2000 4-cyl Timing belt - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

davj3368 · 02-22-2008, 07:05 PM

I'm replacing the oil pump on my 00 Camry tomorrow, but I'm hesitant to pull the timing belt. My concern is that I won't get the timing right when I put it all back together. Is this a simple process?

bronzemaxell · 02-22-2008, 07:34 PM

i did both 4cyl and v6 camry a number of times, it does require some experience/trick, use whiteout to mark the timing on cam gear and crank shaft pulley, took me about 2 to 3 hours from start to finish with the right tools. if you never done before, you have to consider your ability. as long as you seen some1 did it once, then you should be good to go.

dc_98_cam · 02-22-2008, 09:16 PM

Two things to look for before you tighten down the upper idler pulley...crank pulley is lined up with the timing cover 0 mark and cam pulley spoke hole is lined up with the notch at about 10 o'clock on the block...The other thing is that there shouldn't be any noticeable slack in the timing belt ... nothing that looks excessive...If you see some definite slack on the upper side of the cam pulley, remove the upper belt from the cam pulley ...keeping the crank end in place, and adjust one belt tooth...then take another look and see if the belt is about equally tight on both sides of the cam pulley ... towards the top...There might be a little deflection when you squeeze it, but you shouldn't see any definite slack....
The repair manual also gives a procedure for rotating the crank pulley about two times before you tighten down the no. 1 idler pulley...The idea is to make sure that the belt is evenly seated ... nothing complicated... If you don't have the I4 Mechanical Section ...send me a pm with your email.

***toyomoho*** · 02-22-2008, 11:55 PM

A few suggestions: use a bolt-on puller and not a jaw type to eliminate risk of damaging the pulley (if required to remove the pulley). When loosening the pulley bolt use an air impact wrench or bolt a piece of wood bolted to the pulley face having a hole in it to allow socket access. The wood will keep the crank from turning.

Set the crank to TDC at number 1 compression stoke, when all the covers are off take a good look at the cam pulley timing marks for future reference. As dc_98_cam states once then belt is installed and tensioner released run the crank through two revolutions CW and recheck the marks.

They marks can be off one tooth due to the slack in the belt being taken up. If off, repeat the installation process but index the cam pulley one tooth forward or backward before the belt is installed. Then do the rotation check again.

If you are replacing the pump use a new O-ring seal on the pump body and make sure the little dimples in the gears are lined up and facing the same direction.

As the covers will be off check the cam and crank seals for leakage.

If you have a timing light, recheck timing using the Toyota procedure.

davj3368 · 02-23-2008, 06:39 AM

Still haven't pulled the timing belt, but I checked the timing marks and it looks like the timing has been off about one tooth. When I line up the cam pulley with the bearing notch, the crank pulley is lined up with the 5 degree mark currently.

I guess what I'm asking is....what does it hurt if I'm one or two teeth off? It looks to be off now, and I'm assuming the guys who replaced my water pump left it that way, but my motor has always seemed to run normally.

dc_98_cam · 02-23-2008, 09:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by davj3368

Still haven't pulled the timing belt, but I checked the timing marks and it looks like the timing has been off about one tooth. When I line up the cam pulley with the bearing notch, the crank pulley is lined up with the 5 degree mark currently.

I guess what I'm asking is....what does it hurt if I'm one or two teeth off? It looks to be off now, and I'm assuming the guys who replaced my water pump left it that way, but my motor has always seemed to run normally.

What miles per gallon do you get? ...On the highway ...no stops...warm weather ... light load ....I can get nearly 35 mpg.

bronzemaxell · 02-23-2008, 10:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by davj3368

Still haven't pulled the timing belt, but I checked the timing marks and it looks like the timing has been off about one tooth. When I line up the cam pulley with the bearing notch, the crank pulley is lined up with the 5 degree mark currently.

I guess what I'm asking is....what does it hurt if I'm one or two teeth off? It looks to be off now, and I'm assuming the guys who replaced my water pump left it that way, but my motor has always seemed to run normally.

if your engine does not feel any lost of power, then you are not off any tooth

the 1st time i did mine, it was off by 1 tooth, the engine still startup, but very weak, like i need to rev up to 3k to 4k to get the same power that i normally get in 2k, i redid it again, then engine worked fine again.

i don't think the timing belt can be off one tooth or more to run normally

davj3368 · 02-23-2008, 11:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dc_98_cam

What miles per gallon do you get? ...On the highway ...no stops...warm weather ... light load ....I can get nearly 35 mpg.

I haven't noticed bad mileage....I typically get 30+ on the highway I guess.

Hopefully, when I put it back together, i will notice a difference.

davj3368 · 02-23-2008, 05:18 PM

Well, here's today's results.....

I got all the way to pulling the crank pulley and, you guessed it, I couldn't get it off with my shade tree tools! I didn't have an impact wrench, but I would have paid big for one about an hour ago! I just put everything back together and dropped back to punt! At least I know what I'm up against now. I did 'fabricate' a tool out of a 2X4 to hold the pulley still while I used a big torque wrench to try and bust the bolt loose. The 2X4 busted down the middle.

I'll talk to a buddy of mine this week and see if I can use his shop and run down the tools I need to pull that pulley. Is there a specific tool made for holding the pulley still?

Thanks for all your help guys.

Dave

dc_98_cam · 02-23-2008, 05:39 PM

davj3368 · 02-23-2008, 06:02 PM

Awesome! Did you make that or can I buy/rent one somewhere? MAN, I WOULD HAVE KILLED FOR THAT EARLIER!

I stared at that same scene all day! lol

dave

dc_98_cam · 02-23-2008, 10:31 PM

I put it together with my flux core welder .... It fits best at about the 7 o'clock position...as shown.
You can use all the torque that you need to loosen the center bolt. It also holds the crank pulley while you reinstall the center bolt to the specified torque...80 ft.-lb.
There is another technique, though, to loosen that center bolt the first time...Get the correct socket ... 17 or 19 mm whichever ... and also use a long breaker bar ...propped against the ground or something solid ...Then bump the starter motor...The trick being that you don't want to start the engine, you just want to bump the starter. The starter motor has a lot of torque, and will probably do the job. You might have to get somebody to hold the socket onto the bolt, though.
...It might be a good idea to disable something in the ignition circuit...so that the engine doesn't accidentally start up.

davj3368 · 03-09-2008, 07:00 PM

Thanks DC! The 'bump-the-starter' trick worked great! I couldn't believe it! Had my son hit the starter while I held the socket on! I was one happy man when I saw that crank pulley bolt spinning! It was 'game on' at that point!

One I got the pulley off, and 2nd timing belt cover, I could then pull the timing belt (after marking it with white out) and then pulled the main part of the oil pump loose. I replaced the o-ring, ($6) put it all back together and I'm good to go....no more leak! So nice not to hear the valves clacking every time I crank the motor!

Thanks again guys for all your help. I'm not sure what it would have cost me to have a shop replace that part but I'm sure it would have been at least $300 or more.