**PLEASE READ THIS COMMENT** We added a Part 2 to this video that showcases a much easier way to get the timing belt on in addition to other helpful information. PLEASE WATCH PART 2 BEFORE ATTEMPTING THIS JOB> **When getting the #2 idler pulley on, the one that interfaces with the timing belt tensioner, I gave a torque value of 30 ft-lbs in the video. In my FSM, they gave a value of 30 ft-lbs for the #2 idler pulley on a blow-up diagram of all the timing belt parts, but then later on give a value of 26 ft-lbs. So, which is right? The people that write these manuals make mistakes that are not always caught by the technical writers. There's not a huge difference between 26 & 30 foot pounds, but to play it safe, I'd use the lower value of 26 ft-lbs. **We didn't have a problem getting the crankshaft timing gear off but you might not be so lucky and require a puller to get it off the crankshaft. If this is the case, you can use the OTC 4518 puller we used to get the crankshaft pulley off or whatever puller you own/rent. We list the size bolts you need for this in the video description. **I didn't mention it in the video, but there is a timing mark (a single dimple or dot) on the forward face of one of the teeth on the crankshaft timing gear that you want to line up with the "CR" line mark on the belt. If you get this lined up as well as the cam pulleys lined up, you should be good to go, but still do two full revolutions of the crankshaft timing gear to verify all 3 timing marks line up. If they do, you are now ready to put the engine back together. **Video Update 05/30/2021 - I did this job for a second time on my 2000 4runner. What I noticed is even with the timing belt tensioner completely out when getting the timing belt on, it still goes on pretty tight. Getting the belt slipped over the bottom pulley still requires some decent effort. I did the timing belt routing the same way as we showed in this video by starting with the right cam pulley, under the upper idler pulley and then onto the left cam pulley matching up the marks on the belt with the timing marks on the pulleys. I used the same big binder clips to hold the belt onto the pulleys. I wrapped the belt around the water pump pulley and then this is where it gets hard. To get the belt stretched and the timing mark on the belt lined up properly with the timing mark on the crankshaft timing gear takes some serious effort. I laid on my back under the rig so I could clearly see the timing mark on the crankshaft timing gear (a small dot) and also see the "CR" line mark on the belt. The amount of force to get the belt stretched to the proper spot on the timing gear ended up moving the cam pulleys a little. If I had somebody holding the camp pulleys steady with the special holder tool, I probably could have gotten the belt onto the crankshaft timing gear with the timing marks properly lined up without moving the cam pulleys. But, as long as the belt didn't jump off either of the cam pulleys and the timing marks on the belt are still lined up with the cam pulley timing marks, it doesn't matter if the pulleys moved. With all 3 timing marks now lined up, I slipped the belt onto the lower pulley, which like I said, still took quite a bit of force to get on. These timing belts brand new fit very tight. After the belt was installed on all the pulleys and I confirmed all the timing marks lined up, I installed the timing belt tensioner. I finished by turning the engine over a couple full revolutions of the crankshaft timing gear and confirmed all 3 timing marks were still lined up. The marks on the belt won't be lined up anymore, but the camshaft pulley timing marks should line up with their respective marks on the metal timing cover behind them and the crankshaft timing gear timing mark should line up with the timing mark on the water pump behind it. Another thing I noticed when doing this job on my 2000 4runner is a previous mechanic had decided to use FIPG (Form in Place Gasket) along with the metal gasket when sealing the water pump to the engine block. After cleaning up the block surface really well, I noticed the reason why the mechanic probably decided to use the FIPG. There was some pitting on the block surface which could allow for a coolant leak to occur by just relying on the metal gasket to make a leak-proof seal. The metal gasket does have rubber material on both sides to make a good seal with the water pump and engine block, but because of the pitting I saw, I thought there's a good chance the rubber material alone on the gasket might not be enough to prevent a coolant leak. So, I decided to use some Toyota FIPG 1282B on the side of the gasket that faces the block. The 1282B FIPG is made specifically for Toyota coolant applications. The side facing the water pump wouldn't require any FIPG because the surface of the water pump is perfect because it's brand new. So, I wanted to share this with all of you in case you yourself see some pitting on the metal surface of the block. I think the 1282B FIPG is good insurance to prevent a possible coolant leak which would require you to do a whole lot of extra work to tear everything apart to fix the leak. The part number for the Toyota FIPG 1282B is #08826-00100. It's pretty pricey at the dealership but you can find if for a much more affordable price online. **Video Update 06/2023 - As part of the Head Gasket Job we did on Sean's 2002 4runner, we did a full timing belt job as well. I document a technique to have an easier time getting the belt correctly onto the crankshaft timing gear with the "CR" line lined up with the timing dot on the front face of the gear. Go to this video and start watch at play time 13 minutes and 24 seconds. ruclips.net/video/RoMgNHALSm4/видео.htmlsi=Ya78JEiXVe8QYHRA
Thanks for the clarification and providing others the confidence to do this! For those that are freaking out, you will have the turn the engine MANY times for it to line up with those lines again. How many? who knows. Just line it right the first time and check the markings after that and not the lines (like Tim said). Tim, all these videos make me want to drive up to San Jose and thank you and try to get into one of your videos. You're turning into a celebrity! I feel like you should setup a patreon or something so we can donate money for these special tools you buy and use on other folk's rigs! Perhaps fellow youtubers will even donate some tools or make those tools you described!
Thanks Minh. People appreciating what Sean and I are doing is enough payment for us. We are making a little money from the ad revenue which is helping with some of our expenses. But, I really don't mind the time and money investment. I'm having a lot of fun wrenching and making these videos and love hearing how our videos have helped people out. If you're close enough Minh, it would be cool to have you come over and we can make a video. Do you have a job in mind that we have not yet made a video of?
Timmy The Toolman I should have came by when I did my elocker swap lol. Oh wells. I don’t have any major work needed so it might be a while... maybe an aftermarket remote start alarm :) lol
I dont know why but that comment you made "im not gonna show the skid plate, because.......if you can't get your skid plates off, you're way in over you head" made me laugh my ass off. hahaha, so true. Call a mechanic if you can't take off a skid plate, or don't know what that is. also, GREAT vids, this is the best engine working video ive seen. keep up the great work! I will be doing my timing belt soon along with my radiator and thermostat and water pump, ill be referencing your videos for sure, Thank you!
You are hands down the best Toyota mechanic I have ever seen. You are exactly what a youtube mechanic or just a regular mechanic should be. Down to earth, straight to the point, and you know how to teach your viewers like a college professor would. Thanks for helping me fix my 01 4Runner Limited
Wow, you're going to give me a fat head with compliments like that. I really appreciate the kind words. This just might be the best compliment we've received since we started this channel. But, the be honest, Sean and I are just DIY Mechanics trying to give back to the DIYer Auto Mechanic World. Comments like yours give validation that we are achieving our goal of educating and inspiring people to do their own automotive work. Thank you very much for taking the time to comment. Happy Wrenching!
I am also working with a 3.4L V6 5VZFE. Very nice engine. I just bought idler pulley No1. and No2, and tensioner, timing belt, accesories belt, water pump, and thermostat. Very nice and reliable engine.
This is the best instructional video of this kind I've ever seen. Well lit, well shot, informative, no jabbering... You guys did a great job. Seriously. The best.
Hi there Tim. Just did this job last weekend and was able to complete it in just a few days. Thanks to your help from this video. I just bought my 1998 4Runner earlier this year and have never worked on cars before I bought it. This video was an amazing guide through this job. I actually watched it thru fully a couple times before I did it to make sure I remember all the steps and things I am supposed to do. This job was actually a lot easier and faster than I thought it would be! Glad I could finally get it done. I bought the aircabinman kit you linked from ebay a while back but just have been so busy and couldn't get it done but since I was free for a weekend I decided to knock it out. Thanks for this and all of your videos, and how comprehensive they are. I've referenced many of them on the jobs I want to do & the ones I've done so far. Your video made it very easy for me to complete this job and I always love how you give the lists of the torque specs for the various things. This is my 2nd big job I've done with my engine and now I really have the confidence that I can do anything on our trucks now. Thankfully I didn't have have problems with my No.1 idler pulley threads on the oil pump. Mine were fully intact. And having the tensioner very loose made getting the belt on the last part on No.1 idler super easy! Thanks again Tim & Sean. You guys are awesome.
Thanks for sharing all that with us Garrett. It's awesome to know our videos have inspired you to turn wrenches on your rig. We appreciate you taking the time to comment. Happy Wrenching!
Thanks for the nice compliment and kind words. Sean and I appreciate it very much. You're very welcome and we will keep making these videos because we're having too much damn fun doing it. Thanks for taking the time to comment. Happy Wrenching!
My 18 year old daughter and I changed her timing belt and water pump. This was the first time for both of us. This video was amazing! The detail of the video and pace that the information was provided was very easy to follow. This is the best auto instructional video I have seen! Thank you
Great to hear our video helped you get the job done Kurtis. Very cool you did this job with your daughter. Not many young people turning wrenches these days, and not many women overall are interested in auto mechanics. I like hearing stories like this. Thanks for the nice compliment. We appreciate it! Happy Wrenching!
Finished this project last week. Thank you for this video. The job is actually fairly easy. Its just very time consuming if it's your first time. Highly recommend using the tools in this video. Makes the job a whole lot easier! Thanks again, Tim & Sean!
Glad the job went well for you Ben. You're right. With the fight information and tools, this job is pretty straightforward. But, just like any wrenching job, things can go wrong like they went for Sean and I with that stripped idler pulley bolt hole in the oil pump. I still don't know if that was from a previous mechanic stripping the threads or was it just a case of of the threads being soft aluminum and they pulled out as I removed the bolt. Thanks for taking the time to comment. Happy Wrenching!
Tim, thank you so much for this incredible video! I watched it in it's entirety first, and then watched it again step-by-step in my garage. Complete a step, go back to the video, complete the next step, go back to the video... You made what seemed like a monumental task into a whole bunch of small, doable tasks. Great explanation, thanks again! One little hiccup I had was after installing the belt and attempting a couple of turns just to make sure it all lined up correctly. You mentioned in the video that you could do that by turning the cam pulleys. So I figured I'd try that rather than having to take on and off the crank bolt again. Well, I turned it some but it kept lurching in a pretty aggressive fashion. What began as a lined up belt ended up being NOT in line with any of the pulleys at all (and they were not equally off). I figured out what happened was the belt was jumping off the crankshaft and the cam pulleys, since it wasn't under tension the crankshaft is too heavy to turn simply using the belt as leverage. I was worried I had damaged the belt, and it had a few witness marks, but no damage that I can see, so I just removed it and put it on again and turned it by using the crankshaft this time. I would definitely NOT advise turning the belt by the cam pulleys.
Glad our video helped you out and thanks for sharing your experience with trying to turn the motor over via one of the camshaft pulleys. In theory I thought it would work but you confirmed that it doesn't so this is good to know. Thanks for taking the time to comment. We appreciate it. Happy Wrenching!
If you remove or loosen the plugs, much like doing compression checks, you won’t experience such resistance when turning either the crank or one of the cams. Hope that helps for future folks who take on this project. I know it’s a post from a year ago but I’m a slow reader. 🤣
Hey Steve, what about content? Isn't our content good too? The one thing I wish I could have showed in this video is an easier way to get the belt on. We ended up making a Part 2 to this job and it will be coming out soon. In Part 2, we show one of the easier ways to get the bel on, one of the ones we listed in the video description. Backing off the tensioners bolts a little allowing the #1 idler pulley to rotate over a little more is a great technique to getting the belt on easier.
I was in a local trailer shop getting some leaf spring and the guy in front of me was buying trailer bearing and seals, The owner of the trailer shop walked over to a rack with pvc pipe took one off the same size of the OD of the seal cut off about 1 foot of it, squared off one end and gave it to the guy that was buying the bearings and seals for a seal install tool. Cheap and works real well. first time finding your videos, very good and plenty of details. Thanks
I changed a timing belt for the first time using this video! One of the best "how to" videos I've ever seen. Everything turned out great on my 02 4runner.
DD2225 Hoisting out one of these 3.4 liter engines for a timing belt job would be way overkill. There is plenty of room in the engine compartment to do this job. Hoisting the engine would add a lot of unnecessary effort for this job.
Not all Japanese engines are non-interference as they should be. I lost a perfectly good, well-maintained Honda Accord V6 (J30 engine) this year when 5,000 miles after the timing belt & water pump job was done something malfunctioned and the belt broke. I loved that car and took very good care of it. I wish I had it back. With a blown engine, I had to sell it very cheaply to a mechanic who planned to drop another engine in. No more timing belt vehicles for me. ~~~~ Great video here though. I enjoy watching you work so patiently and confidently.
Useful tips I’ve picked in in first few minutes - replace crankshaft bolt - post it notes and ziplock bags to label every bolt / part that comes off. - how to remove those pesty plastic clips - point to point of every step. This was unexpected. High quality. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you so much for your very thorough video. I just performed the timing belt, water pump, thermostat, #1&2 pulleys, crank and cams seals, and the belts up front. I spent the weekend with my tools and your video. Thanks for sharing your knowledge with me.
Just ordered a new timing belt and assembly today. So I’m gonna tackle this project soon. I’ve watched the video a couple of times and thanks to you I feel I can do this job too. 👍👍👍.
Make sure you watch Part 2 as well because we share further information that will help you. Also read the video description of each video and the pinned comments (1st comment you see). Good luck with the job! ruclips.net/video/mErd7xoBS9I/видео.html
Thanks for the excellent explaination! Great video! I can confirm..the install of the new belt is incredibly easy when you install the tentioner afterward and then pull the pin to finish. Cheers from Canada.
You're welcome. Yeah, if only I paid a little closer attention to the factory service manual it would have made that first attempt to get the belt on much easier. The way you did it is what the FSM recommends. I did like the technique we used in Part 2 by just backing off the tensioner bolts a little so you can get the belt slipped onto that lower idler pulley much easier. But, whether you bolt the tensioner partially on and then get the belt into place or you put the tensioner on afterward, we're pretty much using the same technique to make it easy to get to the belt on. Good job getting it done. Happy Wrenching My Canadian Brother.
Removing the radiator is such a simple procedure and it makes the timing belt change so much easier. It hardly takes 15 minutes to do it and is well worth it.
I've done 5 timing belt installs and can vouch for installing the #2 idler pulley after the belt. The belt is still loose enough to thread on the pulley with out cross threading.
Thanks for sharing this and confirming this is a good technique. However, I'm feeling a little more partial to using another suggested technique I learned from an experienced mechanic who told me he backs off the tensioner bolts a little so the #1 idler pulley moves to the left some more making it easier to slip the belt onto the pulley and then he finishes with tightening down the tensioner bolts. With this technique, you take out any chance of cross-threading the #2 idler pulley if you find the belt is just a little too tight to get the bolt started easily. I know you're telling me this technique works well and 2 others have said the same thing, but I remember having to stretch the belt with a fair amount of force when getting the belt onto the both cam shaft pulleys and under the #2 idler pulley. So, I'm still a little hesitant to take a chance of cross threading the bolt hole especially when we found that the #1 idler pulley bolt hole was stripped by the previous mechanic making the repair much harder. When I do the timing belt job on my rig, I'm going to test the #2 idler pulley technique and the tensioner technique and we'll make a video of it and link it to this one.
What you will notice is that the #2 pulley centers on to a stepped collar that does not engage till you have threaded the pulley bolt on quite a bit. The belt is very loose till collar step engages.That really the only trick to it. Make sure the pulley is fully engaged into the step and not on top of it before the pulley bolt is torqued down. I hate to think of the mess if the pulley got loose and tanged up before the engine stalls out.
Just fired my 97 up after a beautiful timing belt etc job. Thank you so much for this video sir. I ran into some expected problems on a 25 yr old vehicle but I stayed patient and took it slow and steady. My number one suggestion is get every tool you see in this video. I thought I would work my way around some and it cost me time and stress in the end. Just spend the money if you love your yota you will do this again in the future. My harmonic balancer parted while trying to get it off, also my timing belt tensioner bolt in the back was half stripped so I had to remove ac and bracket then my homemade wood balancer holder tool broke but I stayed half calm and made it through. I’m not even considered a shade tree mechanic and made it through this so for anyone ready to attempt and save yourself years of new car payments, just buy the tools get ALL the parts and fluids you are gonna wanna change, take a long weekend off work and hit it hard! Thanks again Tim and Shawn. You’ve made my runner a family vehicle again that I’m not afraid to use like it was meant to be used.
Hi Tim. Just like many here in the comments, I'd like to say thank you. I just recently joined the 3rd gen 4Runner community with a '98 Limited with 273k miles on it. Timing belt was cracked and on borrowed time. With your video I was able to do the entire job (water pump, pulleys, seals, etc.) at home. It took me a long time, but I went slow. With very, and I mean VERY limited wrenching experience under my belt, the engine fired right up and is running better than ever. Thank you for empowering me, and so many others. With your channel and the forums, I'm hoping to keep the old Shogun on the road for years to come.
You're very welcome Ryan. Comments like yours fuel our desire to keep doing what we're doing. Our main goal is to empower people to do their own automotive work. Enjoy your rig. Hope it takes you on many happy adventures.
Just wanted to say I just did my timing belt, water pump, thermostat, pulleys, all drive belts, and I could not have done it without ol timmy the toolman. I thought I couldn't do this job but i did it and it feels great. Everything turned out great and surprisingly barely had any hang ups. Took me about a day and a half to do this repair. Thank you guys so much!
Good job getting the job done and great to hear our video helped you out. It really does feel good when you accomplish an involved job like this. You get an incredible sense of accomplishment afterwards and it builds you confidence to tackle other involved jobs. You're very welcome and thanks for taking the time to comment and share your success story with us. Happy Wrenching!
Thanks Bill. Read the video description for some more tips regarding getting the timing belt on. I just learned two techniques that I was ignorant of that might make getting the belt on much easier. REPLY
You sir are worth your weight in gold bullion! Fantastic step by step procedural auto repair video. I used this video to do this exact job on my vehicle. Everything went smooth. If I had any questions I'd just consult the detailed video. I used the timing belt technique from one of the comments that said to take out the #2 Pulley in the top middle first to get the timing belt out and then put the #2 Pulley in last to get the belt back in. It worked great. I felt guilty because it was pretty easy and you guys put in a lot of work fighting with that belt. I felt so bad I had to drink a beer for you. Thanks again for your awesome instructional videos, this channel is my go to channel for anything 3rd Gen 4Runner related.
