Been a while, but I'm back at the car, this time with pitbull tenacity! As you may or may not know, the car is in need of some major repairs, all of which I plan on documenting experiences with in this forum, in hopes they may help other DIY people. I am not driving this car until the work is done, so I may as well throw the info I find at whoever finds this in the search.
Here's the task list that I must tackle:
1) Needs a water pump/timing belt done
2) All engine mounts need to be replaced
3) I feel like painting all the stuff that is seen and would look good not rusty
4) O2 sensor (possibly)
5) Speedo cable
6) Thermostat
7) Radiator (not replacing, but an explanation how)
8) Alternator (not replacing)
So here's what I decided to do today...
I started to try to get to the Timing belt/water pump. If you have a 2VZFE, take note: There's a mess of crap in front of it!
First, take off the STRUT BRACE (if you have it). All it was is 4-14mm nuts and it slides off, you can push it out of the way. You should also take off the snap on covers for the ABS and the cruise control. Easy.
Then, I took the bolts out for mounting the POWER STEERING RESEVOIR and from the CRUISE CONTROL. They are all 10mm heads and come out easy. Trick is, get the 3 from the cruise first, then the resevoir. Once you do that, they can be moved easily, you don't have to take them out (so far). You can disconnect the cable from the cruise and set them off to the sides. If you want to remove the cruise completely, mark the 2 vacuum hoses and unplug the 2 wire clips. EASY STUFF!
Once to that point, you may as well pull off the brace from the top of the intake plennum (sp?). 3-14mm bolts and it's off. (REPAINT!)
This is when I hit an impasse. Taking the cover off wasn't quite happening, so I decided that since it needed to go anyway, just do it... remove the RADIATOR and ALTERNATOR.
Not hard for the radiator, easy to describe and do, just messy.
1) Drain it (plug at bottom or just remove the lower hose).
2) Remove hoses, top and bottom
3) Unplug fans
4) Remove top mounting brackets (repaint!). 12 mm bolts
5) Carefully lift it out. Set it aside, flush it later, paint it, whatever. Not so bad...
For the alternator, I just loosened the 12 mm nut/bolt tensioner thing and the 14 mm mounting bolt. Slacked the accessory belt, let it slide off. Disconnected all points to the alternator (nut on top, all wiring clips attached, had to get off). Not too hard. HOWEVER! The bolts that you loosened must come off. The tensioner, easy. Unscrew it take it off. Main bolt... you have to get it all the way loose, then gently manipulate the AC/power steering lines to move out of it's removal path. Once that's out, you have to kind of rotate it until you can lift it out safely. Done and done.
So the stuff it out or moveable, now what? Well, I took the bolts out of the timing plate cover. 10 mm all around. You have to find more than you think. And I think I found them all, but I can't get the cover off. I believe the motor mount is in the way... well, it needs to be done anyway, but I don't have the tool today, so that's where I stopped on that.
The THERMOSTAT is buried within the mess of the side of the engine in a way that it is difficult to do, even with the parts gone. 3-12mm nuts hold its cover on. A 10 mm screw on the alternator mount holds the cover assembly in place. Take the thermo out and replace it (you may as well if you get this far). I just took it out, there's a lot more work to do before I put the new one in.
That is it for today. What I plan on doing next is hitting up my buddy for use of his impact gun (or 1/2" drive set of ratchets) and tackling the motor mount on the upper right, as well as the front lower mount.
I will need to remove the intake as well. I have done this before, but if you want to know, it's like this:
Find all the vacuum lines and mark them well with a paint marker. Come up with a system of initials, dots, or whatever you can remember. Label all points on the hose and the intake, then start pulling them off the tubes. Once you remove those, there are 4-14mm bolts/nuts that come off from the middle. Take the airbox hose off the throttle body, too. You will also have to undo the EGR system, off the back of the intake. Mine came disconnected when I got the car, but my buddy eliminated it by sealing the holes and removing the required vac lines from it. I don't know that process, and if my car had a check engine light bulb, it would light up. But it doesn't and didn't, so... sweet.
Taking off the intake makes getting to the SPEEDO SETUP a lot easier, as well as is necessary in a full tuneup for the rear plugs, wires, distributor and cap.
Pictures to follow.
