SouthernComfort

Hi all...noob to the forum. I have a '97 4Runner Limited with 145,000 miles on it and the 3.4L (it had 89,000 when purchased about 3 years ago). Thankfully, up to this point I have not had any major work done on it aside from a warranty issue with the crankshaft pulley bolt.

I have found no record of the timing belt ever being changed, and I figured that it was about time to do that the H20 pump (since I have began to notice small amounts of water disappearing from my resevoir), belts, etc. I have done a search on the forum and other forums and I still have a few questions.

1. I have seen the torque specs. for the pulley bolt rated as high as 212 ft/lbs, but the Haynes Manual sets it at 184 ft/lbs. Which is it?

2. The PO of my truck used plain water in the cooling system, and there is a ton of rust in there. I have tried to flush the system 3 times already and it is still not clean. Any tips?

3. Do you have to take the the AC compressor and bracket off to get to the timing belt, or can you do the job by just loosening the belt tensioner for the belt?

Any other tips or heads up on possible pitfalls during the job would greatly be appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

SOCO

snap-on

you can have the radiator flushed at a shop. as for the rest of the system, stick a garden hose in one end and let the motor run till its clear when it comes out the other.

as for tips for doing the TB... plenty of info on that via the search

SouthernComfort

Thanks for the tip on the flush, I didn't know you could do that without damaging the engine.

I have searched the forums and seen the torq. specs. listed at both 184 ft/lbs and 215 ft/lbs (I think). I read that it is b/c the lighter setting was found to be too light. I also read that you (snap-on) torqued yours to the lighter setting when you did your belt. Did you have to change the setting, or did that work for you?

Sorry if the question is annoying, but I am a bit of a perfectionist, and plus I do not want my crank pulley to come off and cause some damage.

SOCO

bigacuralvr

Toyota BGB says 212 ft/lbs...I trust them over chiltons any day!! Get the big torque wrench from Sears, and smile everytime you realize how huge it is!!

midiwall

You can do it by just loosening the tensioner.

Torque wise, crank on it until you can't crank on it any more. You won't snap it, and like you said, you don't want it going anywhere.

snap-on

i used ~185 ftlbs

3' torque wrench from Home Depot will be your friend. and really 15-20 ftlbs when it comes to numbers that high isnt gonna matter much.

as for the garden hose thing, ya it works fine, your constantly supplying it with a fresh source of "cold" water...

MTL_4runner

I don't suggest ever running the engine with the cooling system upressurized or especially running constant "cold" water through there for more than a few seconds because you can damage your engine, so I don't suggest doing what was mentioned above (you can create thermal gradients big enough to crack your engine block or cylinder heads). The best way to flush (and just as effective as the method mentioned, yet without any risk) is to remove the thermostat, disconnect the radiator and heater core hoses and use a garden hose to flush the remaining loose deposits out of the engine and heater core (ie whatever you weren't able to drain out of the radiator petcock....make sure to recycle that stuff!). I had a similar situation where rust occurred in my cooling system (long story) but after doing a complete flush and refill (using OEM toyota red coolant only!) all visible rust in the system seems to have vanished.

SouthernComfort

Thanks for the advice and patience. If I have any more questions or problems I will be sure to post them here. Thanks again for the wealth of knowledge.

SOCO

kmchby76

make sure you have all right tools. you'll need specific tools for the timeing belt. i just finished mine after several purchases along the way. search all threads, trust me. good luck.

youngbuck

THIS

is how I did my coolant flush, seemed to work fine.

SouthernComfort

Thanks for that.

Yeah, I am going to fabricate the tool to hold the crankshaft pulley, and I think I can get the tensioner off without removing the AC compressor bracket, but I am going to check one more time to make sure. I have done more major work than this on a motorcycle, so I think I should be fine, it is just a matter of devoting the time to it.

kmchby76

you also need one of these


http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Belt-...QQcmdZViewItem

SouthernComfort

Yeah, I am going to try to work around that by removing the tensioner from the engine without removing the AC bracket. I read on here it can be done, so I figured I would try to save $40.

kmchby76

the tensioner does come off, but i believe it will be very difficult to get it back with the timing belt. there is a piston that stops the tensioner, and that tool compresses the piston and has a pin to lock the piston to allow room for the timing belt.

MTL_4runner

It takes a little more time, but that is what I usually do for mine.

SouthernComfort

Good. Since you have done it, I think all I am going to need is a universal socket and maybe an extension. Any other tools I might need or problems that you ran into doing it that way?

midiwall

You're gonna tear up a universal socket if you're thinking of using it on the crank bolt.

To deal with the crank you'll need a hardend steel socket - preferably a 1/2" drive (like an impact socket), a 3' breaker bar, and a chain wrench to hold the pulley.

MTL_4runner

Ditto, a decent set of metric sockets extensions and ratchets aren't going to set you back that much and well worth the frustration and time saved going out to get more tools. If you decide to go the universal socket route I want pics of the socket after you loosen the crank bolt.

midiwall

Fixed it for ya' Jamie...

SouthernComfort

I was talking about removing the tensioner, for what it's worth. I read on another thread it was possible to get to the tensioner from underneath the Runner with a universal socket (a 'wobbley' socket I think it was called) and you didn't have to remove the AC compressor and bracket.

I am no where near ignorant enough to try and remove the crankshaft pulley bolt without the right tools. I am hoping a Craftsman socket will do the trick, but if it splits I will go get a new one and buy an impact socket. I am also going to fabricate a piece of angle iron to hold the pulley in place while I break the bolt loose. (I'll take any excuse I can to weld!)