Hey Tim, glad the job went well for you and it's great to hear you are making good use of our videos. Thanks for taking the time to comment. Happy Wrenching!
The guy that showed u the taping trick is Oscar Ruiz. I watched him doing that on RUclips. I really like this video because it has better print and there is an extra guy filming this. Oscar's video is great also but he made the whole video holding camera in one hand and tools in the other.
Yep, I watched Oscar's whole video series. He offers great information in the series but he really would have benefited from somebody helping him film and it could have been edited down quite a bit as well. I'm lucky to have Sean as my partner with this channel we started because he's good with the camera, he's great with the editing and he also has a good mechanical and trouble-shooting mind. When we hit snags during a job, he's quite often the one that comes up with a solution first. Before Sean and I do a job, I research it as much as possible by watching any existing videos, reading write-ups on forums and consulting the factory service manual. I watched all the timing belt videos for the 3.4 liter V6 engine on RUclips, some more than once, before we made this one. We're glad you like our video.
Hey Tim, just completed this job with my dad last week. Your instructions in this video and follow up instructions were extremely helpful (not to mention your other videos for repair). Sent a tip your way to cover a case of beer. Thanks as always.
In order to make it easier to put the new timing belt on, remove the #1 idler pulley and start with the crank, then route the belt up on to the water pump and tensioner then the cams. With the belt lined up, put the #1 idler pulley in. Much easier than stretching a new belt. That’s how the Toyota techs do it.
The #1 idler pulley according to the FSM is the one that sits against the timing belt tensioner. On Sean's rig, that bolt hole was stripped. I'm guessing the last mechanic might have used the technique you are talking about but I'm not sure. When I removed that 10mm bolt for the #1 idler pulley, it came out rough the whole way. I didn't think anything of it at the time but I learned later when i went to install the new pulley that the bolt hole was stripped. When I was editing the video, I could see threads hanging from the bolt hole before I even tried to install the new pulley. With a ton of tension on the pulley and then trying to get the bolt started in the hole, I can now see how that bolt hole got stripped. I'm not saying this technique doesn't work, but I can also see how you can easily strip the bolt hole in the process if you're not very careful. That stripped bolt hole caused us a ton of grief. For me, I think I'll stick with the bicycle plastic tire lever to stretch the bolt onto the #1 idler pulley. However, I did learn a trick from a guy today who showed up to our Mod Meet-up at my house. He said he backs off the timing belt tensioner bolts a little and that gives some extra play to get the belt onto the #1 idler pulley easier.
Timmy The Toolman the idler I was referring to is the center top one, Remove that, route the belt like I said and put the pulley in. Much easier that way
OK, so you're talking about the #2 idler pulley. But, knowing how hard that belt was to get on, do you have to push really hard on that idler pulley in order to get the bolt hole lined up?
Timmy The Toolman I’ve used the technique multiple times on the 5VZ and 1MZ engines. Works every time, the first time getting the belt on without struggling
Tim. I want to take the time to comment and thank you for you professionalism, your attention to detail and your overall attitude in general. I am a Vietnam vet and you were the star of my Memorial Day weekend because your video was with me every step of the way as I worked alone changing out my timing belt and the rest of the kit. I have two third generation 4Runners. The one with almost 300,000 miles was overdue for a new belt and thankfully it did not leave me stranded on the road. Now that it is fixed, I can rest a whole lot easier. Who says you cannot teach an old dog new tricks? LOL
Hey Robert, that's great to hear you were successful doing your timing belt job using our video. I have a lot of respect for those that have served so Thank You for your service. My dad passed away recently and he fought in Korea. Thanks for taking the time to share your success story with us. We appreciate it very much. Happy Wrenching Robert and good luck with your 3rd Gens.
TIP: Imagine the timing belt. The "CR" mark lines up with a groove on back side of belt. COUNTING THAT GROOVE, count 7 groves to the left (as if you were facing the front of motor and belt was on motor). Flip belt over, mark back side of belt where this 7th groove is. When installing the belt, the "CR" mark is pretty useless since motor is at TDC and the "CR" lines up with nothing. The 7th groove to the left, though, will be on very bottom of crank when belt is installed correctly.
Theres a little dot on the crank gear that lines up with the CR mark! Thats how I knew mine was wrong. Took 5 attempts to get the belt on right. Tedious but very rewarding job.
Leaving the idler pulley off until after the belt is in is the way to go! Also I watched this video before I tackled this ordered the tools I needed, and followed along as I did the project. I love the detail, you gave the right size sockets needed, and the torque specs! Nicly done! And thank you!
I'm in love with that seal puller and install set. Wish I had one for the belt I'm getting ready to do. Guess I'll just do the pray and flat head screw driver method. Any idea what size that sleeve needs to be for cam and crank seals? I'll have to make one out of some sort of pipe. Pvc unions would work I think if diameter is anywhere close.
As a diehard Toyota 4 x 4 Guy and third generation 4runner owner I find that I like to watch your videos just for the pure enjoyment. Thanks and keep up the good work. I hope you make a bundle of money off Of RUclips.
Hey Israel, read the video description for more information. I just learned of two different techniques that could make getting the timing belt on easier and I put them in the video description.
My 4runner has over 372,000 miles on it. My replaced 5vz has over 240,000 miles on it and the belt and other components have never been changed. Watched this video about 10 times before I did the job myself. Just finished it a few hours ago and it turned out beautiful. Thank you Timmy. My next big project I’m converting my 2wd to a 4x4 with lockers and a lift kit. Already got all the parts just need the time
I come from the world of Subaru boxer engines, I learned online with video like these how to fix/replace things on my car to the point I ended up overhauling my whole motor from a head gasket leak overheat and ended doing all sort of DIY jobs on my Forester. I am now looking for a 4Runner and learning with your videos as much as I can. I must say I am very impressed with the quality of your work. I really like that you use the FSM too! Keep up the great work and thank you for taking the time to make these fantastic videos. You have a new subscriber.
Hey Mike, welcome to our channel and to the 4runner club. Great to hear you like the videos we make. We always try hard to give the best information possible to our viewers and to be as detailed as possible so they can succeed using our videos as a tutorial. Have fun with your 4runner. Happy Wrenching!
Hi Tim I am hoping you happen to see this comment. First off I wanted to say a big thank you for making this video it was super helpful and I am happy to say that me and a friend just wrapped up this job on my 03 Tacoma and everything seems good so far. I did want to add what I feel is a very important point that anyone doing this job in the future will hopefully come across this and avoid making a mistake we did. When we first got my new timing belt on like in the video how Tim shows we made sure the two left cam and right cam arrows were lined up and also the pink mark on the lower timing gear was lined up with the white arrow on the engine. From there we went ahead with the install until we got to the point where we were turning the engine with the lower crankshaft bolt and could not get all the timing marks to line up. Like Tim mentions in the videos we weren’t watching the two camshaft arrows now we are watching the two lines on the camshaft wheels lining up with the two white marks on the cover. We could get these to the lineup but not the pink mark on the lower timing gear with the white arrow. After a little bit of time we finally came to the realization that we must have just not quite got the belt on exactly right. And doing a little bit of research we found a video where a guy mentions the marks that Tim does but he also mentions the CR or a crank arrow on the timing belt and that it needs to line up with a another indentation also on the lower timing gear. We had both wondered about that CR mark on the timing belt and if it needed to in fact be lined up with something at the time we first put it on we couldn’t see anything suggesting that it needed to be in an exact location. After watching that other video we learned that in fact that there is another indentation or small little dimple on one of the teeth of the timing gear also on mine it had a faded white mark. Somehow we missed this on our first go around. Needless to say this cost us some time I had to go and get a new crankshaft bolt and we had to re-loosen the crankshaft bolt luckily we were able to fit a small impact in there so it made it easier Pull the crankshaft pulley timing belt tensioner etc. to where we could get the timing belt off again and re-position it in the correct location. It makes total sense why that CR Mark is on the timing belt and that it would line up with something for some reason we just didn’t pay enough attention to it. Hopefully this keeps somebody else from making that mistake. In my opinion you really should be paying attention to five different marks to ensure the timing belt is on correctly and your timing will be right. The two lines on the camshaft wheels lining up with the two white marks on the engine, the pink dot on the lower timing gear lining up with the white arrow on the engine, the CR or crank arrow on the timing belt lining up with the small dimpled or possibly white mark on the lower timing gear as well, and then finally the small notch on the crankshaft pulley lining up with a zero mark on that lower timing cover. Anyway just wanted to share my experience with this in hopes that it saves some people some time and frustration and doing this job in the future. Possibly may want to mentioned something about this in a pinned comment about paying attention to that CR or crank arrow lining up with the other mark on the lower timing belt. If we had Paid better attention to this or knew this needed to be lined up in a specific position it would’ve saved us a lot of time and frustration. Again thanks for the video really appreciate all the work you do!
You make a valid point about the CR timing belt mark lining up properly with the mark on crankshaft timing gear. But, like I clearly state in the video, people need to verify all the 3 timing marks line up before putting everything back together. So, before pulling the timing belt tensioner pin and putting the crankshaft pulley on and torquing the bolt to spec, you should have done two full revolutions of the crankshaft timing gear to verify everything was good. It was the mistake of not making this verification that cost you the time but I will admit I wish I also would have noticed that small timing mark dimple when I was doing this job and filming it. I didn't notice it until I did this job again in May of 2021 on my 2000 4runner and I mentioned using that timing mark in the pinned comment. What I've learned after doing this job another time is without the pin pulled from the tensioner, your cam pulley timing marks will look every so slightly off, not by much, because there's a tiny bit of slack still in the belt. Once you pull the tensioner pin, that slack disappears and all 3 timing marks should line up perfectly after another couple revolutions of the crankshaft. As for your suggestion, I added info to the comment I already had pinned. The problem is, I don't think most people look at the comments I pin. But, hopefully this comment will help some people out. Thanks for the comment and I'm sorry your experience doing this job wasn't ideal. Happy Wrenching!
Thanks for your reply Tim. No need to apologize it was our mistake you’re absolutely right we shouldn’t have torque down that crankshaft bolt before we did the full two revolutions and verified everything was correct. Lesson learned all in all we were only one notch off considering. Just wanted to share my experience in hopes it saves some people some frustration in the future.
@@rthomas2157 You're welcome and I'm glad you took the time to comment because it reminded me that I should do a better job of describing that part of the belt installation in the pinned comment to help clarify the process to make it easier for future people who tackle this job.
Hey Tim, just completed the timing belt job on my 2001 4Runner. Just wanted to thank you. Your video was very in depth and simple to follow. I nailed it thanks to you and Shawn. Oh yeah, part 2 made it so easy to put the belt on. Also, I’m about to tackle the valve cover job next. I’ll post there when I’m done. Please keep posting videos! Thanks so much! Craig
Hey Craig, great to hear our timing belt videos helped you get the job done. We appreciate you taking the time to comment to share your success story with us. Good luck with the valve cover gasket job. You're very welcome and Happy Wrenching!
Thanks Max! I appreciate the compliment. Sean and I made the decision when we started this channel that our videos would be so detailed, a beginner at turning wrenches could be successful. From the comments we've gotten over the years, I think we're accomplishing what we set forth to do.
I followed this video for the tear down, and Part 6 of the head gasket job for the rebuild. It went perfectly. Funnily enough the tear down revealed the right side cam was a tooth out. Once finished, I put the ignition key in and turned it without thinking what if...and my engine fired right up. Beautiful. Thankyou Timmy and Sean. Thank you. Next job is inner tie rod. You guys are simply the best.
@duncanfellows2914 I think I used the cam pulley tool on the pulley on the alternator side to stretch the belt. I got enough on it to give me the ectra tooth. I think I held the crank using the old bolt to hold the belt still. Check Timmy's rebuild video, from memory he did something like this.
Thank the Lord for RUclips and guys like these that make videos for ppl that want to do our own stuff, being thurough makes it much easier and easy to understand. Thanks again!
You're welcome. Making detailed videos is very labor intensive but knowing we're helping people out and people like you appreciate it, makes it worth it to us. Happy Wrenching!
I wish I could find a way to convey something much deeper than "Thank you". I'm a chicken shit when it comes to mechanic work. I did this with the help of your video. I just went slow and easy. I had no problems. I'm so grateful for the time you've spent on your videos.
You're very welcome Jeremiah and it's great to hear our video helped you get this job done. We appreciate you taking the time to comment. Happy Wrenching!
LOVE your videos, Timmy! A trick I learned when torquing crank bolts is to pull a spark plug and then shove a bunch of string or paracord into the cylinder while the piston is below TDC. Then, when you turn the crank, the piston is stopped by the string without causing any damage, and allowing you to torque the bolt. It's easiest on older engines where the heads are right in your face, but the Toyota 3.4 spark plug holes are pretty deep, making that challenging. So, what I did was use some smallish diameter rubber hose (I think I used ~3/16") in place of the string. It's rigid enough to make it down the bore into the cylinder, yet flexible enough to bend and get pinched by the piston. Worked great and I didn't need to buy/rent/make a tool.
Thanks! Glad you like what we're doing. The string or hose trick in the cylinder to torque the crank bolt is very interesting. There's always more than one way to get something done I always tell people. Thanks for sharing it. Happy New Year and Happy Wrenching!
Hey Tim and Shawn, thanks very much for the detailed videos, it really got me motivated. Just finished the job on my 2000 4 Runner and it went very smoothly thanks to you guys. I have a little tip for getting the belt on that might help someone. After getting the belt in the right place on the left and right cams and pinning it with the clamps, I had trouble getting the CR mark to line up with the dimple on the crankshaft gear, it kept coming up one tooth short. After 3 tries, I couldn't seem to get it taut enough to get it in the right place. So since this is a non interference engine, I rotated the crankshaft around clockwise and got the pink pointer one tooth short of the vertical mark. After this it was no problem to get the CR mark on the belt to line up with the dimple. I then rotated the crankshaft one tooth clockwise which took all the slack out of the belt on the right side. The tensioner was still out at this time, so it was easy to get the belt onto the tensioner roller. I then put the tensioner in last and found that this was no more difficult than if the belt wasn't on yet. Thanks again, you guys are the best!
I am a mechanic fond of MB. Toyotas ,Subarus and 2nd gen Cummins. I feel like I am a college educated mechanic. When I see your videos(from beginning to end) I feel like I am in graduate school. You explain every cotton picking step. I obviously skip over stuff I know but your work can be used by experienced people like me and rank beginners. Super good job. I'd like to buy you not a beer but a case of beer.
Hey Hugh! We really appreciate you stopping by the comment section to give us some praise! It’s comments like yours that keep us doing what we do. We would greatly appreciate a beer Or a 6-pack! Check out the link in our video description, you can donate there. Cheers! - Sean
Hey Hugh, I really appreciate your very nice compliment of our work. It put a big smile on my face, so thanks! And yes, we like beer so thanks for that as well. Happy Wrenching Hugh! - Timmy
I just followed your video, and I completed the whole job correctly. My vehicle's running great, thanks in part to you. Personally, my only hand up was uninstalling and reinstalling that timing belt tensioner. I didn't have a wobble extension deal, so I have to take out the AC compressor to get to it. It really sucked, it was still increadibly difficult to get to, although I bet it would have been easier if I had taken off the AC compressor bracket, but nonetheless, I got it. Once again, I thank you as I cannot thank you enough. I'm so happy that all of this went well, and not only did I save money, but I also gained a lot of valuable experience through the whole process. You're the best!
Great job getting it done. This is no easy task, so you have every right to be proud of this accomplishment. Thanks for taking the time to comment and share your success story with us. Thanks and Happy Wrenching!
I'm at 300,000 miles on my 2002 4runner and just did my second timing belt and water pump replacement and found this video very helpful both times. The first time I did it, I also really struggled with the getting the timing belt on easily. This time is was much easier because I used a trick. FOR THE TIMING BELT TENSIONER PULLEY, I just barely started the 2 bolts which leaves a lot of play to get the timing belt on, THEN I tighten up the tensioner AFTER the timing belt is in place. That will force the cams counter clockwise by 1/4 to 1/2 inch as you tighten the tensioner. If you account for that and set the cams forward of the correct position, tightening the tensioner will move the cams and timing belt into correct position. I got it right on the second attempt. I didn't have the cam forward enough the first attempt so I had to loosen the tensioner and reset the cams and belt more forward and then re tightened the two tensioner bolts. Second time was perfect. 15 minutes total time on belt placement.
Good job getting it done. We actually use the technique of backing off the tensioner bolts in Part 2. That's one of the main reasons why we made the video because we wanted to show a better way of getting the belt on because we struggled so hard the first time.
Thank you so much for your labors! I did my timing belt and water pump this weekend with your video. I dont know if I would have done it otherwise. You're an angel.
You're very welcome. Glad our video inspired you to tackle this job. It's a hell of an accomplishment and I bet it feels good to get that job under your belt. Thanks for taking the time to share your success story with us. Happy Wrenching!
Great job getting it done, David. See, it's not so hard when you have the Right Information and Tools. I'm happy to know our videos helped you and your dad. Happy Wrenching!
Just want to say Thank you! Having a guide to follow made the job so much easier and the tips on the tools helped save so much time. I did it in 11 hours that is including all the trips back into the house to watch a clip of the next step. My 11 hours became 5 days 11 hours due to my crankshaft timing gear being seized. I had the puller but it would not move. I used a pry bar behind the teeth and it move every so slightly. So I kept tightening the puller and prying. I finally broke off a tooth. Then I backed off the screw of the puller and put the pry bar between the puller body and the shaft. That finally got it moving. Then I finished the job. Upon starting the 4runner the motor ran fine then a shudder and some rough running and it shut down and the CEL came on. Started it again and it did the same thing . Each time I started the 4runner the time between shutdown was shorter. I got a "P0340 Camshaft Position Sensor A Circuit 1 or single sensor" code on the reader. Then I remembered the broken tooth on the timing gear. My engine was so dirty I never saw the sensor but I saw it on the video. I finally found some information on this on a Lexus forum that mention the teeth are important enough that the car will shut down if one tooth is missing. So that tooth was important! I got on Ebay and I found one for$65. Five days later it arrived and I took everything apart to the timing gear and installed it and reinstalled everything a second time and job was done and the code cleared. 4runner runs great.
