Timing Belt - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

Toy1990 · 03-02-2011, 05:24 PM

Well guys I changed the timing belt (3SFE eng.) and all associated parts, even the water pump. I followed Doc J’s tutorial and the manual. It was an experience too say the least. The only rubber band cars I worked on were Pinto’s when I worked at Ford many moons ago. After researching all the threads it seemed to be pretty straightforward….right. Moving everything out of the way was the easy part.

When I removed the belt covers instead of using the mirror to align the cam sprocket hole with the cam-bearing cap, I used a spray nozzle tube; I slide it into the sprocket hole and if aligned you’ll see it lying on top of the nub on the cap; leave it there, if the sprocket moves for any reason you’ll know it.

Getting off the crank pulley was another story, I breakout the steering wheel puller and check the 2 holes in the pulley….guess what no threads. The manual said don’t use a gear puller (is it a 2 piece pulley), so I try too work it off by hand, I’m sure you know where that went….no way. Now I’m probing the face of the pulley for a rubber gasket with a scribe, it was one piece. I used my gear puller to remove it, no problem. Has anyone seen a pulley with no threaded holes?

Ok, I get all the parts on; I loosely attach the lower cover making sure the crank is on TDC. I remove the cover and loosen the tensioner bolt slowly as not to move the pulley when it takes up the slack. I then rotate the crank twice around…..it moved.

I reset the timing, this time it was on the money. I rotated the crank several times because now I’m paranoid…..am I going too screw this up?

Before I put all this crap back together I have to start it just to be sure. I reconnect the battery and start it up just for a moment…..hallelujah, it ran. Did I disconnect the neg. terminal…..no I did not.

I’m still paranoid, I recall one post where the engine ran, but when driven on the street it had no power over 40mph. Another poster stated, instead of taking it apart just move the distributor to compensate for the timing. Now I’m thinking that would be ok, because of the distributor gear, move it up.

All these negative were getting the best of me. I’m having senior moments all over the place now.

The next day I’m getting it all buttoned up, I move the alternator to the bracket and guess what happened the harness touches the alt and snap goes the 80-amp fuse…deader than Kelso’s nuts. I replace the fuse; it’s held in place with two 10mm bolts. It now runs.

Now for the cam cover gasket and distributor “O” ring. I scribe marks around the hold down bolt and remove it…..there’s no gear it’s a slotted keyway. You’re either on the money or 180 degree’s out.

The car runs like it never did; it ran good before, but not like now.

Bottom line, take your time, don’t get upset if something goes wrong…walk away and cool off than go back and continue.

Thanks Doc J. for the tutorial, and all those who posted info in the different threads……

Carl

71Corolla · 03-02-2011, 07:02 PM

Congrats, always a good feeling when you do a major job like this yourself. You know it's done right, not to mention the money you saved.

The harmonic balancer does have threads, but they are behind rubber, so it doesn't seem like they are there. At least all the ones I've dealt with, the threads are there. But no matter you got the pulley off anyway. And yes always remove the negative terminal and save yourself a lot of headache.

scarney1988 · 03-02-2011, 09:00 PM

Congrats boss. Your proof positive that with some tools and a little time and patience you can save money and get a quality end result.

Once you drive it around for a little, make sure you check your coolant level.

Sean

Toy1990 · 03-03-2011, 08:46 AM

Guys thanks for the "good job." Again especially to Doc J for the tutorial; and all the posters. It's very gratifying. 71C now that you mention it I did feel something rubbery in the holes but didn't think anything of it let alone try to get it out.

My next project will be the oil pan gasket and rear engine mount at the lower crossmember, the mount is split in two. I'll start shooting up the engine pipe bolts now, don't want to break them, plus with a compressor and an impact gun they usually come right off....I hope.

Last month I put in a steering rack (Big pain in the butt) and when you're working alone and on the garage floor the "ups and downs" takes it toll on an aging body, but it worked out.

Back in my day we didn't wear gloves or any kind of protective gear so your hands took the full impact of whatever job you were doing and they feel it now. Take whatever precautions necessary to save yourselves from the aches and pains that us oldtimes are feeling now. We're tough; but, not that tough.

Guys thanks again.....Carl

Toy1990 · 03-03-2011, 08:55 AM

71 C, don't worry I won't forget the neg. terminal. When I heard the snap I thought for sure it crapped out the alternator, but once I replaced the fuse everything was fine....I prayed

Remember, "senior moments," or "I lost my presence of mind."

