New Owner.

Hey there TW,

I just moved from San Antonio, TX to Austin, TX and was wondering if anybody has local DIY skills/timing belt tools that can assist me getting my timing belt changed sometime this summer. The going rate for a Timing/Belt replacement at a specialist shop here is $1,100.

I managed to scoop up this 2003 FWD Tacoma with ~200k miles for approx $12,900 USD:

• Frame: Good/Great - superficial rust only
• Suspension: Ready for overhaul, looking at OME 1-2" lift at the most.
• Timing Belt: Needed
• Bumper: Crooked but fixed it with new Bumper Brackets
• Radiator: Bought it with an upper level leak, replaced w/aftermarket (Rockauto)
• New external A/T Cooler and filter
• Fluids: Replaced except for P/S
• No leaks: Winning.

There's a lot of play in the steering wheel so I'll likely be replacing the steering bushings in addition to the ball joints as that seems to be a common failure. I'm savvy with lurking forums so I'll tap into what I can on my own. I have zero suspension working experience but figured to tap into the forums here.

Also, I can't figure out what the mounts on the truck bed seemed to have been used for.

If you are in the Austin area, and/or have some useful insight to share, I'd appreciate it. Cheers.

 

Welcome to tw. For diy info, keep reading on here…sounds like you’ve already absorbed a lot of info.

Also, @Timmah! has a lot of great diy videos, while @turbodb has a lot of awesome written diy tutorials.

Lastly, FWD is typically reserved for “front wheel drive”, whereas you probably mean 4WD.

 

Welcome!

 

Where the hell are you pumping gas for 3.79 per gallon?

 

welcome to TW. You should do the timing belt/water pump yourself. Do some research and watch some videos and tackle the job. Its really not that hard. The knowledge you gain is totally worth it and the piece of mind that you did the job. You dont need any fancy tools either. Good luck

 

Nice doxie! "Who's a good boy?!"

 

Sharp truck! Hard to find one with the factory roof rails and I've always liked the look of the black door guard trim on the silver trucks - nice contrast!

 

Thanks all!

I just bought the specialty parts for DIY'ing the timing belt so stay tuned on that event occurring soon, in the TX summer heat, in a garage...lol.

Heh I took that picture maybe a month ago, unfortunate that price of gas is cheaper than what it is now.

Cheers!

 

Looks like the Chevron at the corner of Wm. Cannon and Brodie. If I still lived in Austin, I would help ya, but Now I'm 4 1/2 hours away.

 

Probably E85. Sheetz a local gas chain here on the East coast. Is advertising regular unleaded for $3.99 gal. And E85 for $3.49 gal through the 4th of July Holiday.

 

Almost, this station is at Parmer and Lamplight Village, close to Scofield Ridge. I think prices are around 4.29/gal at that shop now, unreal...lol.

 

Welcome to the forum

 

Status update:

Here is a list of what I was able to accomplish thanks to the TW forum and Youtube, debrief on pain points are at the bottom:

Mileage at 202,352 miles.

Timing belt
Camshaft seals x2
Crankshaft seals x1
Water Pump (no special sealant) and seal
Thermostat and seal
P/S Belt
A/C Belt
Alternator Belt
Tensioner
Idle pulleys (two I think?)
Crankshaft Bolt
Crankshaft gear (broke a tooth extracting)
Tensioner bolts.
Thermostat (jiggler valve @ 6:00 position)

Pain Points:

• When removing the pulleys, ensure you have the appropriate M6 x 100mm bolts to attach to the related extractors (I rented from Autozone) and/or crankshaft gear. I broke a tooth on the crankshaft gear thinking I could get away with it. WRONG. This took a couple trips to Home Depot.
• Ensure the timing belt is installed without the tensioner installed yet, this makes the belt installing easier. I installed the tensioner hand tight before lining up the timing belt. This was a time consuming mistake. Lesson learned. Once the belt is routed correctly, proceed to install tensioner to spec, and then give the belt a couple rotations to ensure timing is correct (I did maybe 5/6 cycles)
• Consider replacing the tensioner bolts. I lucked out and removed the two bolts, but was left with a rounded bolt head. Advance Auto Parts had a replacement set in the store.

One item I noticed is that I now have a slight coolant leak on my lower radiator hose, at the thermostat inlet, see pic. I figure this is due to new water pump thermostat having more pressure that the old clamp/hose cannot handle. I intend replace the hose and clamps, and maybe clean up the male end of the inlet nearest to the thermostat.

Next up to install is Energy Suspension steering rack bushings. I have moderate steering wheel play/slop while at idle, and especially at highway speeds (borderline dangerous overcorrection due to the play/slop).

Pics are PRE install, and NOT a representation of actual TDC.

Hope this helps future DIY'ers.



EP

 

A bit of advice for the coolant hoses. Go with OEM. I tried to save a few bucks and bought Gates and Dayco and neither fits well to the point where I wouldn't trust them.

 

Welcome. You've found the best place on the internet for helpful advice on Tacos IMO.