Im watching this now as I go and it’s literally the only reason I am able to do this. Thank you so much for taking the time to put this video up man. Cheers to you 🍻
I did my timing belt today and it went great! I didn’t follow your video the whole time but it was excellent for when I needed to reference something. Thanks!
They call the Tacoma a Landcruiser Prado in Australia, same engine. My old girl has done 400 K about 250 M still runs like a sowing machine 22 years old. Bought it for 5 G about 2.5 G in USA with 300 K on it. Hasn't missed a beat and everything works perfectly on it. One thing. If you own an old Tacoma or Prado replace the radiator cap. Mine fell to pieces and spat all the coolant out and I just caught it in time. Great video, great detail. thanks Timmy!
Great video. Helped me a lot.Some pointers for anyone reading: I didn’t have any service tool to hold the crank pully, I used the starter trick to loosen it (just keep hands and face clear!). Mine’a a standard and to torque it back on I just left it in 5th and chocked the wheels.I didn’t bother changing my crank or cam seals. I had limited time and mine weren’t leaking at all. Food for thought. But I’ve read stories of not-leaking seals being changed and then they leak.Also, to get the belt back on just leave the tensioner bolts loose about 3/8”, with the pin still in obviously (getting at the bolts from below like this vid shows is pretty easy). My truck is 16 years old and I’m well into the rust belt, I had to fight with rust throughout this project and I used Never Seez generously when it went back together. I plan to do another belt at around 280k👍🏼!
Glad you like the video. Leaving the tensioner bolts a little loose so you can get the belt on easier is a technique we show in Part 2. We learned about this technique after we shot the initial video. Great job getting this repair done and saving yourself a lot of money.
Just went through the entire service job, thanks for this Tim it would have been a disaster without your help! One thing to note for anyone doing this in the future is if you don't have a way to hold down the cam gears with a tool very easy way to get them loose; when you've held the crank down with a tool or a 2x4 like I did before you take it all off just crack the cambolts loose (don't remove them) and then release the crank then proceed as per the vid. The timing belt will hold the cam gears in place as you crack the bolts loose. Also if you're from Canada maybe grab yourself a spare alternator tensioner and bolt since chances are you'll snap yours and any other you might find in a junk yard, ask me how I know.
This video would have helped me out tremendously 5 years ago! Extremely detailed. This would have made it way easier as I never was able to get crank gear off to change the seal. Sold that old 4 runner after that to a family member who needed a car. Now I need a car and am in the market for a 3rd gen 4runner again. This will definitely help if I have to do this job again. However your valve cover video was very helpful when I did that job with all the tube seals, hvac tape for brittle wire loom, ect. Thank you again.
Addition to Rwag66 Pasperguious, 4 months ago: Timmy, you are the Daniel Boone of the DIY Auto Repair Videos, blazing a trail for the rest of us wrenches. Thank You for the work you do. I went back to day to correct my rant after Attempt #1. The WD 40 sprayed 4 months ago seemed to work. With threads pulled in one hole, this time I used 100mm bolts, washers and nuts behind the crank pulley. The pulley moved this time w/less than 10lb-ft torque on the puller wrench. But it took numerous resets due to the pull length of the puller setup. Upon inspection, you are going to be surprised to see what I found. I bought this truck new 12/27/1999 with 142mi. No one but me has ever put a wrench to the drive train. Now it has 260,145mi. on it. This is the first cam belt exercise. The back=engine side of the harmonic damper crank pulley had been forced on the crank nose about 1/4" to the side of the Woodruff Key slot machined in the pulley bore. I assume it had been placed on the nose, the bolt hand-threaded in, then finished with a impact wrench at the engine final assembly. It's a wonder the pulley didn't work loose and turn freely. The Woodruff key is covered about 2/3 by the cam belt drive pulley, so very little was keeping it all together. There was also rust in both pulleys. In the early days I applied a timing light to check the ignition, this being my first computer controlled vehicle and I had set ways to change. I didn't understand why the mark on the crank pulley was so far off the "0" on the engine plastic marker. I never used that light again. Now I know why. When the belt drive pulley mark is aligned with the cast arrow on the oil pump housing and the cam marks are set, the crank pulley timing mark is 1 1/16" clockwise from that "0", or near 30 degrees retarded. Took me 20 years to figure that one out. Tomorrow will be checking, cleaning, reassembly. Both idlers, tensioner, waterpump, thermostat, cam shaft oil seals, crank oil seal are to be replaced. About your Video vehicle: I am sure that cam belt had been previously changed by the white stripe on it and no cracking on the back. Also, there is a lot of gunk around but the water pump and other pieces are too clean for that gunk. The idlers also; mine have lots of dust and belt fluff in the insides of them. Yet mine show no oil leakage at all. Thanks again!
I like that. Daniel Boone of the DIY Auto Repair blazing a trail. That was a hell of a story about your timing belt experience. Some people really shouldn't turn wrenches because they don't have the patience to do things right. You're right that it's amazing that the harmonic balancer didn't come loose. I can't remember if you mentioned it but I gathering the engine didn't run all that well with the timing retarded that much? Good luck with the rest of the job and let me know how it goes for you.
Thanks Tim for a great instructional video. Changed my timing belt, water pump, thermostat and all associated parts this weekend. Water pump was leaking and had a knock while engine was running which turned out to be the bearings in water pump and idler #2 on tensioner. I also installed timing belt from crank pulley up around tensioner and water pump and then the cams. Once belt was inplace I installed idler pulley #1 between cams. Very easy install. Did not have to fight belt at all. Thanks again your video gave me the confidence to perform this work myself.
You're welcome David and thanks for sharing your success story. It's good to know that particular technique which was shared with us works really well. You have the pulley numbers reversed though. The #1 idler pulley is the one that sits against the tensioner and the #2 idler pulley is the upper one between the cam pulleys. I actually recently used the other technique we listed in the video description, backing off the tensioner bolts a little so the #1 idler pulley could rotate over some more to make it easier to get the belt onto the #1 idler pulley. It worked awesome and will probably be my method of choice if I ever have to do it again. Happy Wrenching!
Thank you for your guidance...painless repair completed with your assistance. Original owner 2002 trd tacoma. I replaced everything you did in the video. Watching it repeatedly before and during led me to an easy experience. Good thing because it was the original everything...those part took me on some awesome adventures. 195,000 miles. Minor leak from the pump and tensioner pulley didn't pivot. Other than that she could have kept going. Let me know when you have a supercharger that needs to go on my truck!
Just finished doing mine after gaining the confidence after watching your videos (several times). Had a difficult time with that back bolt on the tensioner. I wrestled with it to get it off and was even worse getting it on. Did the tape trick but the bolt kept falling off the socket and couldn’t find the hole! Finally came up with an idea to use a piece of tubing, wedged the bolt into it and that worked like a charm! Got it finger tight with the tubing. Thanks for the great video, keep them coming!
Pete Brown Hey Pete, yeah that back bolt of the tensioner can be hard to get to but hopefully it was worth the struggle to avoid removing the AC compressor and bracket. I like the tubing trick. I'll have to remember that. Great job persevering and getting it done.
Hi Timmy . I have a useful suggestion for what was the hardest part of the TB job: getting to the rear bolt of the tensioner. FSM says remove the AC compressor. I had one frozen bolt and couldn't release it. I struggled with blindly snaking a 3/8” extension from below and found an easier way. You do it from the front with your head as close to the TB as possible you can just see the bolt head around the corner. You then under visual guidance clip your 1/3 or 3/8” wobble extension and capturing the bolt removing and installing was easy. MY 25 yr old 4R had the original TB and everything else. Only a tiny WP leak, no leaky seals or pulleys . The TB had faint cracks on the smooth surface and looked good for another 20000 miles. She has 2570000 miles. Amazing Toyota quality.
Intro looked like something from an acid trip. Been planning to buy the harmonic damper holding tools for 70$, your idea of the 2x4 with bolt just saved me $$$ thank you so very much!!
Thank you for your videos! My son and I have just finish the timing belt job using the kit you suggested. Came out great and now I have some new tools! Over the last 6 months, we have also used your videos to do the valve cover gasket job, CV axles, ball joints, front and rear axle bearings, drum brakes, third member, tie rods, fluid flushes and transmission filter. He bought his 1998 SR5 two years ago with 168K and this rig is taken up into the mountains of Washington and Idaho alot and we wanted to have it as good to go as possible.
Hey Victor, glad you and your son are making good use of our videos. Thanks for taking the time to comment and share this with us. Happy Wrenching and Exploring.
A little silly to add another "superlative" to a video that everyone has already loved, but what the heck! Although I'm not ready to do this on my 4Runner, I watched it for education and entertainment. This is how a "how to" video should be made. Clear instructions, excellent camera work and editing, and honesty when something goes amiss. Thoroughly enjoyed it and appreciate all the work you put into it.
Hey Sam, glad to hear you like our video. That's interesting you mentioned the honesty when things go amiss because there always seems to be something that doesn't go right and we want to make sure people can learn from our mistakes and have an easier time than we did. Thanks for taking the time to comment. We appreciate it. Happy Wrenching!
Excellent instructions. For the shortcut for back tensioner bolt I partially inserted bolt into new tensioner then secured with a strip of tape. Once bolt was started removed tape from front side. Just like in video cams moved during timing belt installation so I had to remove and redo. Loved this video!
The absolute best instructional video. I did my 3rd gen' 4Runner with ease. I watched this video and part 2, as well until I almost have it memorized. My tensioner pulley came mounted on a new mounting bracket so I installed it. When I tightened it down it would not pivot. I put the pulley on the old bracket and it was fine. There is a flat washer that needs to go on first but that was not the issue. The new bracket was just a little bit thicker so it was binding up on the pivot bolt. Thanks. I saved a lot of money and I am certain it was done right.
Hey Robert, thanks for the kind words. We appreciate it. Great to hear you got the job done successfully using our video. Good job noticing that problem with the idler pulley. You're very welcome and Happy Wrenching!
Used a 1/4” ratchet and about 18” of extensions and was able to reach the “hidden” bolt for the tensioner from underneath the vehicle. Didn’t have to use the electrical tape on the wobble or move the AC compressor to either remove the old tensioner or install the new one. Just thought I’d mention it. Thanks again for your detailed videos!
Got that sucker!! Made a tool out of 1/4 angle iron, and the balancer part on the crank fly broke off.. I improvised a couple sacrificial bolts thread through the puller holes w nuts to hold the bar tight to the pulley, used a pair of tiny pliers to hold nuts on the back to thread into, finally got got it off!!! First time without the nuts I stripped the puller holes on the old one.. Oh and I torched it for like 5 minutes.. Thought someone might find this helpful.. I also thoroughly torched that tensioner bolt, thankfully it came off without any trouble. Great videos!👍
To this day! You’re the best Timmy. Working on this now. Had an auto shop look at my truck a while back (was throwing cam position sensor codes) and so for better or worse most of the bolts were pretty loose already! Definitely not going back to that shop, but the job has been smooth sailing so far. Cheers
DUDE! Thank you for this. I've watched this at least a dozen times so that by the time I worked on this myself I could do it mostly by memory! I bought all the tools you suggested (bought off brand Schley) and thanks to your learning experiences I had no trouble getting the belt back on. Your sacrifices have definitely helped the T4R community. All in all, this job took me about 10 hours and the only rookie mistake I made was not clearing 1 spark plug cable from behind the #3 timing cover. Having realized this while reinstalling the plastic timing cover made my heart stop. I ended up just pulling it (not very easy) out since there was only about an inch of wire jammed behind. Unexpectedly, setting the timing was unnerving. Because of the importance of this step I spent a good hour, setting and resetting the timing as every time I slipped the belt over the #1 idler, it would shift the timing gear about 1 tooth past the arrow. I know this is more than you need to know, but damn I'm excited to have this completed! Thanks again my man!
Hey Jason, great to hear you were successful doing this job and our video was instrumental in helping you accomplish it. You did a big job on your own and that has to feel.pretty good. Great job getting it done. You're very welcome and Happy Wrenching!
@ARTURO BAEZA I spent around 300 in necessary tools, then another 200 for a nice power ratchet. 2 breaker bars, 2 torque wrenches, pry bar set, pulley holder, pulley remover, harmonic balancer tool, and various sockets
@ARTURO BAEZA It depends what you consider specialty. The crank pulley holder is a specialty tool just for this job but people have been successful making homemade versions of it. The other specialty tool is the camshaft pulley tool and that's it. If you open the video description, we provide links to all the tools we used. Tools are an investment and they quickly pay for themselves. If you pay a shop to do it, you get nothing for your money other than the job done. If you buy the specialty tools and you decide you don't need them anymore, you could always sell them and get some of your money back. Since I've started this channel with Sean, I've spent thousands on tools and it was money well spent. I've saved boat loads of cash for myself, for my friends and others I've helped by doing the work myself. The right tools are integral to be successful as a DIY Mechanic. My advice is make the investment.
You're welcome Nick. We all make mistakes and shit happens. The goal is to learn from it. It would be a disservice not to share our failures, because then people might repeat the same mistakes we did. Thanks for the comment.
Hey, I just did the timing belt on my 2002 4runner and used your video as a reference for little things I couldn't figure out. Thank you for the amount of detail you put into it. I used the method of removing the #2 idler pulley to get the belt on and it worked great for me. I was meticulous with making sure everything was timed and torqued properly and it was great having all the info you provided. So, thank you again for posting all these videos it really helps.
Thanks to your video, I was able to do this timing belt job this past weekend on my Tundra and was successful. I hit a couple snags and had to get creative, so here are some tips for the next person watching this video in preparation for their own job: I also ordered a timing belt kit from aircabinman on eBay; however, the water pump that was supplied came with a nipple for the oil cooler coolant line (59:30), and my water pump did not have that nipple/hose. Check whether you have that nipple before ordering your parts; I had to run to the auto parts store, buy a vacuum cap and affix it with a hose clamp to the nipple. If you also have to cap off that nipple, make sure you put the hose clamp in a position where you can get at it in the future (it is located behind the alternator belt between dip stick tube and engine). To remove the crank bolt At 27:38, I used the starter bump method. Put a 19mm socket with a breaker bar on the bolt, and rest the breaker bar solidly against a frame member (I put it on top of drivers side frame rail). Bump the key in the ignition for a split second, being careful to ensure that you don’t start the motor. To remove the camshaft pulley bolt at 47:00, I used an impact gun and 17mm socket. I broke the bolt free with the old timing belt still on, as I figured that would give me more counter resistance. When removing the camshaft and crankshaft seals at 50:30, some type of seal puller is necessary. I fought it for half a hour with a series of picks, screwdrivers, and paint can opener, swearing the entire time, before I threw in the towel and ran to the auto parts store to pick up a seal puller. It took minutes with the seal puller. When replacing the seals at 52:00, instead of some fancy sleeve set, I used 1.5” schedule 40 pvc pipe that I had laying around for the cam seals and a fitting for the 1.5” pipe for the slightly larger crank seal. I cut the pvc to size with a miter saw so it was nice and square. I then found a big washer and used the camshaft/crankshaft bolt to draw the sleeve in to seat the seal. Use motor oil (or better yet, grease) to lubricate the seal. Go slowly and readjust the sleeves as needed while tightening the bolt to make sure the seal is going in nicely. On my left camshaft seal, the outside of the seal has a minor dimple because it snagged and I wasn’t paying attention while to turning the bolt, so go slowly and pay attention. Lastly, to tighten the camshaft/crank bolts, you will need a tool to hold resistance on the pulleys you are torquing the bolts. I used an OEMTools Fan Clutch Holding Tool that I rented from autozone. I coupled that tool with (2) 3/8”x3” sleeve anchors with (4) nuts for the camshaft pulleys to hold the pulley, and the (2) M8x100mm bolts threaded in the holes for the crankshaft pulley. These are the same bolts used with the puller for pulling off the crankshaft pulley. For the crankshaft pulley bolt, you can rest the tool against a frame member so that you can torque the bolt to spec by yourself. I laid all the parts on the ground in the order that I took them off so that I just had to reverse to put them back on. I also put all the fasteners back into their original spots after removing the parts, whenever possible to avoid having to keep track of them. Whenever I had to keep the fastener off, I put them into a muffin tin in order of removal and used post-it notes to label them. Thanks for the videos Timmy, they are extremely helpful. I would have never otherwise attempted this job. I am only recently getting into auto mechanics (within the last year), but your videos have given me the confidence to tackle jobs like this that seem overwhelming. I also made sure to check my threads and clean them out on the No. 1 idler pulley, and I followed your tip on installing the tensioner partially backed out and without having pulled the grenade pin, and the belt went on effortlessly.
Thanks again Timmy! Just completed the timing belt, H2O pump, seals, etc. on my 1999 4Runner 3.4L. The workaround to removing the A/C compressor saved time. I put the tensioner on after the belt and it worked fine. Part 2 of this video was helpful too.Your video on replacing the valve cover gaskets, etc. was helpful too. And the starter replacement video showed how it came out of that hole, after turning the starter around backwards and upside down, really ended my headache trying to figure how to get it out. Outstanding work, Sir! Joe D., in Jackson, Michigan.
Hey Joe, good to hear our videos are helping you out. We appreciate you taking the time to comment and share your success stories. Thanks, You're Welcome and Happy Wrenching!
I’m at 40:00 minutes in and have decided to let the dealership do it for me. I will watch the rest of this video anyway because it is interesting. This guy sure knows his stuff! Thanks for uploading.
You could easily do the job yourself. Tools are an investment and will pay for themselves quite often after one use. Get the necessary tools and go for it. A dealership is going to charge A LOT for this.
@@TimmyTheToolman yes I know it would be expensive. The truth is I had one of these brand new in 98, and I found a 98 with under 80k miles, picking it up next week. I’m pretty sure the timing belt has never been done and it’s got some age.
