99 avalon p0340 after changing timing belt and water pump - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

doulosmedic · 10-04-2011, 06:25 PM

So I am pretty exhausted... up til 2 working on the car and up @ 6 to go to work, so if the type is incomprehensible, i apologize.

99 avalon with severely leaking water pump. replaced pump and timing belt. did it by the book from the fsm at my local library, except i couldnt get the rear cam pulley off broke both bolts in timing cover that you can get to thru the pulley and severely bent 3 screwdrivers and a pair and channel locks. I was able to replace the pump with just removing the front pulley and pulling the back of the cover out of the way.

To the best of my knowledge the vehicle is in time now. it runs, but absolutely no power. lined up all of the timing marks with their perspective marks on the engine and the lines on the belt all matched up prefectly. nothing in my mind that would lead me to think that I timed it incorrectly.

I think that I might have screwed something up trying to get the rear cam pulley off, but I didnt see any sensors or anything inside the pulley. If there is one there though, there is a good chance I thwacked it good more that a couple times.

Any help or suggestions before I take everything apart and start again?

doulosmedic · 10-04-2011, 06:58 PM

Just to add a little information. I checked the online manaul and it shows the cam postion sensor on the oposite side of the engine. I have to get a multimeter to check it and make sure that it is working but I find it hard to believe that it was damaged with the work that I did.

Please please please, any help would be greatly appreciated. I am doing this work for a friend at no cost and he is borrowing my only "child transporting" vehicle until I get this figured out. My wife is really getting the short end of the stick.

BonzoGonzo · 10-04-2011, 10:00 PM

i have not done this... i suppose i will have to do it next year.

it is "customary" to spin the engine over a few times after you have aligned the marks and tensioned the belt, then re-check the marks. did you do this?

doulosmedic · 10-05-2011, 05:48 AM

I did not do this, but I will make sure that I do it in the future. any other ideas, before I put another 4 hours into taking the thing apart to check the timing?

BonzoGonzo · 10-05-2011, 08:07 AM

i'm sorry, dude, i really am. this is a complex job that never should have been buttoned up, before the timing of the cams had been verified, a quick way to confirm what i already almost know is to use a compression gauge... and it's the insurance you need, before buttoning the engine up.

when dealing with a timing belt, be sure not to turn the engine backwards as you work with the timing. turning this kind of engine backwards is NEVER a good idea, and guaranteed to cause it to skip time before the tension is applied to the belt.

the 1mz runs clockwise, as you look at the vibration damper.

doulosmedic · 10-05-2011, 02:48 PM

Great! I am going to pull the timing covers off again and check it. How much of a pain in the butt is the compression tester? does it just go into the sparkplug spot? I know that I have compression, the engine will idle, close to normally. I will be back soon as to whether the timing was off a notch. any ideas if the timing appears to be correct?

doulosmedic · 10-05-2011, 06:08 PM

Thank you thank you thank you!

Yet again I am saved from my own stupidity. Timing was still holding where I had set it, but someone before me had put some paint on the LH cam pulley and I thought it was the timing mark. It was about 6 teeth off and is purring like a kitten now.

I guess I just needed someone to tell me to take the whole thing apart again to get me motivated. I am sorry to waste your time with this, but thank you so much for your help. It was really a life saver.

I am still curious about the compression tester and how to do it so i can avoid this in the future, if you feel so inclined

thanks again
Jesse

BonzoGonzo · 10-05-2011, 07:46 PM

a compression tester is a pressure gauge with a 1-way valve (to keep the pressure after it dissipates) and ither a rubber fitting (on a cheap one) that you mash into a spark plug hole as you crank the engine (with the throttle wide open) OR the same gauge with a fitting, that screws into a spark plug hole.

if the timing is off on ither cam the compression will not be up to par. should be 130 +. dunno what the spec is for the 1mz. don't think it's high 'cause she runs on regular and she is a non-interference engine (meaning the valves will not hit the pistons if the belt breaks).

the compression test is icing on the cake but spinning the engine, first slowly and gently by hand then, provided no opposition is felt, with the starter, then re-aligning tdc and the timing marks is the real deal. being 1 tooth off on some engines might not create a huge loss of compression but it will be enough to notice (if you took a reading on that cylinder, before replacing the belt). depends on how the cams are timed (they're very conservative on the 1mz) and which way the cam is off - retarded or advanced.

anyhoooooo.... you're quite welcome. help someone else, along the line .)