Well which I had known about the location of the thermostat before I replaced the friggin alternator to save some time but still thanks for the informative video it helps alor
That seems brutal for an average Joe like me who only does basic wheel bearing assembly install, coolant drain/refill, trans drain/refill, oil changes, and brake jobs on my personal vehicles.
Always do a coolant drain from the radiator stopcock first, then alternator/thermostat, change the belt, refill coolant. That way you have a new thermostat, belt and coolant every 50K to 60K all in one shot and don't have to worry about it. Add the Water pump, upper and lower radiator hose replacements also at 100K or 120K.
So... I have a 2014 Venza, and there really aren't any (helpful) videos on YT about it. But since mine has basically the same engine (1ARFE), I figured it would be the same as this (which is a great video BTW.) However, for whatever reason, this seemed really daunting to me. So I searched around some more and found a video of a "quick and dirty" thermostat replacement on a Camry (with, again, this is Toyota so, roughly the same 4cly engine.) That one basically states "don't remove the alternator and don't drain the coolant, and as long as you go fast, you can get by losing just a bit of coolant which you can then top off." Everything was accurate about that... except I just wasn't able to go that fast. And then I somehow pinched the gasket in my hurry. So then I had to hurry to take the studs and nuts off again and in my rush, I stripped the lower nut. So yeah, I ended up making this WAY more complex than it would have been had I just followed this video from the start. I mean, I ended up having to clean a bunch of coolant off the engine and body work, and honestly, pulling the alternator was not NEARLY as difficult as I'd built it up to be in my mind. I didn't have the tool in this video to loosen the belt tensioner, but I was able to do it (it took a minute - don't get me wrong) with my trusty 1/2" HF breaker bar and a 14mm socket. I'd venture that even though I'd never done it before, taking it off took... 10 minutes. Tops. Putting it back on maybe a bit more at 12 to 15 minutes. Really, not that bad. I then had to pick up a set of bolt extractor sockets, and then I decided to order new studs and bolts from my dealer, and removing the old stud took WAY too much effort, and yeah. Point is: if you're thinking of replacing your own thermostat, my suggestion is to just follow this video and maybe save yourself some heartache. Or try it my way and hey, new tools, new skills, and loss of use of your vehicle for entirely too long. I definitely do recommend some kind of dedicated funnel for "burping" your radiator once you're done too.
......and don't forget the jamb nuts installed on the rear of the alternator case).....be sure to move them to increase the space between the front & rear "ears" on the alternator......doing this means you won't have to fight the alternator as you install it onto the mounting brackets.
What's a fair price for this job--to replace the thermostat --on a 2010 RAV with all this extra junk to remove ? I used to swap out thermostats in five minutes when they were easily accessible on older vehicles.
Seriously? Designing this way makes the average vehicle owner have to go and keep their mechanics in a job. Could it be easier? Of course. I'm sure better ideas have been made available to auto magnates, and are sitting somewhere because that idea will change an entire industry .
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Going from the bottom is easier. You don't have to take the belt, alternator, or reservoir off when working from the bottom side.
This guy have a patience of a saint
Curse those toyota engineers for making something that could have been so simple so hard .
Thanks for make these instructive videos
+Jose Lopez Thanks for checking us out! 1aau.to/m/Shop-1AAuto-c
Well which I had known about the location of the thermostat before I replaced the friggin alternator to save some time but still thanks for the informative video it helps alor
For the love of my left knee, I wish I knew this 5 years ago when I replaced my alternator and belt. Unbelievable. Kick the engineers in the behind.
That seems brutal for an average Joe like me who only does basic wheel bearing assembly install, coolant drain/refill, trans drain/refill, oil changes, and brake jobs on my personal vehicles.
Always do a coolant drain from the radiator stopcock first, then alternator/thermostat, change the belt, refill coolant. That way you have a new thermostat, belt and coolant every 50K to 60K all in one shot and don't have to worry about it. Add the Water pump, upper and lower radiator hose replacements also at 100K or 120K.
So... I have a 2014 Venza, and there really aren't any (helpful) videos on YT about it. But since mine has basically the same engine (1ARFE), I figured it would be the same as this (which is a great video BTW.) However, for whatever reason, this seemed really daunting to me. So I searched around some more and found a video of a "quick and dirty" thermostat replacement on a Camry (with, again, this is Toyota so, roughly the same 4cly engine.) That one basically states "don't remove the alternator and don't drain the coolant, and as long as you go fast, you can get by losing just a bit of coolant which you can then top off." Everything was accurate about that... except I just wasn't able to go that fast. And then I somehow pinched the gasket in my hurry. So then I had to hurry to take the studs and nuts off again and in my rush, I stripped the lower nut. So yeah, I ended up making this WAY more complex than it would have been had I just followed this video from the start. I mean, I ended up having to clean a bunch of coolant off the engine and body work, and honestly, pulling the alternator was not NEARLY as difficult as I'd built it up to be in my mind. I didn't have the tool in this video to loosen the belt tensioner, but I was able to do it (it took a minute - don't get me wrong) with my trusty 1/2" HF breaker bar and a 14mm socket. I'd venture that even though I'd never done it before, taking it off took... 10 minutes. Tops. Putting it back on maybe a bit more at 12 to 15 minutes. Really, not that bad. I then had to pick up a set of bolt extractor sockets, and then I decided to order new studs and bolts from my dealer, and removing the old stud took WAY too much effort, and yeah. Point is: if you're thinking of replacing your own thermostat, my suggestion is to just follow this video and maybe save yourself some heartache. Or try it my way and hey, new tools, new skills, and loss of use of your vehicle for entirely too long. I definitely do recommend some kind of dedicated funnel for "burping" your radiator once you're done too.
You may want to add that this is for the 4 cyl not the 6 cyl
......and don't forget the jamb nuts installed on the rear of the alternator case).....be sure to move them to increase the space between the front & rear "ears" on the alternator......doing this means you won't have to fight the alternator as you install it onto the mounting brackets.
Where is thermostat location for 2012 diesel rav4?? Thanks.
What's a fair price for this job--to replace the thermostat --on a 2010 RAV with all this extra junk to remove ? I used to swap out thermostats in five minutes when they were easily accessible on older vehicles.
Anyone know the location of a heater valve on a 2008 Toyota RAV4?
A bit disappointed by toyota for making this harder than it needs to be.
Seriously? Designing this way makes the average vehicle owner have to go and keep their mechanics in a job. Could it be easier? Of course. I'm sure better ideas have been made available to auto magnates, and are sitting somewhere because that idea will change an entire industry .
I miss my nissan n16,nothing you need to remove,just 3 bolts,10 mins job
Why the hell would they make it this complicated!?
Wow all that to replace the thermostat?
Dame should've just took out the hole engine
👍👍👍🙏🙏🙏super !!!
Great video 👍 who ever put slotted and drilled rotors are idiots
Gonna do it without doing all this "
What ? !! ...hahaha ... Better keep my old camry . Everything is very easy and simple . Thanks anyway ./.
Wow hahaha for real. Hahaha