Tim, thank you SO MUCH for this amazing video. I just finished using it to guide me through my timing belt change on my 2000 4Runner. I literally paused your video at each step and followed your most excellent guidance through the entire process. This is, hands down, the most well done instructional video I have ever followed for doing maintenance on my 4Runner (and I've done a lot of maintenance!) Great wide-angle lens on the camera, great camera work (thanks to Sean?), and great editing! THANK YOU AND LONG LIVE THE 5VZ-FE!!!
We're really glad our video helped you. I'm curious, which method did you use to get the timing belt on? Did you use the plastic bicycle tire lever or did you use one of the other suggested techniques we listed in the video description. We had to tear back into Sean's rig because a weird noise surfaced. The stripped pulley bolt hole ended up coming back to haunt us. I didn't get the heli coil in properly and it ended up making the pulley not sit straight and also gave extra resistance to the movement of the pulley. The belt was rubbing on the washer that sits between the crankshaft timing gear and the crankshaft pulley (harmonic balancer). We fixed it and used the technique of backing off the timing belt tensioner bolts a little to allow the #1 idler pulley to pivot over a little more to the left to make it easier to slip the belt on. It worked like a charm. We videoed us using this technique and videoed some other stuff so there will be a Part 2 coming out pretty soon. Happy Wrenching Brother!
Following your guidance, I used a small metal pry-bar (about the same size as your plastic bike lever). It went on without too much effort. Thanks again for all your help, you're a hero!!
ponchoape Ok, thanks for letting me know. We now have a Part 2 of this video where we show an easier way to get the belt on. The trick of backing off the tensioner bolts a little worked really well. I didn't need any lever this time, just hand strength. And actually, the FSM says to get the belt on first and then install the tensioner. I missed this when reading through the text. But, I think having the tensioner on partially is the way to go. This way, when you get the belt on, there's some tension on the belt and it's not going to slip on that lower crankshaft timing gear.
Awesome video! In the middle of doing my belt and valve cover gaskets, both from your videos! My engine was running sluggish w/ no codes and leaking oil all behind the block, so i decided to do some maintenance. Glad I did, my belt had skipped 2 teeth on the crankshaft so my engine was out of timing for who knows how long. I just wanted to add a tip that may help someone in the future that may not have big enough sockets on hand to drive the camshaft seals in. I just finished doing the rear axle seals and bearings for my other 4 runner and I kept the old bearing retainers when I replaced them. I grabbed one and found that it is a perfect fit around the camshaft and encompass the entire seal like a press sleeve. With these in place, you could use a large washer and the cam bolt wouldn't bottom out before driving it all the way in, or like I did just take two and you can lightly tap around the circumference and they drive in like a dream! Thanks again for all your great videos, most of my repairs and maintenance are a direct result of your extremely thorough breakdowns.
Hey Hunter, glad our videos are helping you out. Thanks for sharing your tip for driving in the camshaft seals. You're very welcome and Happy Wrenching!
Great advice on the tensioner removal, I used a 3/8" wobble socket extension on the inside bolt and a 1/4" drive socket on the outside bolt. Worked a treat!
Thanks for the nice compliment. We appreciate it. You should watch Part 2 as well because we share some very helpful tips in that video. Thanks for taking the time to comment. Happy Wrenching!
I'm not sure what year or model is being used in this video, but with my 1999 Tacoma, the harmonic dampener crank pulley was threaded for 10 x 1.25 holes and correspondingly sized bolts. It was rusty inside those two holes and required being chased with a 10 X 1.25 tap. After I'd cleaned up the threads, the 10 X 1.25 bolts threaded easily into the crank pulley and I was able to pull it off the shaft with a similar gear puller as used here. The 8 X 1.25 bolts suggested here would not have worked because the bolts would simply not have been big enough. Other than that difference, this is one of the most clearly presented videos on this rather involved servicing. Thanks!
Hey Will, that's interesting about the bolt holes on the harmonic balancer. I've pulled them off multiple engines and they've all been M8 x 1.25 threads. Weird. Anyway, we're glad you found our video helpful. Thanks for the comment and Happy Wrenching.
@@TimmyTheToolman Hey Tim, I think I figured out what's going on, at least with my Harmonic balancer. Each of those holes are stepped holes. That ia, towards the front of the balancer, as it faces away from the engine, it has the 10X1.25, holes but, about 1/4 to 1/2 inch in from the back of the balancer, the hole size steps down to a smaller bolt size and, while i didn't check it, I wouldn't be surprised if it were the 8 X 1.25 that you were working with. I can't imagine why Toyota did that but it appears that that's what they did. Pretty strange, eh? Anyway, thanks again for this video. You provided a bunch of great tips that made this job go a whole lot smoother for me. I really appreciated the precise and methodical process you provided!
So far this is the best DIY video I’ve seen for this job. This video covers everything, even the removal/replacement of the cam/crankshaft seals. Simply great great DIY video. Now, I’m more than ready to tackle this job by myself. Thank you for sharing the knowledge. 🙏😀💙
Thanks for the nice compliment. Please be sure to watch Part 2 as well and read both video descriptions and look at the comments we pinned to get all the current information for this job. Good luck and let us know how it goes for you.
This video deserves a Pulitzer!! I can’t express enough how unbelievably helpful this was when i was doing my timing belt job on my 2001 Tacoma. It’s the absolute PERFECT mechanic video. Please keep it up!! Never before have I wanted to hit that “thumbs up” button so hard! I can’t believe this film didn’t make it to the Oscars.
Damn Gabe, now that's one of the best votes of approval we've ever had for one of our videos. Not everyone takes the time to comment and Sean and I truly appreciate those that do. You put a big smile on my face so thanks buddy. Happy Wrenching!
if you did a skidpan lead up/link video then all of us could proceed with this. laughed out loud. very grateful for both videos, son in law lost his skid plates/pans so there's no way he can do this, but i got this thanks to you
Glad our videos helped you out. Yeah, we try to hold people's hands through these jobs but if someone can't figure out how to get their skid plates off, a timing belt job is probably something they shouldn't try. Thanks for commenting.
Hands down, best video on youtube regarding belt / water pump change. Was thinking about taking mine to the shop for repair, especially after watching some of the other videos, but after seeing your thoroughness and attention to detail, even with the issues you encountered, I'm convinced I can do it too, though probably not in 4 hours. I also appreciate the follow up and comments from others, and the respectful tone of the conversation... Hat tip to you Timmy!
Thanks Bud. You can do it no problem with the right tools. Definitely have a puller with the correct size bolts to get that crank pulley off. I have since learned mechanics take two pry bars and rock that pulley off, but when I was looking at it, I couldn't see where to get a good purchase point to do that. The main thing I would look out for is the #1 idler bolt hole in the aluminum oil pump body. Make sure those threads look good before installing a new pulley if you're planning on replacing it. Replacing that oil pump would be very labor intensive. The job will definitely take you longer than 4 hours and that's fine. Any time you do something for the first time you want to go slow and make sure you're doing everything right. Good luck with it and let me know how it goes. Make sure you watch Part 2. Happy Wrenching!
Sorry Timmy, didn't know how to contact you directly, but wanted to toss out a question and get your professional opinion. I've gotta replace the water pump on my 97 4runner, and thinking about going ahead while I'm already in it to do the valve cover gaskets, , half moons, and rear cam plugs. Any thoughts about doing them all at once?
Sure, why not. You just have to set out enough time because that's a fair amount of wrenching to do. If this is your only vehicle and you're a regular Monday through Friday working guy, maybe start it on Saturday morning, and if you run into issues or just get tired of wrenching, you can finish it up on Sunday. If you have another vehicle to get around with, you can then really take your time with it. The key is to take your time and label things as you take them off the engine. Labeling hose connections you pull off and electrical connections is smart too. Have some tape to label the electrical and hose connections and use ziplock bags and post-it notes to label fasteners you pull off the engine. Maybe even snap some pictures with your phone so you remember how things should look on the engine. You just want to avoid trying to figure out where a bolt or nut goes that's left over or not knowing where to connect a hose or electrical connection. It's not a race. Take your time, be organized and make sure you do it right the first time. I'm actually a fairly slow mechanic and there's nothing wrong with that. Happy Wrenching Bud. Let me know how it all turns out.
I'm fortunate in that it's not my only vehicle. Have a Honda with two wheels for the warm days, and another truck for the cold ones. Was just thinking that I might gain a bit of usable wrenching room for the valve cover job with the #3 timing cover out of the way. Thanks for the advice!
Great tutorial! I had a hard time fitting belt and after some searching, it may help out a lot if you put on the belt first, THEN the tensioner, that way you can swing the pulley out just enough to fit the belt on by hand and you can tighten it back on. Hope this helps!
Yep, we knew all about this technique 6 years ago. What we do is just put the tensioner on partially with the bolts backed out a fair amount. We get the belt on and then fully tighten the tensioner bolts. A lot of people don't realize we have a Part 2 of this video showing this technique and other helpful information. There is also a comment we pinned (1st Comment you see) in this part, to share further information. Going forward on our channel, be sure to always watch Part 2 if it's obvious we have one, read the video description, and read any comment we have pinned, because if you don't, you'll be missing out on helpful information. Part 2: ruclips.net/video/mErd7xoBS9I/видео.htmlsi=v_oHqTD7BnBKVRM2 But, I appreciate your effort to help. Thanks!
Got this job done last week, took me about 16 hrs over 3 days. All by myself! My first time anything this complicated, thanks so much for putting this video together! I didn't read all comments so sorry if I repeat, but a few notes: -I found it much easier to get the back tensioner bolt in before the front bolt. I could see what I was doing and put the socket on the bolt before putting the tensioner in place. -Warning, there is a little pocket in the frame just behind the tensioner. I lost the back bolt and the socket in there while re-assembling. I ended up taping the socket to the swivel joint to keep this from happening again. It was a pain in the @#$ to get the socket out of this little pocket. -I was able to get the cam shaft pulleys off by myself by using a ratchet strap. I hooked the strap into a hole the left frame then wrapped it around the pulley removal tool to hold it while I used a breaker bar to loosen the bolts. Worked like a charm. -I used some of the silicone plugs to immediately plug the ATF hoses to the radiator. This minimized loss to just a cup or two.
Thank you making this video. I performed my belt change with ease. Although I wanted to say I had to loosen tensioner to install belt. Belt too tight for bicycle tool. Thanks again!
That's great our video helped you out. We actually documented the technique you employed to have an easier time getting the belt on in Part 2. ruclips.net/video/mErd7xoBS9I/видео.htmlsi=rffnLTxryqG_jycj
My tensioner was stirpped too very badly. helicoiled mine worked great. Evidently the guy before me stripped it, and didn't install the washer so it would catch some threads. and i had a water pump bolt backed half way out. Terrible mechanic work on his part. Thanks for the video man great stuff!
This is an awesome video Tim, as are all your third gen videos. I watched this one at least three times in prep for my timing belt job on the 200k mile 2000 4Runner 5 speed I recently bought my son to take to college which was still on it's original belt and water pump. The only problem with your video is that it was done on a west coast truck with no rust. That's the best case scenario and for those of us one the east coast the job can easily go sideways when you run into rusted fasteners. That's what I was afraid of that's what happened. In my case, the AC and alternator tensioners were locked solid. I broke the head off the AC adjuster bolt and am now scrambling to figure out how to get the pulley off and the adjuster out of there without taking the AC compressor off and removing the entire bracket. Other than that, it hasn't been too bad I just hope I figure out that one hurdle (so far). I will say though even at 200k everything looked pretty good and I am wondering if I should have just left it alone! These things are tanks.
Hey Jay, glad you like the video. We do know how lucky we are to not have to deal with rust. As for whether or not you should have done the job, you're right that these timing belts and associated parts can go for 200k and longer. It's just one of those things that you might not see it was worth the trouble but if the timing belt broke, or the water pump gave out or an idler pulley bearing went bad, your son might have been stuck somewhere and maybe out somewhere where there's no cell service and no help for miles. You're basically buying yourself a little peace of mind when doing preventative maintenance like this. At least that's the way I look at it. Happy Wrenching and I hope the rest of the job goes smooth for you.
@@TimmyTheToolman Hit a real snag with that AC tensioner. I managed to hammer the pulley off and cut off the tensioner bolt so I could get all the pieces off without removing the bracket (which would require removing the AC compressor). High fived myself no I just need a new tensioner and pulley, right. No. According to the dealer the tensioner is only available with the bracket as an assembly and it's NLA. So now I need to either get a used one and try to remove the AC compressor or figure out if there is a generic tensioner I can make work with the existing bracket and a new pulley. Oh and I have a week before my son drives the truck ten hours to school from CT all the way to North Carolina. Oh and I managed to get the timing belt all into place and perfect after struggling with the TB tensioner and am ready to pull the grenade pin and realize I never put the lower timing cover back on. Have to go through all that again. Ugh.
I'm fixing to do this soon on my 99 4runner with 116k. I ordered all Toyota parts for this job. 15 parts for $202 delivered 😁 I'm here watching the job and seeing if my parts numbers match. I checked on a Toyota sight and all the numbers match but checking here too. I plan on running all Toyota parts when I can
Just want to let you know I just replaced my timing belt and waterpump but from this video! I have mechanical background and you pretty much walked me through it. Amazing!
Hey Brad, comments like yours really make our day. Sean and I try really hard to explain things really clearly and thoroughly and also work hard to get the necessary camera shots to show extra detail so there's no confusion for the viewer in how to accomplish something. Based off your comment, we did a good job walking people through this repair. We appreciate you taking the time to comment. Happy Wrenching!
Very well done video! I have a 97 that the timing belt went down on it’s been sitting for two years it only has 128,000 on it, your video saved my bacon! Thank you thank you thank you! It runs like a charm now!
Well done. The problem encountered around 1:07:15 is why I like putting some kind of thread sealant on bolts in aluminum [where threadlocker isn't called for]: keep moisture and air out of threads. Looks like the water pump leak corroded things a bit. And as all of us have learned [the hard way] if a bolt fights you all the way out, the threads probably need to be chased - but in your case things went really pear shaped and it was helicoil time.
I can't thank you enough for the videos Timmy. You gave me the courage to jump in and just do all this. You're right - this isn't an easy job, but not so bad that I wanna pay someone a grand to do it for me. And now I have some new tools! You da man Timmy!
Perfect video. Did this the past weekend using only this video (and Part 2! Watch Part 2 first!). Smooth, easy, great information. Thanks a bunch! I bought the Schley harmonic balancer holder, essential and worth it. Also bought the Schley camshaft pulley holder tool. ALSO essential. Bought both of those from JBTools. The puller set was not at all necessary for me and luckily I didn't buy it. The Lisle seal puller was awkward to use but I'm super glad I got it instead of trying to use a screwdriver or something (got it off eBay). This video saved me a ton of money, and it was great to do. :) Thanks Timmy!
Glad the job went well for you Cory. Thanks for taking the time to comment and share your success story with us. You're very welcome and Happy Wrenching!
**PLEASE READ THIS COMMENT**
We added a Part 2 to this video that showcases a much easier way to get the timing belt on in addition to other helpful information.
PLEASE WATCH PART 2 BEFORE ATTEMPTING THIS JOB>
**When getting the #2 idler pulley on, the one that interfaces with the timing belt tensioner, I gave a torque value of 30 ft-lbs in the video. In my FSM, they gave a value of 30 ft-lbs for the #2 idler pulley on a blow-up diagram of all the timing belt parts, but then later on give a value of 26 ft-lbs. So, which is right? The people that write these manuals make mistakes that are not always caught by the technical writers. There's not a huge difference between 26 & 30 foot pounds, but to play it safe, I'd use the lower value of 26 ft-lbs.
**We didn't have a problem getting the crankshaft timing gear off but you might not be so lucky and require a puller to get it off the crankshaft. If this is the case, you can use the OTC 4518 puller we used to get the crankshaft pulley off or whatever puller you own/rent. We list the size bolts you need for this in the video description.
**I didn't mention it in the video, but there is a timing mark (a single dimple or dot) on the forward face of one of the teeth on the crankshaft timing gear that you want to line up with the "CR" line mark on the belt. If you get this lined up as well as the cam pulleys lined up, you should be good to go, but still do two full revolutions of the crankshaft timing gear to verify all 3 timing marks line up. If they do, you are now ready to put the engine back together.
**Video Update 05/30/2021 - I did this job for a second time on my 2000 4runner. What I noticed is even with the timing belt tensioner completely out when getting the timing belt on, it still goes on pretty tight. Getting the belt slipped over the bottom pulley still requires some decent effort. I did the timing belt routing the same way as we showed in this video by starting with the right cam pulley, under the upper idler pulley and then onto the left cam pulley matching up the marks on the belt with the timing marks on the pulleys. I used the same big binder clips to hold the belt onto the pulleys. I wrapped the belt around the water pump pulley and then this is where it gets hard. To get the belt stretched and the timing mark on the belt lined up properly with the timing mark on the crankshaft timing gear takes some serious effort. I laid on my back under the rig so I could clearly see the timing mark on the crankshaft timing gear (a small dot) and also see the "CR" line mark on the belt. The amount of force to get the belt stretched to the proper spot on the timing gear ended up moving the cam pulleys a little. If I had somebody holding the camp pulleys steady with the special holder tool, I probably could have gotten the belt onto the crankshaft timing gear with the timing marks properly lined up without moving the cam pulleys. But, as long as the belt didn't jump off either of the cam pulleys and the timing marks on the belt are still lined up with the cam pulley timing marks, it doesn't matter if the pulleys moved. With all 3 timing marks now lined up, I slipped the belt onto the lower pulley, which like I said, still took quite a bit of force to get on. These timing belts brand new fit very tight. After the belt was installed on all the pulleys and I confirmed all the timing marks lined up, I installed the timing belt tensioner. I finished by turning the engine over a couple full revolutions of the crankshaft timing gear and confirmed all 3 timing marks were still lined up. The marks on the belt won't be lined up anymore, but the camshaft pulley timing marks should line up with their respective marks on the metal timing cover behind them and the crankshaft timing gear timing mark should line up with the timing mark on the water pump behind it.
