Still fairly new to this forum and the LC in general. Can someone please point me to the FAQ's and hints for replacing the timing belt/water pump on a 1999 LC. I have the Toyota service manual already - my main question really is what if any "specialty" tools am I going to need to do this. To clarify, I have a pretty good set of tools already - just need to know if anything really unique to this job that I need to get prior to tearing in to it. Thanks all!
Hello. I am a newbie too and recently tackled the timing belt and water pump service myself. I am not a mechanic, but am more than willing to give things a shot if I think I am going to save a few bucks. Plus that's part of having a project vehicle, right?
A few tips--
--I purchased my kit from
Amazon. It was the Aisin TKT-021 kit with a hydraulic tensioner for $178. The kit was great. Don't bother with the comments about the marks being wrong on the belt--the arrows on the belt point to the front of the vehicle. I double checked my new belt with the old one.
--Make sure you have a harmonic balancer pulling tool.
--An impact wrench and impact gun improve this project a great deal.
--There are some videos on You Tube--search "Toyota 4.7 Timing Belt" and you will find a three part series by 1AAuto. The video is with an older Tundra with the same engine, so keep in mind that you won't have the same amount of room to work with and that some of the initial teardown of the radiator and such will be slightly different. I would not have had the courage to do this job myself without watching that video. I had my iPad in the garage with me the whole time.
--Don't bother trying to drop the AC compressor as shown in the video--there isn't much room. Wait until just before you pull the water pump and you will see which bolts to remove without the need to completely pull the compressor. It will help at this point to jack up the drivers side of the car. Otherwise it can stay on the ground for the entire project.
--When removing the water inlet, if your vehicle has had the 90K service done before you need to know that the gasket on this part is RTV. As a result, this piece will be tough to get off. As you are using your rubber mallet to tap on the part, make sure you pull it straight out. I gave it a little too much onion and cracked the crossover pipe--a part that ran me $130 and delayed the reassembly of my Cruiser by a week.
--I would advise against trying to build your own harmonic balancer tightening tool as shown in the video. It definitely didn't work out for me--I split the board and bent the bolts. There is a specialized Toyota tool just for this, but it runs about $60. If I were to attempt this again, I would either find a friend who has this, or purchase one in advance. At the last minute I used my impact gun, as advised by a Toyota mechanic. There was a specific air pressure and amount of time, but I don't recall what it was.
There are some great threads about this very service. I am loving every minute of this forum. And don't be afraid to come with your tail between your legs and ask a question--many of these guys know their stuff. If you have a basic mechanical skill set, you can get this project done. In all, it took me about 12 hours to complete. If I had to do it again, I could easily shave off 2 hours.
One last thing--this is a good time to take a look at your steering and see if you need to replace any parts. The steering rack bushing will be much easier to get at during this service. I didn't do it and wish I would have. I am now waiting for my bushing to come in so I can get cruising again.....
Good luck!
