gpcollen1

Did yours come with multiple bolts?? I think they are the M8 bolts. You may have to really push them in to get to the threads and push and turn them to get them to catch. My first try was like yours in that one bolt bit and one did not when I started to tighten them in a bit. I tries again and got them to bite. I'd say just give it another try.

Q-DawgVFR

I don't know much about fasteners. What is an M8 bolt and how will I tell it apart from the rest? Does the M stand for metric? I'm not even sure if my puller came with metric or SAE bolts, so perhaps that is the problem?

I'm scared to strip these or damage them to the point that I can't get the bolts to grab, because then I have no idea how to remove this thing. I live in Canada so this thing is probably rusted on pretty good.

I gave it a shot of WD-40 as I'm replacing the timing belt anyway, and I can get rid of any oily residue by using brake cleaner to wipe everything down once I get it apart.

MTL_4runner

If the puller doesn't have the right size bolts, then I often will use a small piece of wood (like a 1ft 2x4) and use that to create leverage to use a prybar with. Obviously you want to try and work your way around slowly, a little at a time (DO NOT PRY ON THE OUTER PART OF THE RING). I often use that in combination with a dead blow mallet because the sudden impact can loosen up the rust quite a bit and break the bond with the crankshaft. Also keep using lots of penetrant and once you get the balancer off you can use some light oil and very fine sandpaper (like 600 grit or higher) to knock the rust off and allow the balancer to slide on easier during assembly.

Be very careful not to strip those holes out completely because it will be a big PITA to fix them later with helicoils or something similar. Once you get it off, you should go to the store and get a metric tap to match the bolts than came out and run a tap to chase the threads that were there and prevent any further damage.

Q-DawgVFR

Thanks, I guess I'll give that a try if I can't figure out the bolt size. I just went and picked up some metric 8mm bolts (coarse and fine threads) and will see if those fit. Also, do you have any advice on the timing marks being slightly off? Is that normal? (The cam sprocket marks are off 1/8 inch on opposite sides when the crank pulley is aligned at the "0" mark.)

MTL_4runner

Is that with tension on the belt?
Any pics you can post?

Q-DawgVFR

Well, I messed around for a bit, and got success. FOR THE BENEFIT OF ANYONE DOING THIS LATER, THE BOLT SIZE REQUIRED IS 8MM, 1.25 THREAD. You need a bolt that is about 3-4 inches in length, depending on the type of puller you have.

I did run into one other snag: the center bolt for the puller was too long and would not clear with the rad in place. So I had to substitute the center bolt from one of my 3-claw pullers which was shorter in length. It did the trick and the pulley started to slide right away. I removed the puller and wiggled it off by hand.

Then I used brake cleaner to get rid of the WD-40 and dirt in the thread bores. After drying everything off, I took a nozzle-cleaning wire brush and brushed the thread bores clean, then tried the 8mm bolts again. I could spin them in using my fingers, so I decided not to bother using a tap.

Upon closer inspection, I could see what my problem was. The holes in the crank pulley are drilled with a taper or reduction in the bore size, so the wrong size bolt will initially APPEAR to be the right size as you try to start threading it into the hole. Only the 8mm will actually go back far enough to engage the threads.

The threads are at the extreme BACK of the pulley, so it would probably be easiest to try cleaning from the backside of the pulley if I did this again.

So that concludes the hard part of this job, the rest should be easy, I think. Just thought I would share my experience for the benefit of anyone else doing this job. I'll post a picture or two when I am finished, of the home-made holding tool I used to loosen the crank bolt.

Q-DawgVFR

Yup, that is with tension on the belt. Upon closer inspection, it seems not THAT far off. The cam sprockets seem to line up pretty much where they should; the crank pully mark is about halfway between the zero and the five mark on the indicating scale just behind it.

gpcollen1

Cool deal!

Q-DawgVFR

So it's OK then?

Q-DawgVFR

Hey, your post edited. You mentioned it likely being a result of turning the engine a bit counterclockwise. I think I may have done that a tad. The pulley was a bit off after using the puller, and I just moved it by hand back the way it came from as it was only off about 1/2".

Farmerunner

Dude, there is enough writen about the timing belt on here to fill a book. There is a couple of fantastic write ups in the tech section if you want to give it a go yourself.

Take a look at the cover, there is a sticker that comes with the belt, and if it was replaced, the guy doing the job should have filled out the mileage and date and stuck the sticker on the cover. If the sticker isn't there, I would go ahead and do the belt and water pump, unless you don't mind being stuck at the side of the road.