Another thing I noticed when doing this job on my 2000 4runner is a previous mechanic had decided to use FIPG (Form in Place Gasket) along with the metal gasket when sealing the water pump to the engine block. After cleaning up the block surface really well, I noticed the reason why the mechanic probably decided to use the FIPG. There was some pitting on the block surface which could allow for a coolant leak to occur by just relying on the metal gasket to make a leak-proof seal. The metal gasket does have rubber material on both sides to make a good seal with the water pump and engine block, but because of the pitting I saw, I thought there's a good chance the rubber material alone on the gasket might not be enough to prevent a coolant leak. So, I decided to use some Toyota FIPG 1282B on the side of the gasket that faces the block. The 1282B FIPG is made specifically for Toyota coolant applications. The side facing the water pump wouldn't require any FIPG because the surface of the water pump is perfect because it's brand new. So, I wanted to share this with all of you in case you yourself see some pitting on the metal surface of the block. I think the 1282B FIPG is good insurance to prevent a possible coolant leak which would require you to do a whole lot of extra work to tear everything apart to fix the leak. The part number for the Toyota FIPG 1282B is #08826-00100. It's pretty pricey at the dealership but you can find if for a much more affordable price online.
**Video Update 06/2023 - As part of the Head Gasket Job we did on Sean's 2002 4runner, we did a full timing belt job as well. I document a technique to have an easier time getting the belt correctly onto the crankshaft timing gear with the "CR" line lined up with the timing dot on the front face of the gear. Go to this video and start watch at play time 13 minutes and 24 seconds. ruclips.net/video/RoMgNHALSm4/видео.htmlsi=Ya78JEiXVe8QYHRA
Thanks for the clarification and providing others the confidence to do this! For those that are freaking out, you will have the turn the engine MANY times for it to line up with those lines again. How many? who knows. Just line it right the first time and check the markings after that and not the lines (like Tim said).
Tim, all these videos make me want to drive up to San Jose and thank you and try to get into one of your videos. You're turning into a celebrity! I feel like you should setup a patreon or something so we can donate money for these special tools you buy and use on other folk's rigs! Perhaps fellow youtubers will even donate some tools or make those tools you described!
Thanks Minh. People appreciating what Sean and I are doing is enough payment for us. We are making a little money from the ad revenue which is helping with some of our expenses. But, I really don't mind the time and money investment. I'm having a lot of fun wrenching and making these videos and love hearing how our videos have helped people out.
If you're close enough Minh, it would be cool to have you come over and we can make a video. Do you have a job in mind that we have not yet made a video of?
Timmy The Toolman I should have came by when I did my elocker swap lol. Oh wells. I don’t have any major work needed so it might be a while... maybe an aftermarket remote start alarm :) lol
Ok. If something comes up, you know where to find me.
I dont know why but that comment you made "im not gonna show the skid plate, because.......if you can't get your skid plates off, you're way in over you head" made me laugh my ass off. hahaha, so true.
Call a mechanic if you can't take off a skid plate, or don't know what that is.
also, GREAT vids, this is the best engine working video ive seen. keep up the great work! I will be doing my timing belt soon along with my radiator and thermostat and water pump, ill be referencing your videos for sure, Thank you!
You are hands down the best Toyota mechanic I have ever seen. You are exactly what a youtube mechanic or just a regular mechanic should be. Down to earth, straight to the point, and you know how to teach your viewers like a college professor would. Thanks for helping me fix my 01 4Runner Limited
Wow, you're going to give me a fat head with compliments like that. I really appreciate the kind words. This just might be the best compliment we've received since we started this channel. But, the be honest, Sean and I are just DIY Mechanics trying to give back to the DIYer Auto Mechanic World. Comments like yours give validation that we are achieving our goal of educating and inspiring people to do their own automotive work. Thank you very much for taking the time to comment. Happy Wrenching!
If you're still using this 6 years later, buy this man a beer! or 24
Thanks! We appreciate your comment.
Timmy is the best!
I learned how to do everything I know on the 3.0 from Timmy. Just got a 3.4 so now I’m diving back into his videos lol
I am also working with a 3.4L V6 5VZFE. Very nice engine. I just bought idler pulley No1. and No2, and tensioner, timing belt, accesories belt, water pump, and thermostat. Very nice and reliable engine.
This is the best instructional video of this kind I've ever seen. Well lit, well shot, informative, no jabbering... You guys did a great job.
Seriously. The best.
Tyler Diuguid we are really glad this video helped you out. Thanks for the kind words
Hi there Tim. Just did this job last weekend and was able to complete it in just a few days. Thanks to your help from this video. I just bought my 1998 4Runner earlier this year and have never worked on cars before I bought it. This video was an amazing guide through this job. I actually watched it thru fully a couple times before I did it to make sure I remember all the steps and things I am supposed to do. This job was actually a lot easier and faster than I thought it would be! Glad I could finally get it done. I bought the aircabinman kit you linked from ebay a while back but just have been so busy and couldn't get it done but since I was free for a weekend I decided to knock it out. Thanks for this and all of your videos, and how comprehensive they are. I've referenced many of them on the jobs I want to do & the ones I've done so far. Your video made it very easy for me to complete this job and I always love how you give the lists of the torque specs for the various things. This is my 2nd big job I've done with my engine and now I really have the confidence that I can do anything on our trucks now. Thankfully I didn't have have problems with my No.1 idler pulley threads on the oil pump. Mine were fully intact. And having the tensioner very loose made getting the belt on the last part on No.1 idler super easy! Thanks again Tim & Sean. You guys are awesome.
Thanks for sharing all that with us Garrett. It's awesome to know our videos have inspired you to turn wrenches on your rig. We appreciate you taking the time to comment. Happy Wrenching!
I love people like you. Great teachers! You have helped so many of us. Thank you for your time and keep making these videos please.
Thanks for the nice compliment and kind words. Sean and I appreciate it very much. You're very welcome and we will keep making these videos because we're having too much damn fun doing it. Thanks for taking the time to comment. Happy Wrenching!
My 18 year old daughter and I changed her timing belt and water pump. This was the first time for both of us. This video was amazing! The detail of the video and pace that the information was provided was very easy to follow. This is the best auto instructional video I have seen!
Thank you
Great to hear our video helped you get the job done Kurtis. Very cool you did this job with your daughter. Not many young people turning wrenches these days, and not many women overall are interested in auto mechanics. I like hearing stories like this. Thanks for the nice compliment. We appreciate it! Happy Wrenching!
Finished this project last week. Thank you for this video. The job is actually fairly easy. Its just very time consuming if it's your first time. Highly recommend using the tools in this video. Makes the job a whole lot easier! Thanks again, Tim & Sean!
Glad the job went well for you Ben. You're right. With the fight information and tools, this job is pretty straightforward. But, just like any wrenching job, things can go wrong like they went for Sean and I with that stripped idler pulley bolt hole in the oil pump. I still don't know if that was from a previous mechanic stripping the threads or was it just a case of of the threads being soft aluminum and they pulled out as I removed the bolt.
Thanks for taking the time to comment. Happy Wrenching!
Tim, thank you so much for this incredible video! I watched it in it's entirety first, and then watched it again step-by-step in my garage. Complete a step, go back to the video, complete the next step, go back to the video... You made what seemed like a monumental task into a whole bunch of small, doable tasks. Great explanation, thanks again!
One little hiccup I had was after installing the belt and attempting a couple of turns just to make sure it all lined up correctly. You mentioned in the video that you could do that by turning the cam pulleys. So I figured I'd try that rather than having to take on and off the crank bolt again. Well, I turned it some but it kept lurching in a pretty aggressive fashion. What began as a lined up belt ended up being NOT in line with any of the pulleys at all (and they were not equally off). I figured out what happened was the belt was jumping off the crankshaft and the cam pulleys, since it wasn't under tension the crankshaft is too heavy to turn simply using the belt as leverage. I was worried I had damaged the belt, and it had a few witness marks, but no damage that I can see, so I just removed it and put it on again and turned it by using the crankshaft this time. I would definitely NOT advise turning the belt by the cam pulleys.
Glad our video helped you out and thanks for sharing your experience with trying to turn the motor over via one of the camshaft pulleys. In theory I thought it would work but you confirmed that it doesn't so this is good to know. Thanks for taking the time to comment. We appreciate it. Happy Wrenching!
If you remove or loosen the plugs, much like doing compression checks, you won’t experience such resistance when turning either the crank or one of the cams. Hope that helps for future folks who take on this project. I know it’s a post from a year ago but I’m a slow reader. 🤣
IMHO the best TTT video I have seen yet regarding lighting, camera angles, editing. Thanks again.
Hey Steve, what about content? Isn't our content good too? The one thing I wish I could have showed in this video is an easier way to get the belt on. We ended up making a Part 2 to this job and it will be coming out soon. In Part 2, we show one of the easier ways to get the bel on, one of the ones we listed in the video description. Backing off the tensioners bolts a little allowing the #1 idler pulley to rotate over a little more is a great technique to getting the belt on easier.
I was in a local trailer shop getting some leaf spring and the guy in front of me was buying trailer bearing and seals, The owner of the trailer shop walked over to a rack with pvc pipe took one off the same size of the OD of the seal cut off about 1 foot of it, squared off one end and gave it to the guy that was buying the bearings and seals for a seal install tool. Cheap and works real well. first time finding your videos, very good and plenty of details. Thanks
Yep, there's lots of ways to Macgyver press tools. Your imagination is your only limiting factor. Glad you like the videos Sean and I are making.
Everytime i watch ur videos i feel like i owe u guys money!! Thank you!
The fact that you appreciate the videos we're making is payment enough. Thanks for taking the time to comment. We appreciate it. Happy Wrenching!
Best comment yet!
Mechanics hate this one trick LOL
I changed a timing belt for the first time using this video! One of the best "how to" videos I've ever seen. Everything turned out great on my 02 4runner.
Hey James, great to hear the job went well for you. Thanks for the very nice compliment. We appreciate it! Happy Wrenching!
Ah, its a non interference Engine!! Well done guys, the Japanese stuff is very well designed
Yeah, Toyota does make this job easier than the Germans do. I've heard a timing belt change on a BMW is a nightmare.
I think those engines need to be hoisted out to do the job.
DD2225 Hoisting out one of these 3.4 liter engines for a timing belt job would be way overkill. There is plenty of room in the engine compartment to do this job. Hoisting the engine would add a lot of unnecessary effort for this job.
Not all Japanese engines are non-interference as they should be. I lost a perfectly good, well-maintained Honda Accord V6 (J30 engine) this year when 5,000 miles after the timing belt & water pump job was done something malfunctioned and the belt broke. I loved that car and took very good care of it. I wish I had it back. With a blown engine, I had to sell it very cheaply to a mechanic who planned to drop another engine in. No more timing belt vehicles for me. ~~~~ Great video here though. I enjoy watching you work so patiently and confidently.
Useful tips I’ve picked in in first few minutes
- replace crankshaft bolt
- post it notes and ziplock bags to label every bolt / part that comes off.
- how to remove those pesty plastic clips
- point to point of every step.
This was unexpected. High quality. Thanks for sharing.
Glad you found our video helpful Hope the job goes smooth for you when you get around to doing it. Be sure to watch Part 2 also.
Thank you so much for your very thorough video. I just performed the timing belt, water pump, thermostat, #1&2 pulleys, crank and cams seals, and the belts up front. I spent the weekend with my tools and your video. Thanks for sharing your knowledge with me.
Just ordered a new timing belt and assembly today. So I’m gonna tackle this project soon. I’ve watched the video a couple of times and thanks to you I feel I can do this job too. 👍👍👍.
Make sure you watch Part 2 as well because we share further information that will help you. Also read the video description of each video and the pinned comments (1st comment you see). Good luck with the job! ruclips.net/video/mErd7xoBS9I/видео.html
Thanks for the excellent explaination! Great video! I can confirm..the install of the new belt is incredibly easy when you install the tentioner afterward and then pull the pin to finish. Cheers from Canada.
You're welcome. Yeah, if only I paid a little closer attention to the factory service manual it would have made that first attempt to get the belt on much easier. The way you did it is what the FSM recommends. I did like the technique we used in Part 2 by just backing off the tensioner bolts a little so you can get the belt slipped onto that lower idler pulley much easier. But, whether you bolt the tensioner partially on and then get the belt into place or you put the tensioner on afterward, we're pretty much using the same technique to make it easy to get to the belt on. Good job getting it done. Happy Wrenching My Canadian Brother.
Removing the radiator is such a simple procedure and it makes the timing belt change so much easier. It hardly takes 15 minutes to do it and is well worth it.
We agree with you.
I've done 5 timing belt installs and can vouch for installing the #2 idler pulley after the belt. The belt is still loose enough to thread on the pulley with out cross threading.
Thanks for sharing this and confirming this is a good technique. However, I'm feeling a little more partial to using another suggested technique I learned from an experienced mechanic who told me he backs off the tensioner bolts a little so the #1 idler pulley moves to the left some more making it easier to slip the belt onto the pulley and then he finishes with tightening down the tensioner bolts. With this technique, you take out any chance of cross-threading the #2 idler pulley if you find the belt is just a little too tight to get the bolt started easily. I know you're telling me this technique works well and 2 others have said the same thing, but I remember having to stretch the belt with a fair amount of force when getting the belt onto the both cam shaft pulleys and under the #2 idler pulley. So, I'm still a little hesitant to take a chance of cross threading the bolt hole especially when we found that the #1 idler pulley bolt hole was stripped by the previous mechanic making the repair much harder.
When I do the timing belt job on my rig, I'm going to test the #2 idler pulley technique and the tensioner technique and we'll make a video of it and link it to this one.
What you will notice is that the #2 pulley centers on to a stepped collar that does not engage till you have threaded the pulley bolt on quite a bit. The belt is very loose till collar step engages.That really the only trick to it. Make sure the pulley is fully engaged into the step and not on top of it before the pulley bolt is torqued down. I hate to think of the mess if the pulley got loose and tanged up before the engine stalls out.
Ok, thanks for the info.
I did this method also.. instead of using a tire tool... BTW this video was crucial to my understanding the whole Sha~Bang...
Ty
Just fired my 97 up after a beautiful timing belt etc job. Thank you so much for this video sir. I ran into some expected problems on a 25 yr old vehicle but I stayed patient and took it slow and steady. My number one suggestion is get every tool you see in this video. I thought I would work my way around some and it cost me time and stress in the end. Just spend the money if you love your yota you will do this again in the future. My harmonic balancer parted while trying to get it off, also my timing belt tensioner bolt in the back was half stripped so I had to remove ac and bracket then my homemade wood balancer holder tool broke but I stayed half calm and made it through. I’m not even considered a shade tree mechanic and made it through this so for anyone ready to attempt and save yourself years of new car payments, just buy the tools get ALL the parts and fluids you are gonna wanna change, take a long weekend off work and hit it hard! Thanks again Tim and Shawn. You’ve made my runner a family vehicle again that I’m not afraid to use like it was meant to be used.
Good job persevering and getting it done James. Thanks for taking the time to comment and share your experience doing this job. Happy Wrenching!
Hi Tim. Just like many here in the comments, I'd like to say thank you. I just recently joined the 3rd gen 4Runner community with a '98 Limited with 273k miles on it. Timing belt was cracked and on borrowed time. With your video I was able to do the entire job (water pump, pulleys, seals, etc.) at home. It took me a long time, but I went slow. With very, and I mean VERY limited wrenching experience under my belt, the engine fired right up and is running better than ever. Thank you for empowering me, and so many others.
With your channel and the forums, I'm hoping to keep the old Shogun on the road for years to come.
You're very welcome Ryan. Comments like yours fuel our desire to keep doing what we're doing. Our main goal is to empower people to do their own automotive work. Enjoy your rig. Hope it takes you on many happy adventures.
Tim, If you get the chance can you do a video on replacing the oil pump on the 3.4 5vz fe. Or at least explain the process. Thanks.
Just wanted to say I just did my timing belt, water pump, thermostat, pulleys, all drive belts, and I could not have done it without ol timmy the toolman. I thought I couldn't do this job but i did it and it feels great. Everything turned out great and surprisingly barely had any hang ups. Took me about a day and a half to do this repair. Thank you guys so much!
Good job getting the job done and great to hear our video helped you out. It really does feel good when you accomplish an involved job like this. You get an incredible sense of accomplishment afterwards and it builds you confidence to tackle other involved jobs. You're very welcome and thanks for taking the time to comment and share your success story with us. Happy Wrenching!
Thanks again Tim for another informative video!
Thanks Bill. Read the video description for some more tips regarding getting the timing belt on. I just learned two techniques that I was ignorant of that might make getting the belt on much easier.
REPLY
You sir are worth your weight in gold bullion! Fantastic step by step procedural auto repair video. I used this video to do this exact job on my vehicle. Everything went smooth. If I had any questions I'd just consult the detailed video. I used the timing belt technique from one of the comments that said to take out the #2 Pulley in the top middle first to get the timing belt out and then put the #2 Pulley in last to get the belt back in. It worked great. I felt guilty because it was pretty easy and you guys put in a lot of work fighting with that belt. I felt so bad I had to drink a beer for you. Thanks again for your awesome instructional videos, this channel is my go to channel for anything 3rd Gen 4Runner related.
Hey Tim, glad the job went well for you and it's great to hear you are making good use of our videos. Thanks for taking the time to comment. Happy Wrenching!
The guy that showed u the taping trick is Oscar Ruiz. I watched him doing that on RUclips. I really like this video because it has better print and there is an extra guy filming this. Oscar's video is great also but he made the whole video holding camera in one hand and tools in the other.
Yep, I watched Oscar's whole video series. He offers great information in the series but he really would have benefited from somebody helping him film and it could have been edited down quite a bit as well.
I'm lucky to have Sean as my partner with this channel we started because he's good with the camera, he's great with the editing and he also has a good mechanical and trouble-shooting mind. When we hit snags during a job, he's quite often the one that comes up with a solution first.
Before Sean and I do a job, I research it as much as possible by watching any existing videos, reading write-ups on forums and consulting the factory service manual. I watched all the timing belt videos for the 3.4 liter V6 engine on RUclips, some more than once, before we made this one.