.....Carl

white90dx · 03-03-2011, 01:26 PM

I thought the job was pretty easy... though it had been done before on my car so the holes in the pully were easily visible (though I had to use some bolts from my bike to thread in there!).

Next time (if there is one

), mark the belt before you take it off with some white out or similar with match marks on the pullies. Transfer the marks to the new belt, and you can guarantee perfection.

-Charlie

Toy1990 · 03-04-2011, 08:37 AM

Charlie I remember reading about that in the tutorial, I do now realize how important that step is and how it would have made the job that much easier. But, in my feeble mind I didn't think it was a big deal since I was replacing the belt.....I guess the bulb wasn't on.

Since I'm a senior I can fall back on "senior moments," or "I lost my presence of mind."

Charlie thanks for the reminder, you guys are the BEST.......Carl

Dehabur · 03-10-2011, 09:18 PM

I am replacing the belt, idlers and seals also on my 91 3SFE Camry engine. when I took the covers off the belt was loose, so the engine appears to have jumped timing. How do you line up the marke and can you mark the belt the way that Dr J has in the DIY sticky and still have the timing phase correct. I was thinking of getting the Haynes manual to assure success as this is the first Toyota that I have worked on also. Glad that you were successful! Want to be as good as yourself but nervous as well. Any help or guidance with this procedure would be greatly appreciated.

Toy1990 · 03-11-2011, 09:37 AM

Dehabur, stay nervous/anxious call it what you want, it'll keep you sharp, you'll check and double check everything you touch. Take your time, you'll be Ok.

If you think I wasn't nervous....think again. I had all the parts over a month before I did the job. As I said the last time I worked on a "rubber band" car was had to be back in the 70's on the Pinto. I left Ford in 86....a long time ago.

You said the belt was loose, was the car running or not? If it jumped time while driving you'll have to reset both cam and crank timing before starting the job. Yes, get the Haynes manual, it will explain everything in detail in resetting cam and crank timing. If it was running mark the belt as per Doc J tutorial.

As far as aligning cam timing mark I used a red spray can nozzle, you can see the top of the cam bearing cap once the flat wiring harness for the alternator is lifted out of the way. Line up the sprocket hole and slide the nozzle into it, it should lay on top of the nub on the cap, I found it easier looking down on the cap than using the mirror. If the alignment is off the nozzle won't slide in.

When I took my covers off my belt was loose also (not falling off loose) just somewhat sloppy, which I thought wasn't normal, but the car ran just fine, plenty of power, great gas mileage and all. Actually the belt looked as if it had been changed; it looked new, but not knowing its maintenance history I changed it anyway. And the water pump.

Do you have a good assortment of tools? Doc J listed them. He fabbed some also...I didn't. Aside from the sockets: long, short, 3/8" and 1/2" drives, a set of offset boxes wrenches are needed, you'll only use a few of the sizes. I found my 1/4" drive socket set invaluable, especially with the 12" extension and swivel. It worked great tightening the lower cover bolts while lying on my rug, (in the garage).

I hope this helps, I can offer encouragement more than anything else, because there are guys out there that are better qualified to give advice than myself....so feel free to correct me if I said something that's not so, even at my age (64) I'm still learning from you young fella's.

But there's one thing I can stand on that you can't...."I lost my presence of mind," or "I had a senior moment" HAH!
Dehabur, stay nervous/anxious call it what you want, it'll keep you sharp, you'll check and double check everything you touch. Take your time, you'll be Ok.

If you think I wasn't nervous....think again. I had all the parts over a month before I did the job. As I said the last time I worked on a "rubber band" car was had to be back in the 70's on the Pinto. I left Ford in 86....a long time ago.

You said the belt was loose, was the car running or not? If it jumped time while driving you'll have to reset both cam and crank timing before starting the job. Yes, get the Haynes manual, it will explain everything in detail in resetting cam and crank timing. If it was running mark the belt as per Doc J tutorial.

As far as aligning cam timing mark I used a red spray can nozzle, you can see the top of the cam bearing cap once the flat wiring harness for the alternator is lifted out of the way. Line up the sprocket hole and slide the nozzle into it, it should lay on top of the nub on the cap, I found it easier looking down on the cap than using the mirror. If the alignment is off the nozzle won't slide in.