I ran mine to 260 000km on my first belt, but decided that I couldn't take the worry of being stuck in the mountains of PA, 600km from home with a busted belt.

By the way, I had a dealership do my belt after reading all of the write ups, I decided I couldn't be with out the truck for more then one day in the event that I couldn't get it done in a weekend.

Q-DawgVFR

I'm aware that there is a LOT of material written about this. I'm well aware of the excellent tech write-ups on this matter, because I've read through them. Beleive me when I say I search in detail each time before I post. I posted because I had questions I couldn't find the answers to on existing YT threads or in my FSM.

There's no need to get point fingers at someone posting on a frequently discussed topic if they have done most of their homework, yet still have questions. This is the biggest job I've tackled on my own, and I still had a few questions. I also shared some of my experience because I found a few areas which might warrant clarification for the benefit of others doing this job later. If this bothers you, read another thread.

By the way, anyone know which gasket material I should use on my water pump? I've searched the forums and I think I have a remanufactured Toyota (old-style) water pump, as it has a channel for the FIPG material and comes with a black paper-looking gasket. Do I chuck the paper gasket and just use the FIPG, or do I use both? Have seen posts which question the long-term integrity of the paper gasket. I don't want leaks.

gpcollen1

I think I was thinking backwards when i wrote that initially. The crank needs to be turned clockwise to put tension on the belt and line up the maks accurately. They may not be exact - but as long as nothing look a 'tooth' off.

G

gpcollen1

If you do not want leaks, you are better off returning that and getting one that comes with the metal gasket. If you use that one, you may just have to be sure to keep an eye on it for leaks. I don't think it will leak any time soon however.

mkgarrison5

i wont do it myself.. when i get mine done i will go ahead and get new drive belts, new water pump and thermostat.. at 100k miles. go ahead and fork ou about 550$ or so and be done with it for another 100k miles.. sounds like a damn good plan to me

MTL_4runner

If you use the Toyota FIPG and wait at least 24 hours before filling the coolant and trying to start the motor, you should not see any leaks later. I'm not a big fan of the paper gasket either, but if you use it be sure to coat BOTH SIDES of the paper gasket to ensure a leak-free seal. You don't need alot, just enough to thoroughly leave no paper showing through and fill the channel completely with the FIPG and smooth with your finger after.


As for the timing marks, I often line everything up and put a slight tension on the belt by using a socket on the passenger side cam pulley bolt to hold tension on the belt and mimic the tension the engine would see while driving. Sometimes it may look right as you put the best on but as soon as you take the slack out of the belt you can see it's a tooth off. The idea is to put the belt on the closest position possible to having the timing marks line up perfectly. They are always a tiny bit off but you'll see that all the other belt tooth positions will be much worse.

Q-DawgVFR

Thanks again for the info. No problem to wait a day. I had this whole week off from work to take my time with this job. I've spent about 5 hours on it so far, but spread out over 3 days. One more day isn't gonna kill me; I'll gladly wait if it lowers the chances of leakage.

Q-DawgVFR

The $550 part of your statement is exactly why it DIDN'T sound good to me. I understand not wanting to do certain unpleasant jobs, but I'm trying to save some money by doing this myself. It achieves two goals: money saved (wife is going to college for next 2 years), and I get to know my rig a whole lot better- which is never a bad thing.

Then there's the personal satisfaction in being able to do a reasonably involved do-it-yourself project. Can't really call it a do-it-myself though; half of YT helped me through it.

And after some bad stealership experiences with three different car brands, I've concluded that I don't trust them. I decided from then on that I would do as much as possible to do things on my own and take away their source of income from me. Plus, there are so many good online groups (but very few as super as YT) to ask someone else's advice.

That said, I still take my vehicles in to get things like valve adjustments done, but I'm even thinking about doing that on my own in the future. How hard can it be, as long as you have the right info and tools?

OK, that's the end of my little rant about the dealerships....... Sorry.

gpcollen1

When I was at the dealer getting some parts, they told me that the standard rate for the T belt is 390 - 300 when they run a special. That does not include labor for the water pump. Parts alone for this job are expensive. If someone told me 550 for everything, i may have taken them up on the offer. Is 550 a firm quote for parts and labor; 3 belts, T belt, water pump, thermostat, coolant...?

Q-DawgVFR

$550 including parts isn't bad at all. Hell, I'd be tempted at that price to turn it over to someone else. I thought he meant $550 plus parts. It would make a huge difference!