We're glad you like our video.
I seem Chrisfix using the tape too.
Hey Tim, just completed this job with my dad last week. Your instructions in this video and follow up instructions were extremely helpful (not to mention your other videos for repair). Sent a tip your way to cover a case of beer. Thanks as always.
That's great to hear our video helped you and your dad get the job done. Thanks for the beer donation. Always appreciated!
In order to make it easier to put the new timing belt on, remove the #1 idler pulley and start with the crank, then route the belt up on to the water pump and tensioner then the cams. With the belt lined up, put the #1 idler pulley in. Much easier than stretching a new belt. That’s how the Toyota techs do it.
The #1 idler pulley according to the FSM is the one that sits against the timing belt tensioner. On Sean's rig, that bolt hole was stripped. I'm guessing the last mechanic might have used the technique you are talking about but I'm not sure. When I removed that 10mm bolt for the #1 idler pulley, it came out rough the whole way. I didn't think anything of it at the time but I learned later when i went to install the new pulley that the bolt hole was stripped. When I was editing the video, I could see threads hanging from the bolt hole before I even tried to install the new pulley. With a ton of tension on the pulley and then trying to get the bolt started in the hole, I can now see how that bolt hole got stripped. I'm not saying this technique doesn't work, but I can also see how you can easily strip the bolt hole in the process if you're not very careful. That stripped bolt hole caused us a ton of grief. For me, I think I'll stick with the bicycle plastic tire lever to stretch the bolt onto the #1 idler pulley.
However, I did learn a trick from a guy today who showed up to our Mod Meet-up at my house. He said he backs off the timing belt tensioner bolts a little and that gives some extra play to get the belt onto the #1 idler pulley easier.
Timmy The Toolman the idler I was referring to is the center top one, Remove that, route the belt like I said and put the pulley in. Much easier that way
OK, so you're talking about the #2 idler pulley. But, knowing how hard that belt was to get on, do you have to push really hard on that idler pulley in order to get the bolt hole lined up?
Timmy The Toolman not at all. Super easy
Timmy The Toolman I’ve used the technique multiple times on the 5VZ and 1MZ engines. Works every time, the first time getting the belt on without struggling
Tim. I want to take the time to comment and thank you for you professionalism, your attention to detail and your overall attitude in general. I am a Vietnam vet and you were the star of my Memorial Day weekend because your video was with me every step of the way as I worked alone changing out my timing belt and the rest of the kit. I have two third generation 4Runners. The one with almost 300,000 miles was overdue for a new belt and thankfully it did not leave me stranded on the road. Now that it is fixed, I can rest a whole lot easier. Who says you cannot teach an old dog new tricks? LOL
Hey Robert, that's great to hear you were successful doing your timing belt job using our video. I have a lot of respect for those that have served so Thank You for your service. My dad passed away recently and he fought in Korea. Thanks for taking the time to share your success story with us. We appreciate it very much. Happy Wrenching Robert and good luck with your 3rd Gens.
TIP: Imagine the timing belt. The "CR" mark lines up with a groove on back side of belt. COUNTING THAT GROOVE, count 7 groves to the left (as if you were facing the front of motor and belt was on motor). Flip belt over, mark back side of belt where this 7th groove is. When installing the belt, the "CR" mark is pretty useless since motor is at TDC and the "CR" lines up with nothing. The 7th groove to the left, though, will be on very bottom of crank when belt is installed correctly.
Thanks for sharing the tip.
Theres a little dot on the crank gear that lines up with the CR mark! Thats how I knew mine was wrong. Took 5 attempts to get the belt on right. Tedious but very rewarding job.
Leaving the idler pulley off until after the belt is in is the way to go! Also I watched this video before I tackled this ordered the tools I needed, and followed along as I did the project. I love the detail, you gave the right size sockets needed, and the torque specs! Nicly done! And thank you!
You're welcome Thomas. We're glad you appreciate the detail we offer in this video. Thanks for taking the time to comment. Happy Wrenching!
I'm in love with that seal puller and install set. Wish I had one for the belt I'm getting ready to do. Guess I'll just do the pray and flat head screw driver method. Any idea what size that sleeve needs to be for cam and crank seals? I'll have to make one out of some sort of pipe. Pvc unions would work I think if diameter is anywhere close.
damn yeah, same same - damn thing was on backorder for a month and no one around had one available ... might but one now for some time later
If you ever need to do it again, a 2in pvc male threaded adapter fits perfectly on the crank seal.
As a diehard Toyota 4 x 4 Guy and third generation 4runner owner I find that I like to watch your videos just for the pure enjoyment. Thanks and keep up the good work. I hope you make a bundle of money off Of RUclips.
Thanks Matt. It's great to hear you're enjoying the videos Sean and I make. Thanks for the kind words. We appreciate it. Happy Wrenching!
GNNA watch it when I get home frm being with the wife at Burlington LOL!!!
Hey Israel, read the video description for more information. I just learned of two different techniques that could make getting the timing belt on easier and I put them in the video description.
Timmy The Toolman ::: Ok i will, thanks. Super excited...about to lay down and watch my movie lol
Grab a couple beers and a big bucket of popcorn because it's a long one.
My 4runner has over 372,000 miles on it. My replaced 5vz has over 240,000 miles on it and the belt and other components have never been changed. Watched this video about 10 times before I did the job myself. Just finished it a few hours ago and it turned out beautiful. Thank you Timmy. My next big project I’m converting my 2wd to a 4x4 with lockers and a lift kit. Already got all the parts just need the time
Hey Mark, great to hear our video helped successfully do the timing belt job on your rig. Good luck with all the other work you've got planned.
I come from the world of Subaru boxer engines, I learned online with video like these how to fix/replace things on my car to the point I ended up overhauling my whole motor from a head gasket leak overheat and ended doing all sort of DIY jobs on my Forester. I am now looking for a 4Runner and learning with your videos as much as I can. I must say I am very impressed with the quality of your work. I really like that you use the FSM too! Keep up the great work and thank you for taking the time to make these fantastic videos. You have a new subscriber.
Hey Mike, welcome to our channel and to the 4runner club. Great to hear you like the videos we make. We always try hard to give the best information possible to our viewers and to be as detailed as possible so they can succeed using our videos as a tutorial. Have fun with your 4runner. Happy Wrenching!
Hi Tim I am hoping you happen to see this comment. First off I wanted to say a big thank you for making this video it was super helpful and I am happy to say that me and a friend just wrapped up this job on my 03 Tacoma and everything seems good so far. I did want to add what I feel is a very important point that anyone doing this job in the future will hopefully come across this and avoid making a mistake we did. When we first got my new timing belt on like in the video how Tim shows we made sure the two left cam and right cam arrows were lined up and also the pink mark on the lower timing gear was lined up with the white arrow on the engine. From there we went ahead with the install until we got to the point where we were turning the engine with the lower crankshaft bolt and could not get all the timing marks to line up. Like Tim mentions in the videos we weren’t watching the two camshaft arrows now we are watching the two lines on the camshaft wheels lining up with the two white marks on the cover. We could get these to the lineup but not the pink mark on the lower timing gear with the white arrow. After a little bit of time we finally came to the realization that we must have just not quite got the belt on exactly right. And doing a little bit of research we found a video where a guy mentions the marks that Tim does but he also mentions the CR or a crank arrow on the timing belt and that it needs to line up with a another indentation also on the lower timing gear. We had both wondered about that CR mark on the timing belt and if it needed to in fact be lined up with something at the time we first put it on we couldn’t see anything suggesting that it needed to be in an exact location. After watching that other video we learned that in fact that there is another indentation or small little dimple on one of the teeth of the timing gear also on mine it had a faded white mark. Somehow we missed this on our first go around. Needless to say this cost us some time I had to go and get a new crankshaft bolt and we had to re-loosen the crankshaft bolt luckily we were able to fit a small impact in there so it made it easier Pull the crankshaft pulley timing belt tensioner etc. to where we could get the timing belt off again and re-position it in the correct location. It makes total sense why that CR Mark is on the timing belt and that it would line up with something for some reason we just didn’t pay enough attention to it. Hopefully this keeps somebody else from making that mistake. In my opinion you really should be paying attention to five different marks to ensure the timing belt is on correctly and your timing will be right. The two lines on the camshaft wheels lining up with the two white marks on the engine, the pink dot on the lower timing gear lining up with the white arrow on the engine, the CR or crank arrow on the timing belt lining up with the small dimpled or possibly white mark on the lower timing gear as well, and then finally the small notch on the crankshaft pulley lining up with a zero mark on that lower timing cover. Anyway just wanted to share my experience with this in hopes that it saves some people some time and frustration and doing this job in the future. Possibly may want to mentioned something about this in a pinned comment about paying attention to that CR or crank arrow lining up with the other mark on the lower timing belt. If we had Paid better attention to this or knew this needed to be lined up in a specific position it would’ve saved us a lot of time and frustration. Again thanks for the video really appreciate all the work you do!
You make a valid point about the CR timing belt mark lining up properly with the mark on crankshaft timing gear. But, like I clearly state in the video, people need to verify all the 3 timing marks line up before putting everything back together. So, before pulling the timing belt tensioner pin and putting the crankshaft pulley on and torquing the bolt to spec, you should have done two full revolutions of the crankshaft timing gear to verify everything was good. It was the mistake of not making this verification that cost you the time but I will admit I wish I also would have noticed that small timing mark dimple when I was doing this job and filming it. I didn't notice it until I did this job again in May of 2021 on my 2000 4runner and I mentioned using that timing mark in the pinned comment.
What I've learned after doing this job another time is without the pin pulled from the tensioner, your cam pulley timing marks will look every so slightly off, not by much, because there's a tiny bit of slack still in the belt. Once you pull the tensioner pin, that slack disappears and all 3 timing marks should line up perfectly after another couple revolutions of the crankshaft.
As for your suggestion, I added info to the comment I already had pinned. The problem is, I don't think most people look at the comments I pin. But, hopefully this comment will help some people out. Thanks for the comment and I'm sorry your experience doing this job wasn't ideal. Happy Wrenching!
Thanks for your reply Tim. No need to apologize it was our mistake you’re absolutely right we shouldn’t have torque down that crankshaft bolt before we did the full two revolutions and verified everything was correct. Lesson learned all in all we were only one notch off considering. Just wanted to share my experience in hopes it saves some people some frustration in the future.
@@rthomas2157 You're welcome and I'm glad you took the time to comment because it reminded me that I should do a better job of describing that part of the belt installation in the pinned comment to help clarify the process to make it easier for future people who tackle this job.
Hey Tim, just completed the timing belt job on my 2001 4Runner. Just wanted to thank you. Your video was very in depth and simple to follow. I nailed it thanks to you and Shawn. Oh yeah, part 2 made it so easy to put the belt on. Also, I’m about to tackle the valve cover job next. I’ll post there when I’m done. Please keep posting videos! Thanks so much!
Craig
Hey Craig, great to hear our timing belt videos helped you get the job done. We appreciate you taking the time to comment to share your success story with us. Good luck with the valve cover gasket job. You're very welcome and Happy Wrenching!
Tim is by far the best automotive youtuber on the planet. Thank you Tim!!
Thanks Max! I appreciate the compliment. Sean and I made the decision when we started this channel that our videos would be so detailed, a beginner at turning wrenches could be successful. From the comments we've gotten over the years, I think we're accomplishing what we set forth to do.
I followed this video for the tear down, and Part 6 of the head gasket job for the rebuild. It went perfectly. Funnily enough the tear down revealed the right side cam was a tooth out. Once finished, I put the ignition key in and turned it without thinking what if...and my engine fired right up. Beautiful. Thankyou Timmy and Sean. Thank you. Next job is inner tie rod. You guys are simply the best.
@@andrewb2326 You're welcome. Good job getting it done.
mine is the same aswell how did you go about getting it aligned with the timing marks?
@duncanfellows2914
I think I used the cam pulley tool on the pulley on the alternator side to stretch the belt. I got enough on it to give me the ectra tooth. I think I held the crank using the old bolt to hold the belt still. Check Timmy's rebuild video, from memory he did something like this.
Thank the Lord for RUclips and guys like these that make videos for ppl that want to do our own stuff, being thurough makes it much easier and easy to understand. Thanks again!
You're welcome. Making detailed videos is very labor intensive but knowing we're helping people out and people like you appreciate it, makes it worth it to us. Happy Wrenching!
I wish I could find a way to convey something much deeper than "Thank you". I'm a chicken shit when it comes to mechanic work. I did this with the help of your video. I just went slow and easy. I had no problems. I'm so grateful for the time you've spent on your videos.
You're very welcome Jeremiah and it's great to hear our video helped you get this job done. We appreciate you taking the time to comment. Happy Wrenching!
LOVE your videos, Timmy! A trick I learned when torquing crank bolts is to pull a spark plug and then shove a bunch of string or paracord into the cylinder while the piston is below TDC. Then, when you turn the crank, the piston is stopped by the string without causing any damage, and allowing you to torque the bolt. It's easiest on older engines where the heads are right in your face, but the Toyota 3.4 spark plug holes are pretty deep, making that challenging.
So, what I did was use some smallish diameter rubber hose (I think I used ~3/16") in place of the string. It's rigid enough to make it down the bore into the cylinder, yet flexible enough to bend and get pinched by the piston. Worked great and I didn't need to buy/rent/make a tool.
Thanks! Glad you like what we're doing. The string or hose trick in the cylinder to torque the crank bolt is very interesting. There's always more than one way to get something done I always tell people. Thanks for sharing it. Happy New Year and Happy Wrenching!
Hey Tim and Shawn, thanks very much for the detailed videos, it really got me motivated. Just finished the job on my 2000 4 Runner and it went very smoothly thanks to you guys.
I have a little tip for getting the belt on that might help someone. After getting the belt in the right place on the left and right cams and pinning it with the clamps, I had trouble getting the CR mark to line up with the dimple on the crankshaft gear, it kept coming up one tooth short. After 3 tries, I couldn't seem to get it taut enough to get it in the right place.
So since this is a non interference engine, I rotated the crankshaft around clockwise and got the pink pointer one tooth short of the vertical mark. After this it was no problem
to get the CR mark on the belt to line up with the dimple. I then rotated the crankshaft one tooth clockwise which took all the slack out of the belt on the right side. The tensioner was still out at this time, so it was easy to get the belt onto the tensioner roller. I then put the tensioner in last and found that this was no more difficult than if the belt wasn't on yet.
Thanks again, you guys are the best!
Glad it worked out well for you. Good job! Thanks for sharing your tips. Happy Wrenching!
I am a mechanic fond of MB. Toyotas ,Subarus and 2nd gen Cummins. I feel like I am a college educated mechanic. When I see your videos(from beginning to end) I feel like I am in graduate school. You explain every cotton picking step. I obviously skip over stuff I know but your work can be used by experienced people like me and rank beginners. Super good job. I'd like to buy you not a beer but a case of beer.
Hey Hugh! We really appreciate you stopping by the comment section to give us some praise! It’s comments like yours that keep us doing what we do. We would greatly appreciate a beer Or a 6-pack! Check out the link in our video description, you can donate there.
Cheers!
- Sean
Hey Hugh, I really appreciate your very nice compliment of our work. It put a big smile on my face, so thanks! And yes, we like beer so thanks for that as well. Happy Wrenching Hugh! - Timmy
I just followed your video, and I completed the whole job correctly. My vehicle's running great, thanks in part to you. Personally, my only hand up was uninstalling and reinstalling that timing belt tensioner. I didn't have a wobble extension deal, so I have to take out the AC compressor to get to it. It really sucked, it was still increadibly difficult to get to, although I bet it would have been easier if I had taken off the AC compressor bracket, but nonetheless, I got it.
Once again, I thank you as I cannot thank you enough. I'm so happy that all of this went well, and not only did I save money, but I also gained a lot of valuable experience through the whole process.
You're the best!
Great job getting it done. This is no easy task, so you have every right to be proud of this accomplishment. Thanks for taking the time to comment and share your success story with us. Thanks and Happy Wrenching!
I'm at 300,000 miles on my 2002 4runner and just did my second timing belt and water pump replacement and
found this video very helpful both times. The first time I did it, I also really struggled with the getting the timing belt on easily. This time is was much easier because I used a trick. FOR THE TIMING BELT TENSIONER PULLEY, I just barely started the 2 bolts which leaves a lot of play to get the timing belt on, THEN I tighten up the tensioner AFTER the timing belt is in place. That will force the cams counter clockwise by 1/4 to 1/2 inch as you tighten the tensioner. If you account for that and set the cams forward of the correct position, tightening the tensioner will move the cams and timing belt into correct position. I got it right on the second attempt. I didn't have the cam forward enough the first attempt so I had to loosen the tensioner and reset the cams and belt more forward and then re tightened the two tensioner bolts. Second time was perfect. 15 minutes total time on belt placement.
Good job getting it done. We actually use the technique of backing off the tensioner bolts in Part 2. That's one of the main reasons why we made the video because we wanted to show a better way of getting the belt on because we struggled so hard the first time.
Thank you so much for your labors! I did my timing belt and water pump this weekend with your video. I dont know if I would have done it otherwise. You're an angel.
You're very welcome. Glad our video inspired you to tackle this job. It's a hell of an accomplishment and I bet it feels good to get that job under your belt. Thanks for taking the time to share your success story with us. Happy Wrenching!
Best video and commentary I have come across, for belt replacement. Keep up the good work
Thanks for the compliment Frank. We appreciate it!
You’re the best Tim! Me and my dad got her done this weekend and we got it right the first time. Thanks for your informative videos!
Great job getting it done, David. See, it's not so hard when you have the Right Information and Tools. I'm happy to know our videos helped you and your dad. Happy Wrenching!
Just want to say Thank you!
