I am wondering how hard it is going to be to replace the timing belt on a 3.4L 2001 4Runner. I've heard it is much more involved than most projects. I am pretty mechanically inclined and think I could work through it with instructions though. Anyhow, has anybody done it? Is it one of those things that you would be much better off paying a mechanic to do? Your thoughts are appreciated...

 

Unless you have the ability to torque the front bolt to the proper spec, i would suggest a shop doing it.

 

I am thinking this same thing, would a torque wrench be sufficient?

 

beings that its an auto, he would also need a tool to hold the balancer still while tightening the bolt.

Torque wrench would work, but you need one that goes to at least 225 ft/lbs

 

i think you also need a SST for the crank pulley. theres a good writeup on it on 4X4 wire i think. it shows you how to make one yourself.

personally, id pay a shop to do it. that way, if something goes catastrophically wrong, it wont be anyones fault but...theirs!

other things like suspension, brakes, etc simple nuts n bolts i'd do myself. things that dont require SST's and precise measuring tools.

 

another thing, is it neccessary to really move anything? I always assumed I could get away with removing components, slip off old, put on new, no difficulty... or is this not true, the manual mentions all sorts of having to re-line-up stuff, or maybe I am just making it seem more complicated? Also, to help with my, and OP's question, are the other components, idler/tensioner a good idea to replace? or unnecessary? I have seen a few people list those as replacement items

see below for excerpts from repair manual =) [EDIT: FOR A 1999 - SR5]
[clickable]

 

you guys both made good points while i was putting together and uploading my last post...
it is a pretty in depth project, with good potential for not working right

 

Those are great links to the FSM.

I would always suggest replacing wear parts like water pump, bearings, etc etc. You dont want to have to tear it all down and do it again in 3 months if it could have been prevented by replacing a few parts now.

 

btw if i were to ever invest the money that Toyota wants for a SST, the crank holder for the 5VZ would be the only one.

 

thanks, they are actually just prints (as jpegs using PDFCreator) from my manual I got from https://techinfo.toyota.com/... only pain is that each page has to be printed one at a time to convert pdf to jpg (so I can link on photobucket)

water pump I assumed, I guess the others are a good idea too

 

I agree about having a shop do it. I just had mine done this week at a shop that only works on Toyotas(not a dealership) and they waranteed all parts and work for 12 months or 12,000 miles.

They did the timing belt, water pump, thermostat, idler bearing, tensioner bearing and all new acc. belts for $577.00.

Well worth it to me.

 

indeed, I think that around $500 would be worth it to me if I knew for sure it was a quality shop, I just dread mixing something up if I did it myself, or ghetto-fabbing some technique/SST that works improperly

 

Thanks for all of the input so far guys! Anybody happen to know exactly what SSTs (special service tools) will be needed. I feel like I could probably buy them for a decent price and then ebay them...

 

SST# 09213-54015 and SST# 09330-00021

 

This link should help

http://www.4x4wire.com/toyota/maintenance/timing_belt/