I am wondering the same thing about my 1998 Tacoma, I just bought the thing, and am wondering about the timing belt. It has 146,000 miles on it, but looks like it has been well maintained using OE parts, it even has the correct red coolant in it. Since I don't know the true history, I'll probally replace it sometime later this year.

 

Attention everyone. YOU DO NOT NEED ANY SPECIAL TOOLS to do a timing belt on a 3.0 and 3.4 engines. I see many of you going about reseting the hydraulic tensioner the wrong way. I can't tell you how many of these I have done but it is alot. Here it goes:

Just unbolt the tensioner. Use a drill bit that fits the hole in the top of the tensioner. Put the tensioner in a vise and turn it slowly. When the holes line up insert the drill bit but dont put it all the way through but just enough to go through all three holes. Now bolt it back on. When you get everything ready, take some pliers and pull out the drill bit. Your basically done! If you do not have a vise or access to one, a giant c-clamp works well.

James

 

James is correct.

Also I found that you don't need to remove the AC bracket on the 3.4. You can access the aft tensioner bolt from the bottom of the truck. Even if you don't change the tensioner pully, you can pull the entire tensioner spring unit out with just two bolts. The aft bolt is a little tricky to get to, but a 12mm socket on a wobble extension can get it from directly below. You may need to remove two 10mm bolts from the flat plastic wire bundle that goes across the front of the oil pan, and push the bundle toward the drivers side of the engine.

 

Can anyone explain the starter trick? I'm assuming this involves activating the starter with the breaker bar attached to break the bolt loose. Am I missing something or does that cover it?

Hoping to tackle this job tommorrow, so I coult use a few pointers. I've bookmarked this thread, the linked one on 4x4wire, and I have a FSM. How tricky is removal of pulley / harmonic dampener after bolt is out? I don't have any special tools for that; just a generic gear puller.

This may be a stupid question, but is the crank bolt conventional thread or a backwards (left hand) threaded. I hate it when I start torquing on something hard and then figure out that I'm tightening instead of loosening things.

Hopefully everything goes smooth. I'm doing water pump as well.

 

You're assuming correctly. I prefer a 6 point deep socket and a 24" breaker bar. Put the socket on the bolt and put the breaker bar under the passenger side frame rail, tight against it. Disconnect the ignition and hit the starter for a second or 2, the bolt should loosen. And it's a conventional thread.

Be careful using a gear puller on the harmnic balancer, you could end up just pulling off the outer section. You'd be better getting a real harmonic balancer puller that bolts into the inner section.

 

Yeah, I'll be careful to only pull on the center part. If I can't do it right with the tools I have, I will have to improvise and MAKE the right tool so as to not damage things. Better safe than sorry.

 

Harmonic Balancer: Spend 13 bucks at Autozone and get a puller.

Bolt: 6 point deep is the way to go. Make your own tool with a 2x4 some 4" long 3/8 grade 8 bolts (lowes or depot). Use 11/2 inch (1/2 od / 3/8 ID)steel sleeves through the wood for some extra hold. Pretty simple really

 

Usually the balancer will just slide right off, but if a little surface rust has set in between the two surfaces, it can be difficult. In a case like that, just go to a local tool rental and rent a harmonic balancer puller (I think they rent them at CDN Tire too) and use that instead of a standard gear puller.

Also a word of note......even though it's easy to loosen the bolt with the bump starter method (I don't use it personally but I've seen it done many times), it still doesn't solve your issue of how to get it torqued back up to at least 217 ft-lbs (better more than less). Failure to do so can be catastrophic later.

 

Yeah, I'll do it right when it is tightened. My buddy works in a dealership and says it will be no prob to borrow or rent a holder tool, but since it is closed today I will have to loosen using simpler methods. I might try fashioning the 2x4 tool as mentioned above. Thanks for the pointers. I'm starting on this after lunch. Later!

 

No luck with anything at the dealership (Ford) working for this application. Decided if I'm making the tool, I may as well make it to last, so I took some ideas from other member's threads on timing belt replacement and am getting a holder built for me today at a local welding shop.