Having a guide to follow made the job so much easier and the tips on the tools helped save so much time. I did it in 11 hours that is including all the trips back into the house to watch a clip of the next step. My 11 hours became 5 days 11 hours due to my crankshaft timing gear being seized. I had the puller but it would not move. I used a pry bar behind the teeth and it move every so slightly. So I kept tightening the puller and prying. I finally broke off a tooth. Then I backed off the screw of the puller and put the pry bar between the puller body and the shaft. That finally got it moving. Then I finished the job. Upon starting the 4runner the motor ran fine then a shudder and some rough running and it shut down and the CEL came on. Started it again and it did the same thing . Each time I started the 4runner the time between shutdown was shorter. I got a "P0340 Camshaft Position Sensor A Circuit 1 or single sensor" code on the reader. Then I remembered the broken tooth on the timing gear. My engine was so dirty I never saw the sensor but I saw it on the video. I finally found some information on this on a Lexus forum that mention the teeth are important enough that the car will shut down if one tooth is missing. So that tooth was important! I got on Ebay and I found one for$65. Five days later it arrived and I took everything apart to the timing gear and installed it and reinstalled everything a second time and job was done and the code cleared. 4runner runs great.
You're very welcome. Sounds like you had quite the adventure with this job but the important thing is you persevered and got it done. Good Job!
Im watching this now as I go and it’s literally the only reason I am able to do this. Thank you so much for taking the time to put this video up man. Cheers to you 🍻
Cheers to you too my dude! Thanks for watching and thanks for wrenching!
- Sean
Don't forget to consult Part 2 for an easier way to get the timing belt on and other helpful information. - Tiimmy
I did my timing belt today and it went great! I didn’t follow your video the whole time but it was excellent for when I needed to reference something. Thanks!
That's good to hear Trevor. Good job getting it done.
They call the Tacoma a Landcruiser Prado in Australia, same engine. My old girl has done 400 K about 250 M still runs like a sowing machine 22 years old. Bought it for 5 G about 2.5 G in USA with 300 K on it. Hasn't missed a beat and everything works perfectly on it. One thing. If you own an old Tacoma or Prado replace the radiator cap. Mine fell to pieces and spat all the coolant out and I just caught it in time. Great video, great detail. thanks Timmy!
Yep, I found out the same thing about the radiator cap working on a guy's rig. I discuss it in this video: ruclips.net/video/A8OTtggtQnc/видео.html
Great video. Helped me a lot.Some pointers for anyone reading: I didn’t have any service tool to hold the crank pully, I used the starter trick to loosen it (just keep hands and face clear!). Mine’a a standard and to torque it back on I just left it in 5th and chocked the wheels.I didn’t bother changing my crank or cam seals. I had limited time and mine weren’t leaking at all. Food for thought. But I’ve read stories of not-leaking seals being changed and then they leak.Also, to get the belt back on just leave the tensioner bolts loose about 3/8”, with the pin still in obviously (getting at the bolts from below like this vid shows is pretty easy). My truck is 16 years old and I’m well into the rust belt, I had to fight with rust throughout this project and I used Never Seez generously when it went back together. I plan to do another belt at around 280k👍🏼!
Glad you like the video. Leaving the tensioner bolts a little loose so you can get the belt on easier is a technique we show in Part 2. We learned about this technique after we shot the initial video. Great job getting this repair done and saving yourself a lot of money.
Just went through the entire service job, thanks for this Tim it would have been a disaster without your help!
One thing to note for anyone doing this in the future is if you don't have a way to hold down the cam gears with a tool very easy way to get them loose; when you've held the crank down with a tool or a 2x4 like I did before you take it all off just crack the cambolts loose (don't remove them) and then release the crank then proceed as per the vid. The timing belt will hold the cam gears in place as you crack the bolts loose.
Also if you're from Canada maybe grab yourself a spare alternator tensioner and bolt since chances are you'll snap yours and any other you might find in a junk yard, ask me how I know.
Good to hear our video helped you out and thanks for sharing your own tips for this job. Happy Wrenching!
This video would have helped me out tremendously 5 years ago! Extremely detailed. This would have made it way easier as I never was able to get crank gear off to change the seal. Sold that old 4 runner after that to a family member who needed a car.
Now I need a car and am in the market for a 3rd gen 4runner again. This will definitely help if I have to do this job again. However your valve cover video was very helpful when I did that job with all the tube seals, hvac tape for brittle wire loom, ect.
Thank you again.
Thanks for taking the time to stop by the comments and give us some props! We firstly appreciate it!
Addition to Rwag66 Pasperguious, 4 months ago:
Timmy, you are the Daniel Boone of the DIY Auto Repair Videos, blazing a trail for the rest of us wrenches. Thank You for the work you do.
I went back to day to correct my rant after Attempt #1. The WD 40 sprayed 4 months ago seemed to work. With threads pulled in one hole,
this time I used 100mm bolts, washers and nuts behind the crank pulley. The pulley moved this time w/less than 10lb-ft torque on the puller wrench.
But it took numerous resets due to the pull length of the puller setup. Upon inspection, you are going to be surprised to see what I found. I bought this truck
new 12/27/1999 with 142mi. No one but me has ever put a wrench to the drive train. Now it has 260,145mi. on it. This is the first cam belt exercise. The back=engine side of the harmonic damper crank pulley had been forced on the crank nose about 1/4" to the side of the Woodruff Key slot machined in the pulley bore. I assume it had been placed on the nose, the bolt hand-threaded in, then finished with a impact wrench at the engine final assembly. It's a wonder the pulley didn't work loose and turn freely. The Woodruff key is covered about 2/3 by the cam belt drive pulley, so very little was keeping it all together. There was also rust in both pulleys. In the early days I applied a timing light to check the ignition, this being my first computer controlled vehicle and I had set ways to change. I didn't understand why the mark on the crank pulley was so far off the "0" on the engine plastic marker. I never used that light again. Now I know why. When the belt drive pulley mark is aligned with the cast arrow on the oil pump housing and the cam marks are set, the crank pulley timing mark is 1 1/16" clockwise from that "0", or near 30 degrees retarded. Took me 20 years to figure that one out. Tomorrow will be checking, cleaning, reassembly. Both idlers, tensioner, waterpump, thermostat, cam shaft oil seals, crank oil seal are to be replaced. About your Video vehicle: I am sure that cam belt had been previously changed by the white stripe on it and no cracking on the back. Also, there is a lot of gunk around but the water pump and other pieces are too clean for that gunk. The idlers also; mine have lots of dust and belt fluff in the insides of them. Yet mine show no oil leakage at all. Thanks again!
I like that. Daniel Boone of the DIY Auto Repair blazing a trail. That was a hell of a story about your timing belt experience. Some people really shouldn't turn wrenches because they don't have the patience to do things right. You're right that it's amazing that the harmonic balancer didn't come loose. I can't remember if you mentioned it but I gathering the engine didn't run all that well with the timing retarded that much? Good luck with the rest of the job and let me know how it goes for you.
Thanks Tim for a great instructional video. Changed my timing belt, water pump, thermostat and all associated parts this weekend. Water pump was leaking and had a knock while engine was running which turned out to be the bearings in water pump and idler #2 on tensioner. I also installed timing belt from crank pulley up around tensioner and water pump and then the cams. Once belt was inplace I installed idler pulley #1 between cams. Very easy install. Did not have to fight belt at all. Thanks again your video gave me the confidence to perform this work myself.
You're welcome David and thanks for sharing your success story. It's good to know that particular technique which was shared with us works really well. You have the pulley numbers reversed though. The #1 idler pulley is the one that sits against the tensioner and the #2 idler pulley is the upper one between the cam pulleys.
I actually recently used the other technique we listed in the video description, backing off the tensioner bolts a little so the #1 idler pulley could rotate over some more to make it easier to get the belt onto the #1 idler pulley. It worked awesome and will probably be my method of choice if I ever have to do it again.
Happy Wrenching!
Thank you for your guidance...painless repair completed with your assistance. Original owner 2002 trd tacoma. I replaced everything you did in the video. Watching it repeatedly before and during led me to an easy experience. Good thing because it was the original everything...those part took me on some awesome adventures.
195,000 miles. Minor leak from the pump and tensioner pulley didn't pivot. Other than that she could have kept going. Let me know when you have a supercharger that needs to go on my truck!
Great to hear Derek. Thanks for taking the time to comment to share your success story. Happy Wrenching!
Just finished doing mine after gaining the confidence after watching your videos (several times). Had a difficult time with that back bolt on the tensioner. I wrestled with it to get it off and was even worse getting it on. Did the tape trick but the bolt kept falling off the socket and couldn’t find the hole! Finally came up with an idea to use a piece of tubing, wedged the bolt into it and that worked like a charm! Got it finger tight with the tubing.
Thanks for the great video, keep them coming!
Pete Brown Hey Pete, yeah that back bolt of the tensioner can be hard to get to but hopefully it was worth the struggle to avoid removing the AC compressor and bracket. I like the tubing trick. I'll have to remember that. Great job persevering and getting it done.
Hi Timmy . I have a useful suggestion for what was the hardest part of the TB job: getting to the rear bolt of the tensioner. FSM says remove the AC compressor. I had one frozen bolt and couldn't release it. I struggled with blindly snaking a 3/8” extension from below and found an easier way. You do it from the front with your head as close to the TB as possible you can just see the bolt head around the corner. You then under visual guidance clip your 1/3 or 3/8” wobble extension and capturing the bolt removing and installing was easy. MY 25 yr old 4R had the original TB and everything else. Only a tiny WP leak, no leaky seals or pulleys . The TB had faint cracks on the smooth surface and looked good for another 20000 miles. She has 2570000 miles. Amazing Toyota quality.
Thanks for the suggestion.
Intro looked like something from an acid trip. Been planning to buy the harmonic damper holding tools for 70$, your idea of the 2x4 with bolt just saved me $$$ thank you so very much!!
Sorry the video intro gave you a flashback Kenny. You're welcome and good luck with the job.
Kenny Giang did you end up making the tool? If yes how’d it turn out?
Thank you for your videos! My son and I have just finish the timing belt job using the kit you suggested. Came out great and now I have some new tools! Over the last 6 months, we have also used your videos to do the valve cover gasket job, CV axles, ball joints, front and rear axle bearings, drum brakes, third member, tie rods, fluid flushes and transmission filter. He bought his 1998 SR5 two years ago with 168K and this rig is taken up into the mountains of Washington and Idaho alot and we wanted to have it as good to go as possible.
Hey Victor, glad you and your son are making good use of our videos. Thanks for taking the time to comment and share this with us. Happy Wrenching and Exploring.
A little silly to add another "superlative" to a video that everyone has already loved, but what the heck! Although I'm not ready to do this on my 4Runner, I watched it for education and entertainment. This is how a "how to" video should be made. Clear instructions, excellent camera work and editing, and honesty when something goes amiss. Thoroughly enjoyed it and appreciate all the work you put into it.
Hey Sam, glad to hear you like our video. That's interesting you mentioned the honesty when things go amiss because there always seems to be something that doesn't go right and we want to make sure people can learn from our mistakes and have an easier time than we did. Thanks for taking the time to comment. We appreciate it. Happy Wrenching!
Tim,
I just overthink everything. The repair is going well and I am enjoying it. Thanks for your time.
Good to hear Kevin. Hope the rest of the job goes smooth.
Excellent instructions. For the shortcut for back tensioner bolt I partially inserted bolt into new tensioner then secured with a strip of tape. Once bolt was started removed tape from front side. Just like in video cams moved during timing belt installation so I had to remove and redo. Loved this video!
Great to hear our video helped you out Don.
The absolute best instructional video. I did my 3rd gen' 4Runner with ease. I watched this video and part 2, as well until I almost have it memorized. My tensioner pulley came mounted on a new mounting bracket so I installed it. When I tightened it down it would not pivot. I put the pulley on the old bracket and it was fine. There is a flat washer that needs to go on first but that was not the issue. The new bracket was just a little bit thicker so it was binding up on the pivot bolt. Thanks. I saved a lot of money and I am certain it was done right.
Hey Robert, thanks for the kind words. We appreciate it. Great to hear you got the job done successfully using our video. Good job noticing that problem with the idler pulley. You're very welcome and Happy Wrenching!
Used a 1/4” ratchet and about 18” of extensions and was able to reach the “hidden” bolt for the tensioner from underneath the vehicle. Didn’t have to use the electrical tape on the wobble or move the AC compressor to either remove the old tensioner or install the new one. Just thought I’d mention it. Thanks again for your detailed videos!
Good job!
Got that sucker!! Made a tool out of 1/4 angle iron, and the balancer part on the crank fly broke off.. I improvised a couple sacrificial bolts thread through the puller holes w nuts to hold the bar tight to the pulley, used a pair of tiny pliers to hold nuts on the back to thread into, finally got got it off!!! First time without the nuts I stripped the puller holes on the old one.. Oh and I torched it for like 5 minutes.. Thought someone might find this helpful.. I also thoroughly torched that tensioner bolt, thankfully it came off without any trouble. Great videos!👍
Sounds like you have quite the battle but you won the war. Happy Wrenching!
To this day! You’re the best Timmy. Working on this now. Had an auto shop look at my truck a while back (was throwing cam position sensor codes) and so for better or worse most of the bolts were pretty loose already! Definitely not going back to that shop, but the job has been smooth sailing so far. Cheers
Hope the rest of the job goes well for you. Let us know how it turns out.
Pwahaha, it must be mechanic vs a 5vz thing, because I unthreaded my valve cover bolts by hand and thought the same thing.
DUDE! Thank you for this. I've watched this at least a dozen times so that by the time I worked on this myself I could do it mostly by memory! I bought all the tools you suggested (bought off brand Schley) and thanks to your learning experiences I had no trouble getting the belt back on. Your sacrifices have definitely helped the T4R community. All in all, this job took me about 10 hours and the only rookie mistake I made was not clearing 1 spark plug cable from behind the #3 timing cover. Having realized this while reinstalling the plastic timing cover made my heart stop. I ended up just pulling it (not very easy) out since there was only about an inch of wire jammed behind. Unexpectedly, setting the timing was unnerving. Because of the importance of this step I spent a good hour, setting and resetting the timing as every time I slipped the belt over the #1 idler, it would shift the timing gear about 1 tooth past the arrow. I know this is more than you need to know, but damn I'm excited to have this completed! Thanks again my man!
Hey Jason, great to hear you were successful doing this job and our video was instrumental in helping you accomplish it. You did a big job on your own and that has to feel.pretty good. Great job getting it done. You're very welcome and Happy Wrenching!
@ARTURO BAEZA I spent around 300 in necessary tools, then another 200 for a nice power ratchet. 2 breaker bars, 2 torque wrenches, pry bar set, pulley holder, pulley remover, harmonic balancer tool, and various sockets
@ARTURO BAEZA It depends what you consider specialty. The crank pulley holder is a specialty tool just for this job but people have been successful making homemade versions of it. The other specialty tool is the camshaft pulley tool and that's it. If you open the video description, we provide links to all the tools we used. Tools are an investment and they quickly pay for themselves. If you pay a shop to do it, you get nothing for your money other than the job done. If you buy the specialty tools and you decide you don't need them anymore, you could always sell them and get some of your money back. Since I've started this channel with Sean, I've spent thousands on tools and it was money well spent. I've saved boat loads of cash for myself, for my friends and others I've helped by doing the work myself. The right tools are integral to be successful as a DIY Mechanic. My advice is make the investment.
Thanks for posting your experience. Best part is you are straight up and humble ie. part2
You're welcome Nick. We all make mistakes and shit happens. The goal is to learn from it. It would be a disservice not to share our failures, because then people might repeat the same mistakes we did. Thanks for the comment.
Hey, I just did the timing belt on my 2002 4runner and used your video as a reference for little things I couldn't figure out. Thank you for the amount of detail you put into it. I used the method of removing the #2 idler pulley to get the belt on and it worked great for me. I was meticulous with making sure everything was timed and torqued properly and it was great having all the info you provided. So, thank you again for posting all these videos it really helps.
Kyle Villavicencio You're welcome Kyle. Glad our video helped you get the job done. Thanks for taking the time to comment. Happy Wrenching!
Thanks to your video, I was able to do this timing belt job this past weekend on my Tundra and was successful. I hit a couple snags and had to get creative, so here are some tips for the next person watching this video in preparation for their own job:
I also ordered a timing belt kit from aircabinman on eBay; however, the water pump that was supplied came with a nipple for the oil cooler coolant line (59:30), and my water pump did not have that nipple/hose. Check whether you have that nipple before ordering your parts; I had to run to the auto parts store, buy a vacuum cap and affix it with a hose clamp to the nipple. If you also have to cap off that nipple, make sure you put the hose clamp in a position where you can get at it in the future (it is located behind the alternator belt between dip stick tube and engine).
To remove the crank bolt At 27:38, I used the starter bump method. Put a 19mm socket with a breaker bar on the bolt, and rest the breaker bar solidly against a frame member (I put it on top of drivers side frame rail). Bump the key in the ignition for a split second, being careful to ensure that you don’t start the motor.
To remove the camshaft pulley bolt at 47:00, I used an impact gun and 17mm socket. I broke the bolt free with the old timing belt still on, as I figured that would give me more counter resistance.
When removing the camshaft and crankshaft seals at 50:30, some type of seal puller is necessary. I fought it for half a hour with a series of picks, screwdrivers, and paint can opener, swearing the entire time, before I threw in the towel and ran to the auto parts store to pick up a seal puller. It took minutes with the seal puller.
When replacing the seals at 52:00, instead of some fancy sleeve set, I used 1.5” schedule 40 pvc pipe that I had laying around for the cam seals and a fitting for the 1.5” pipe for the slightly larger crank seal. I cut the pvc to size with a miter saw so it was nice and square. I then found a big washer and used the camshaft/crankshaft bolt to draw the sleeve in to seat the seal. Use motor oil (or better yet, grease) to lubricate the seal. Go slowly and readjust the sleeves as needed while tightening the bolt to make sure the seal is going in nicely. On my left camshaft seal, the outside of the seal has a minor dimple because it snagged and I wasn’t paying attention while to turning the bolt, so go slowly and pay attention.
Lastly, to tighten the camshaft/crank bolts, you will need a tool to hold resistance on the pulleys you are torquing the bolts. I used an OEMTools Fan Clutch Holding Tool that I rented from autozone. I coupled that tool with (2) 3/8”x3” sleeve anchors with (4) nuts for the camshaft pulleys to hold the pulley, and the (2) M8x100mm bolts threaded in the holes for the crankshaft pulley. These are the same bolts used with the puller for pulling off the crankshaft pulley. For the crankshaft pulley bolt, you can rest the tool against a frame member so that you can torque the bolt to spec by yourself.
