1st & 2nd Generation (1983–1986 & 1987-1991)Toyota Camry Discussion for years: 1983-1986 & 1987-1991.
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Am getting ready to do the timing belt and water pump and thought I should also change out the 2 other belts (1 for power steering the other a combo belt) and thermostat.
My questions are:
1) Should I only use Toyota belts and thermostat or can I use Autozone's Duralast brand or is there another brand you would recommend? I see for the thermostats that Toyota wants over $25.00 for theirs whereas Autozone carries 2, the Duralast for $12 and another brand for $18.00. Autozone's belts are much cheaper too but I always worry about quality. I see that Gates has a Blue Racing Micro-V belt and there are also Goodyear Gatorback belts. So, trying to figure out if I really need Toyota parts or are these other brands good too?
2) I purchased a Timing belt kit that includes the water pump, cam seals, idler and tensioner, is there any thing else that should be replaced in addition to what this kit includes and the 2 other belts and thermostat? I figure while in the same area and things opened up that it is best to do what we can.
I was advised that Bando makes the oem belts for our cars. So I bought them from my neighborhood auto store. I normally use gates on my vehicles though.
Use the Toyota OEM thermostat, but you can use whatever you want for the other parts. The 60k mile replacement cycle means that the other parts should be fine. Consider doing the main seal while that side of the motor is open, especially if you are doing the cam seals too.
Mark the old belt with match marks (pulley and belt at the same time, on each cam gear and the crank) to help you get everything aligned while you are putting it back together.
-Charlie
__________________
2003 Impreza WRX Wagon 5spd - 2.2L stroker + other goodies
1989 Camry Alltrac LE 3S-GTE 5spd - SV25/ST205 hybrid
1990 Camry 3S-GTE 5spd - parted out / junked
1990 Camry DX 3S-FE 5spd - The original white90dx; gone but not forgotten
Aloha Greg & Charlie-
Thank you as always for the advice! I will order a Toyota thermostat and get the Bando or Gates belts as mentioned. Also, the main seal that you mentioned is that a part that also comes from Toyota and where is that located?
Mahalo!
Glen
like
Quote:
Originally Posted by white90dx
Use the Toyota OEM thermostat, but you can use whatever you want for the other parts. The 60k mile replacement cycle means that the other parts should be fine. Consider doing the main seal while that side of the motor is open, especially if you are doing the cam seals too.
Mark the old belt with match marks (pulley and belt at the same time, on each cam gear and the crank) to help you get everything aligned while you are putting it back together.
An engine main seal goes between the crank the block. In this case, you want the front (timing belt side) main seal. That would be another good part to get from Toyota. If it isn't leaking, you might be able to get away with leaving it... but you might have to deal with a leak later.
You do have to pull the crank pulley off to get to the seals (cam and main/crank), which often requires special tools. You can look up the general procedure for any motor on google or whatever to see if it is something you want to tackle.
-Charlie
__________________
2003 Impreza WRX Wagon 5spd - 2.2L stroker + other goodies
1989 Camry Alltrac LE 3S-GTE 5spd - SV25/ST205 hybrid
1990 Camry 3S-GTE 5spd - parted out / junked
1990 Camry DX 3S-FE 5spd - The original white90dx; gone but not forgotten
Aloha Charlie and Greg-
Thanks for the clarity on the main seal and where it is. As well as the photos in regard to Charlie's technique for getting the cam seal out, correct?
Even though my vehicle has low miles on it (77K), I see a little leak so that could be a cam seal or the main seal you mentioned so it is probably a good thing to have it done at the same time. Thanks again!
Mahalo,
Glenn
Quote:
Originally Posted by white90dx
An engine main seal goes between the crank the block. In this case, you want the front (timing belt side) main seal. That would be another good part to get from Toyota. If it isn't leaking, you might be able to get away with leaving it... but you might have to deal with a leak later.
You do have to pull the crank pulley off to get to the seals (cam and main/crank), which often requires special tools. You can look up the general procedure for any motor on google or whatever to see if it is something you want to tackle.
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