When I took my covers off my belt was loose also (not falling off loose) just somewhat sloppy, which I thought wasn't normal, but the car ran just fine, plenty of power, great gas mileage and all. Actually the belt looked as if it had been changed; it looked new, but not knowing its maintenance history I changed it anyway. And the water pump.

Do you have a good assortment of tools? Doc J listed them. He fabbed some also...I didn't. Aside from the sockets: long, short, 3/8" and 1/2" drives, a set of offset boxes wrenches are needed, you'll only use a few of the sizes. I found my 1/4" drive socket set invaluable, especially with the 12" extension and swivel. It worked great tightening the lower cover bolts while lying on my rug, (in the garage).

I hope this helps, I can offer encouragement more than anything else, because there are guys out there that are better qualified to give advice than myself....so feel free to correct me if I said something that's not so, even at my age (64) I'm still learning from you young fella's.

But there's one thing I can stand on that you can't...."I lost my presence of mind," or "I had a senior moment"

Good luck Dehabur...I know you'll do well, and take your time.

P.S. Don't forget to disconnect the neg. terminal....LOL.

Good luck Dehabur...I know you'll do well, and take your time.

P.S. Don't forget to disconnect the neg. terminal....LOL.

Toy1990 · 03-11-2011, 09:42 AM

Guys there's two posts for the price of one.....don't ask me how it happened

.....Carl

Doctor J · 03-11-2011, 12:40 PM

Nice to know that my instructions are useful.
And there is an always room for improvement

O.T. My door dent removal project is in progress so hopefully I'll post a thread about it soon!!

Toy1990 · 03-11-2011, 03:21 PM

Doctor J, its an outstanding tutorial, and it did help a whole lot. I'm sure those who've used it feel the same way.

After the job I definitely felt good that it worked out. As you can tell from my posts I definitely was in pucker factor. After the first week I began to relax driving the car, you know is it going to break? Now, the difference in the cars performance is so noticable. (I'm a conservative driver and I like keeping as much gas money in my pocket for the longest period of time as possible, the car certainly helps). Under moderate throttle when the tranny shifts it gives a good kick in the butt. I have a renewed love for driving it.

In the past I used Bosch plugs, my mileage was always in the low thirties back and forth to work, pickup the kids from school and around town, all local stuff. I'd put around 300+ miles (14 gal tank) every couple of weeks on 9 gals of gas.

I usually buy all my parts from Advance Auto, once in a while from AutoZone. Kyle from Advance convinced me to try Denso plugs, he gave me the sales pitch that Denso are better in Toyos than Bosch, so I buy them. I filled it up last Friday, I put 167 mi. on the car so far; the gauge hasn't come close to the half-way mark on the gauge yet...maybe they are that good....maybe my gauge is off....we'll see.

My next project is the oil pan and rear motor/tranny mount. All the oil leaks have stopped with the exception of one, from the drip mark on the cardboard its not coming from the front of the engine but more from the inboard side of the oil pan sump. This weekend I'll get it on jacks and take a better look. Hopefully its the pan.

Thanks again Doc.....Carl

Dehabur · 03-15-2011, 08:31 PM

Dr J thanks for all the great tips and insight. So can you tell me where to start from scratch on setting up the timing phasing if the belt has jumped time? I got under the bottom cover today to discover that the belt was loose because the stationary idler pulley bearing was distroyed. The balls and pieces of the bearing were laying at the bottom. I will also check my other post. Thanks. Toy1990 does a good job of explaining how he did it in this post, actaully a great job! I just wondered if you had anything to add. Looks like I line up the camshaft gear with the circle on housing and hole in gear, not the line on the bearing housing.

Dehabur · 03-15-2011, 08:45 PM

Oh I forgot to mention that I have the valve/camshaft cover off too so I can see the cam lobe position for TDC alignment. I can tell the valves are closed and the lobes are roughly parallel with the floor or @ 90* or 9 oclock looking at the gear end. Anyone know if that is close to where they should be for TDC?

white90dx · 03-16-2011, 01:29 PM

With the lower timing cover on and the crank pulley in place, you can easily set the bottom end at TDC for cylinder 1, just align the mark on the pulley to 0* on the timing cover.

For the cams, you just have to align the hole on the cam gear to the notch on the head right behind the hole. The hole will be 'vertical' - as compared to the motor (directly in line with the crank and cam gear, pretty much).

With those two aligned, everything will be fine. Pop the belt on, rotate and check timing again. If you mess up, it is a non-interferance engine... so no harm, no foul.

-Charlie