I laid all the parts on the ground in the order that I took them off so that I just had to reverse to put them back on. I also put all the fasteners back into their original spots after removing the parts, whenever possible to avoid having to keep track of them. Whenever I had to keep the fastener off, I put them into a muffin tin in order of removal and used post-it notes to label them.
Thanks for the videos Timmy, they are extremely helpful. I would have never otherwise attempted this job. I am only recently getting into auto mechanics (within the last year), but your videos have given me the confidence to tackle jobs like this that seem overwhelming. I also made sure to check my threads and clean them out on the No. 1 idler pulley, and I followed your tip on installing the tensioner partially backed out and without having pulled the grenade pin, and the belt went on effortlessly.
Wow, you wrote a novel. Thanks for sharing your experience. Glad our video helped you out.
Thanks again Timmy! Just completed the timing belt, H2O pump, seals, etc. on my 1999 4Runner 3.4L. The workaround to removing the A/C compressor saved time. I put the tensioner on after the belt and it worked fine. Part 2 of this video was helpful too.Your video on replacing the valve cover gaskets, etc. was helpful too. And the starter replacement video showed how it came out of that hole, after turning the starter around backwards and upside down, really ended my headache trying to figure how to get it out. Outstanding work, Sir! Joe D., in Jackson, Michigan.
Hey Joe, good to hear our videos are helping you out. We appreciate you taking the time to comment and share your success stories. Thanks, You're Welcome and Happy Wrenching!
I’m at 40:00 minutes in and have decided to let the dealership do it for me. I will watch the rest of this video anyway because it is interesting. This guy sure knows his stuff! Thanks for uploading.
You could easily do the job yourself. Tools are an investment and will pay for themselves quite often after one use. Get the necessary tools and go for it. A dealership is going to charge A LOT for this.
@@TimmyTheToolman yes I know it would be expensive. The truth is I had one of these brand new in 98, and I found a 98 with under 80k miles, picking it up next week. I’m pretty sure the timing belt has never been done and it’s got some age.
Tim, thank you SO MUCH for this amazing video. I just finished using it to guide me through my timing belt change on my 2000 4Runner. I literally paused your video at each step and followed your most excellent guidance through the entire process.
This is, hands down, the most well done instructional video I have ever followed for doing maintenance on my 4Runner (and I've done a lot of maintenance!)
Great wide-angle lens on the camera, great camera work (thanks to Sean?), and great editing!
THANK YOU AND LONG LIVE THE 5VZ-FE!!!
We're really glad our video helped you. I'm curious, which method did you use to get the timing belt on? Did you use the plastic bicycle tire lever or did you use one of the other suggested techniques we listed in the video description.
We had to tear back into Sean's rig because a weird noise surfaced. The stripped pulley bolt hole ended up coming back to haunt us. I didn't get the heli coil in properly and it ended up making the pulley not sit straight and also gave extra resistance to the movement of the pulley. The belt was rubbing on the washer that sits between the crankshaft timing gear and the crankshaft pulley (harmonic balancer). We fixed it and used the technique of backing off the timing belt tensioner bolts a little to allow the #1 idler pulley to pivot over a little more to the left to make it easier to slip the belt on. It worked like a charm. We videoed us using this technique and videoed some other stuff so there will be a Part 2 coming out pretty soon.
Happy Wrenching Brother!
Following your guidance, I used a small metal pry-bar (about the same size as your plastic bike lever). It went on without too much effort. Thanks again for all your help, you're a hero!!
ponchoape Ok, thanks for letting me know. We now have a Part 2 of this video where we show an easier way to get the belt on. The trick of backing off the tensioner bolts a little worked really well. I didn't need any lever this time, just hand strength. And actually, the FSM says to get the belt on first and then install the tensioner. I missed this when reading through the text. But, I think having the tensioner on partially is the way to go. This way, when you get the belt on, there's some tension on the belt and it's not going to slip on that lower crankshaft timing gear.
Awesome video! In the middle of doing my belt and valve cover gaskets, both from your videos! My engine was running sluggish w/ no codes and leaking oil all behind the block, so i decided to do some maintenance. Glad I did, my belt had skipped 2 teeth on the crankshaft so my engine was out of timing for who knows how long.
I just wanted to add a tip that may help someone in the future that may not have big enough sockets on hand to drive the camshaft seals in. I just finished doing the rear axle seals and bearings for my other 4 runner and I kept the old bearing retainers when I replaced them. I grabbed one and found that it is a perfect fit around the camshaft and encompass the entire seal like a press sleeve. With these in place, you could use a large washer and the cam bolt wouldn't bottom out before driving it all the way in, or like I did just take two and you can lightly tap around the circumference and they drive in like a dream! Thanks again for all your great videos, most of my repairs and maintenance are a direct result of your extremely thorough breakdowns.
Hey Hunter, glad our videos are helping you out. Thanks for sharing your tip for driving in the camshaft seals. You're very welcome and Happy Wrenching!
Great advice on the tensioner removal, I used a 3/8" wobble socket extension on the inside bolt and a 1/4" drive socket on the outside bolt. Worked a treat!
Thanks for the comment Mike. We appreciate it. Good to hear our video helped you.
Damn what an impressively comprehensive video to rebuild the front of the engine. The name of the video doesn't do it justice.
Thanks for the nice compliment. We appreciate it. You should watch Part 2 as well because we share some very helpful tips in that video. Thanks for taking the time to comment. Happy Wrenching!
I'm not sure what year or model is being used in this video, but with my 1999 Tacoma, the harmonic dampener crank pulley was threaded for 10 x 1.25 holes and correspondingly sized bolts. It was rusty inside those two holes and required being chased with a 10 X 1.25 tap. After I'd cleaned up the threads, the 10 X 1.25 bolts threaded easily into the crank pulley and I was able to pull it off the shaft with a similar gear puller as used here. The 8 X 1.25 bolts suggested here would not have worked because the bolts would simply not have been big enough. Other than that difference, this is one of the most clearly presented videos on this rather involved servicing. Thanks!
Hey Will, that's interesting about the bolt holes on the harmonic balancer. I've pulled them off multiple engines and they've all been M8 x 1.25 threads. Weird. Anyway, we're glad you found our video helpful. Thanks for the comment and Happy Wrenching.
@@TimmyTheToolman Hey Tim, I think I figured out what's going on, at least with my Harmonic balancer. Each of those holes are stepped holes. That ia, towards the front of the balancer, as it faces away from the engine, it has the 10X1.25, holes but, about 1/4 to 1/2 inch in from the back of the balancer, the hole size steps down to a smaller bolt size and, while i didn't check it, I wouldn't be surprised if it were the 8 X 1.25 that you were working with. I can't imagine why Toyota did that but it appears that that's what they did. Pretty strange, eh? Anyway, thanks again for this video. You provided a bunch of great tips that made this job go a whole lot smoother for me. I really appreciated the precise and methodical process you provided!
So far this is the best DIY video I’ve seen for this job. This video covers everything, even the removal/replacement of the cam/crankshaft seals. Simply great great DIY video. Now, I’m more than ready to tackle this job by myself. Thank you for sharing the knowledge. 🙏😀💙
Thanks for the nice compliment. Please be sure to watch Part 2 as well and read both video descriptions and look at the comments we pinned to get all the current information for this job. Good luck and let us know how it goes for you.
This video deserves a Pulitzer!! I can’t express enough how unbelievably helpful this was when i was doing my timing belt job on my 2001 Tacoma. It’s the absolute PERFECT mechanic video. Please keep it up!!
Never before have I wanted to hit that “thumbs up” button so hard! I can’t believe this film didn’t make it to the Oscars.
Damn Gabe, now that's one of the best votes of approval we've ever had for one of our videos. Not everyone takes the time to comment and Sean and I truly appreciate those that do. You put a big smile on my face so thanks buddy. Happy Wrenching!
if you did a skidpan lead up/link video then all of us could proceed with this. laughed out loud. very grateful for both videos, son in law lost his skid plates/pans so there's no way he can do this, but i got this thanks to you
Glad our videos helped you out. Yeah, we try to hold people's hands through these jobs but if someone can't figure out how to get their skid plates off, a timing belt job is probably something they shouldn't try. Thanks for commenting.
Hands down, best video on youtube regarding belt / water pump change. Was thinking about taking mine to the shop for repair, especially after watching some of the other videos, but after seeing your thoroughness and attention to detail, even with the issues you encountered, I'm convinced I can do it too, though probably not in 4 hours. I also appreciate the follow up and comments from others, and the respectful tone of the conversation... Hat tip to you Timmy!
Thanks Bud. You can do it no problem with the right tools. Definitely have a puller with the correct size bolts to get that crank pulley off. I have since learned mechanics take two pry bars and rock that pulley off, but when I was looking at it, I couldn't see where to get a good purchase point to do that.
The main thing I would look out for is the #1 idler bolt hole in the aluminum oil pump body. Make sure those threads look good before installing a new pulley if you're planning on replacing it. Replacing that oil pump would be very labor intensive.
The job will definitely take you longer than 4 hours and that's fine. Any time you do something for the first time you want to go slow and make sure you're doing everything right. Good luck with it and let me know how it goes. Make sure you watch Part 2. Happy Wrenching!
Sorry Timmy, didn't know how to contact you directly, but wanted to toss out a question and get your professional opinion. I've gotta replace the water pump on my 97 4runner, and thinking about going ahead while I'm already in it to do the valve cover gaskets, , half moons, and rear cam plugs. Any thoughts about doing them all at once?
Sure, why not. You just have to set out enough time because that's a fair amount of wrenching to do. If this is your only vehicle and you're a regular Monday through Friday working guy, maybe start it on Saturday morning, and if you run into issues or just get tired of wrenching, you can finish it up on Sunday. If you have another vehicle to get around with, you can then really take your time with it.
The key is to take your time and label things as you take them off the engine. Labeling hose connections you pull off and electrical connections is smart too. Have some tape to label the electrical and hose connections and use ziplock bags and post-it notes to label fasteners you pull off the engine. Maybe even snap some pictures with your phone so you remember how things should look on the engine. You just want to avoid trying to figure out where a bolt or nut goes that's left over or not knowing where to connect a hose or electrical connection.
It's not a race. Take your time, be organized and make sure you do it right the first time. I'm actually a fairly slow mechanic and there's nothing wrong with that. Happy Wrenching Bud. Let me know how it all turns out.
I'm fortunate in that it's not my only vehicle. Have a Honda with two wheels for the warm days, and another truck for the cold ones. Was just thinking that I might gain a bit of usable wrenching room for the valve cover job with the #3 timing cover out of the way. Thanks for the advice!
Having that timing cover out of the way would make it a little easier to get the valve covers off for sure.
Great tutorial! I had a hard time fitting belt and after some searching, it may help out a lot if you put on the belt first, THEN the tensioner, that way you can swing the pulley out just enough to fit the belt on by hand and you can tighten it back on. Hope this helps!
Yep, we knew all about this technique 6 years ago. What we do is just put the tensioner on partially with the bolts backed out a fair amount. We get the belt on and then fully tighten the tensioner bolts. A lot of people don't realize we have a Part 2 of this video showing this technique and other helpful information. There is also a comment we pinned (1st Comment you see) in this part, to share further information. Going forward on our channel, be sure to always watch Part 2 if it's obvious we have one, read the video description, and read any comment we have pinned, because if you don't, you'll be missing out on helpful information.
Part 2:
ruclips.net/video/mErd7xoBS9I/видео.htmlsi=v_oHqTD7BnBKVRM2
But, I appreciate your effort to help. Thanks!
Got this job done last week, took me about 16 hrs over 3 days. All by myself! My first time anything this complicated, thanks so much for putting this video together!
I didn't read all comments so sorry if I repeat, but a few notes:
-I found it much easier to get the back tensioner bolt in before the front bolt. I could see what I was doing and put the socket on the bolt before putting the tensioner in place.
-Warning, there is a little pocket in the frame just behind the tensioner. I lost the back bolt and the socket in there while re-assembling. I ended up taping the socket to the swivel joint to keep this from happening again. It was a pain in the @#$ to get the socket out of this little pocket.
-I was able to get the cam shaft pulleys off by myself by using a ratchet strap. I hooked the strap into a hole the left frame then wrapped it around the pulley removal tool to hold it while I used a breaker bar to loosen the bolts. Worked like a charm.
-I used some of the silicone plugs to immediately plug the ATF hoses to the radiator. This minimized loss to just a cup or two.
Good job Jeremy and thanks for sharing your experience with this job.
Thank you making this video. I performed my belt change with ease. Although I wanted to say I had to loosen tensioner to install belt. Belt too tight for bicycle tool. Thanks again!
That's great our video helped you out. We actually documented the technique you employed to have an easier time getting the belt on in Part 2. ruclips.net/video/mErd7xoBS9I/видео.htmlsi=rffnLTxryqG_jycj
My tensioner was stirpped too very badly. helicoiled mine worked great. Evidently the guy before me stripped it, and didn't install the washer so it would catch some threads. and i had a water pump bolt backed half way out. Terrible mechanic work on his part. Thanks for the video man great stuff!
Good job overcoming the obstacles. We're glad you like the video and we appreciate you taking the time to comment. Happy Wrenching!
This is an awesome video Tim, as are all your third gen videos. I watched this one at least three times in prep for my timing belt job on the 200k mile 2000 4Runner 5 speed I recently bought my son to take to college which was still on it's original belt and water pump. The only problem with your video is that it was done on a west coast truck with no rust. That's the best case scenario and for those of us one the east coast the job can easily go sideways when you run into rusted fasteners. That's what I was afraid of that's what happened. In my case, the AC and alternator tensioners were locked solid. I broke the head off the AC adjuster bolt and am now scrambling to figure out how to get the pulley off and the adjuster out of there without taking the AC compressor off and removing the entire bracket. Other than that, it hasn't been too bad I just hope I figure out that one hurdle (so far). I will say though even at 200k everything looked pretty good and I am wondering if I should have just left it alone! These things are tanks.
Hey Jay, glad you like the video. We do know how lucky we are to not have to deal with rust. As for whether or not you should have done the job, you're right that these timing belts and associated parts can go for 200k and longer. It's just one of those things that you might not see it was worth the trouble but if the timing belt broke, or the water pump gave out or an idler pulley bearing went bad, your son might have been stuck somewhere and maybe out somewhere where there's no cell service and no help for miles. You're basically buying yourself a little peace of mind when doing preventative maintenance like this. At least that's the way I look at it. Happy Wrenching and I hope the rest of the job goes smooth for you.
@@TimmyTheToolman Hit a real snag with that AC tensioner. I managed to hammer the pulley off and cut off the tensioner bolt so I could get all the pieces off without removing the bracket (which would require removing the AC compressor). High fived myself no I just need a new tensioner and pulley, right. No. According to the dealer the tensioner is only available with the bracket as an assembly and it's NLA. So now I need to either get a used one and try to remove the AC compressor or figure out if there is a generic tensioner I can make work with the existing bracket and a new pulley. Oh and I have a week before my son drives the truck ten hours to school from CT all the way to North Carolina. Oh and I managed to get the timing belt all into place and perfect after struggling with the TB tensioner and am ready to pull the grenade pin and realize I never put the lower timing cover back on. Have to go through all that again. Ugh.
You should add an "Applaud" link to be able to donate a little something for the knowledge. Thanks for sharing your wisdom!
We have a tip jar link on the bottom right corner of our home page pic. You're very welcome. Glad our video helped you out.
I'm fixing to do this soon on my 99 4runner with 116k. I ordered all Toyota parts for this job. 15 parts for $202 delivered 😁 I'm here watching the job and seeing if my parts numbers match. I checked on a Toyota sight and all the numbers match but checking here too. I plan on running all Toyota parts when I can
Good luck with the job. Hope it goes smooth for you.
Just want to let you know I just replaced my timing belt and waterpump but from this video! I have mechanical background and you pretty much walked me through it. Amazing!
Hey Brad, comments like yours really make our day. Sean and I try really hard to explain things really clearly and thoroughly and also work hard to get the necessary camera shots to show extra detail so there's no confusion for the viewer in how to accomplish something. Based off your comment, we did a good job walking people through this repair. We appreciate you taking the time to comment. Happy Wrenching!
Very well done video! I have a 97 that the timing belt went down on it’s been sitting for two years it only has 128,000 on it, your video saved my bacon! Thank you thank you thank you! It runs like a charm now!
Thanks! Gad our video helped you out. You're welcome, welcome, welcome!
Took me 4 days and some helping hands to finish, but thanks to this video, I did it. Fingers crossed it holds!
Good job getting it done Brandon. Good to hear our video helped you out.
Well done. The problem encountered around 1:07:15 is why I like putting some kind of thread sealant on bolts in aluminum [where threadlocker isn't called for]: keep moisture and air out of threads. Looks like the water pump leak corroded things a bit. And as all of us have learned [the hard way] if a bolt fights you all the way out, the threads probably need to be chased - but in your case things went really pear shaped and it was helicoil time.
Thanks for sharing this. I think I'm going to follow your lead and also use thread locker for applications like this.
I can't thank you enough for the videos Timmy. You gave me the courage to jump in and just do all this. You're right - this isn't an easy job, but not so bad that I wanna pay someone a grand to do it for me. And now I have some new tools! You da man Timmy!
You're welcome Barrett. Very stoked to hear our video gave you the courage to tackle this job. Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Perfect video. Did this the past weekend using only this video (and Part 2! Watch Part 2 first!). Smooth, easy, great information. Thanks a bunch! I bought the Schley harmonic balancer holder, essential and worth it. Also bought the Schley camshaft pulley holder tool. ALSO essential. Bought both of those from JBTools. The puller set was not at all necessary for me and luckily I didn't buy it. The Lisle seal puller was awkward to use but I'm super glad I got it instead of trying to use a screwdriver or something (got it off eBay).
This video saved me a ton of money, and it was great to do. :) Thanks Timmy!
Glad the job went well for you Cory. Thanks for taking the time to comment and share your success story with us. You're very welcome and Happy Wrenching!