ve drank more coffee before starting...or spiked it with whiskey...