Should cost me about $75Cdn, which is totally worth the peice of mind knowing it shall be done right and I don't have to worry about something breaking or slipping- causing personal injury to myself.

Building it out of a 7" piece of 6x3/8" bar stock, with a 1.25" thick wall square tubing chunk welded to the plate on one side. Tool has 3/8 holes for the pulley holes, and a 1.25" hole for the 1/2" drive 19mm impact socket (just for strength) and 1/2" by 24" breaker bar . I am getting some 1" square tubing to slide into the larger square tubing and a welded nut (set screw) to hold in place crank pulley against vehicle frame. Will post a picture when I get it all done.

Specifics on fabbing this tool might be a good FAQ for the tech maintenance section.

 

Oh, another quick question: when removing the timing belt tensioner, I plan on just alternately loosening the bolts, then using the vise and allen key method of compressing and holding the tensioner compressed while re-installing. I saw someone posting about needing one longer bolt to get tensioner re-installed. Is this still necessary if you have it compressed?

 

Nope.

 

I want to see some pics of this when you get it made if you wouldn't mind posting them.

 

Did you measure the distance between the holes on the balancer pulley. I had read 3.25 inches in between teh holes from the writeup with the tool he made. When I did mine, the holes were exactly 3 inches apart.

 

Regarding the tool to hold the crankshaft pulley, is that something that can be purchased too? If so, where and how much? I don't have the means to make one so I'm hoping I can buy one.

 

 

Found it hard to locate one - saw one priced for like $85 - don't remember where. I made it for $5. I did by the tensioner tool for $40 including shipping.

 

No problem with the pictures. Since the pulley is still on the engine, I relied on another members's measurement of 3.25" (from outside of hole to outside of hole) for the hole span. Hopefully it is correct. If not, I guess I can grind out a hole and make it an oval. Should still work. gpcollen1, was that 3 inches apart center to center? If it is, I may have some grinding/drilling to do.

I plan on finishing this job up tomorrow; I started it yesterday and wasn't feeling too well. I stopped after removing fan, shroud, coolant hoses to rad, A/C compressor and bracket, P/S pump, airbox, and battery. I also mangled my finger trying to undo the squeeze connection (electrical) to the A/C compressor. I was using offset needle-nose pliers to pry and wiggle and they slipped. Ouch!

Total cost for materials and labor at the shop was $45Cdn. It was built in a hurry (I was in a hurry) so there is a lot of metal burs to grind and file away. I think I will paint it and keep it: I forsee it being handy again.

If any Alberta Yotatech members need to borrow it when I'm done, I don't mind lending it out.

And I did look into buying the Toyota tool. 2 weeks delivery and it seems like it can only be ordered through the dealer. Not sure about price. I did not ask, since i couldn't wait 2 weeks anyway.

Getting the SST made for me on the cheap was nearly as satisfying as saving the hundreds of dollars by doing water pump and timing belt myself is gonna be. YT rocks!

 

Yeah it was on center... you cannot see the steel sleeves in the 2x4 here but oh well...

 

Just tried out my homemade SST and it lined up great. That crank bolt was one witch to get loose! A 24" breaker bar, 1" extension, a 19mm impact socket, and a cheater bar (for control so I would not dent my fender if the bolt let go suddenly) were required.

I still had to pull very hard and I could feel the flex in the breaker bar before it let go. It only budged a tad, but then I gave another tug and it loosened the rest of the way. I used the bolts from the harmonic dampener puller I bought a few days ago to secure the homemade SST for the crank bolt.

Here's the problem: I tried to use the harmonic dampener puller and the bolts I had turned into the crank pulley started to pull out. I had thought they were threaded in, but apparently they are just a little smaller than the threads in the crank pulley. I don't wnat to damage the threads any more than I might have already. WHAT KIND OF BOLT AND THREAD DO I NEED TO REMOVE THE HARMONIC DAMPENER? I searched but can't seem to find the answer and I can's see into the bores to tell what I need. Any help will be appreciated here, as I'm again at a standstill until I figure this out.

Also, the timing marks on the crank and the two cam pulleys are pretty close to their marks, but not EXACTLY on. Is this normal, or was this thing running a tooth off after the last timing belt replacement (if it has even been done before.)???