Gen 4 5S-FE Timing belt change - lost power?

[bolink654]

Recently the water pump went out on my wifes 1998 Camry.

I did the work myself - before finding this website, with no directions or experiance. All I knew was that it was a non-interface so I had nothin to lose.

Well after I was done (I only replaced the belt, and water pump), it started and ran smooth and fine just like before. No rough idle no nothing. So I figured everything was A-ok, right?

But ever since then, it has lost some power, for example from a dead stop it will never squeak its tires, takes considerably longer to get to 45 or 60 or whatever. its pretty gutless. It does get a little better once the rpms get close to 3k. Also, on long-ish hills, were it once would climb them at 60, without having to put your foot too much into it (not enough to kick it down a gear)... now your either going 45 when you top it, or you push it so's it kicks down a gear... which cant be good for the gas mileage... and it isnt. It used to get 28-30... now it gets 25mpg. Oh and last but not least, now, when its idling, it idles at 1k. But when you put it in drive, sometimes it almost dies and the tach drops to like 500.

Sooo... Could it be a tooth off, still idle and run smooth? Oh and I pulled on the tension pulley a little before I locked it, could this be the problem too? Any other ideas?

Thanks

[Eye8Pussies]

yup...if it's a tooth off, it will usually still idle just fine until there's load...time to recheck that belt.

[bolink654]

Ok. So after this I checked and re-set it. Got the power back, and 32mpg. For about 3-4,000 miles. Then it started getting 25mpg one tank, 32 the next, 25, 32. I figured it was the gas. I rarely get it the same place twice.

Then I started tp notice a rattle around the water pump. It worried me but really, it could be coming from alot of things. I figured and hoped maybe it was the timing belt cover.

Well yesterday as the wife pulled out of the driveway it died. Wouldnt stat either. So I pushed it back into the driveway, took the top bolts outta the cover... the belt was still on. And I had her crank it, and I couldnt see and tears, rub marks, or cracks.

Well I had some stuff to do, but when I got back I checked some more and did find one small crack. So I went ahead and bought a new belt.

Now the last time I bought the $21 "MasterPro" belt from Oriellys. 90 day warranty. Of course is been like 4 months since I changed it. I got the $35 Gates this time though.

So I get it tore down in about and hour and a half. And I still cant find any real bad spots, but I notice the belt is waaay loose, and had been slapping the cover... and I set the engine at 0* and guess what? It had jumped about 8 teeth!

So I pulled the belt and instantly I can tell something isnt right. It's like a damn wet noodle! Not stiff. The alternator belt is stiffer than this thing. The original Gates belt, with 165,000 on it is stiffer than this one... and about 1/2 maybe even 3/4 inch SHORTER!

Threw the new belt on, got the timing right - I checked and re-checked it this time. It fired up - took a bit, assume it was slightly flooded, idled funny for a sec, then settled down. Started fine after that, and its got more power again, like right after I fixed the timing from the last time.

So the moral is, DONT buy MasterPRO timing belts!

Also, the idea of using the starter to bump that one bolt loose - works great! I had a hard time with it the first time, took all our impact had (and like 6 hours of cussing it). I did the whole job in 2.5 hours start to finish, last night. Another note that I didnt know but you might? The timing cover bolts will thread into the holes on that pulley. And lastly, I dont have a puller, but I did have a slide hammer, some chain, and the timing cover bolts. I think that worked better than a puller.

[bronzemaxell]

i normally use toyota genuine oem timing belt, cost around $40 from online dealer.
though toytoa never give good warranty on part, but oem belts hardly fail prematurely on me.
if i do the belt alone, i found use a small long nose locking piler to lightly clamp the belt on cam gear(s) help a lot. it elinimate the belt from jumping tooth while adjusting the belt at crank gear.

[skewe]

I am wondering if my issue could be related to yours.
93 camry 2.2 loss of power and stalls

I noticed that the belts of not that tight..