03 taco 3.4 timing belt installation help

You can do one on any car now.

seriously. Well. If you have a German car just burn it.

 

If I remember right (it's been nearly 20 yrs.) I used a longer bolt to get the tensioner started up then went to a stock bolt in other side, then put both stock ones in.

I've never had problems like the 1st one again. ??? Funny thing though is I never had a prob. getting by the comp. w/ a 1/4" ratchet, long wobble extension.

oh, I always took apart w/ air tools though.

 

Best and easiest thing to do “put the upper idler pulley on last”.

 

That's what I did.

 

That's actually more cost effective than fixing it if you have an Audi with the 2.7 twin turbo v6 that eats chains and happens to have them on the back of the engine

 

and the upper idler bolt just threaded in without getting jacked up?
This is on my list to do soon but I’m wishy washy with it. 236k 4RUNNER and the belt has cracks..

 

Nope won’t hurt it, that’s how a lot of people do it. Just did mine a few weeks ago. The idler actually sits in a notch so once you slide it on the threads will be lined up correctly.

 

Cars for people who like to spend all of their spare time working on cars.

 

Lolol

 

I think this thread has been a healthy discussion about timing belts. I've seen some neat experiences and tips that I will keep in memory. Techniques evolve over time. The products we use evolve and get better. The new water pumps with gaskets are an improvement over the original RTV seals. Seals and gaskets use new and improved materials. I like to think things just get better over time. Even Subaru FJ25 head gaskets have become better over the years. Ha!

Once upon a time in my youth, I was completely against timing belts. As a youngster that worked around Fiats with early timing belts that would snap at around 45,000 miles and destroy the engine, they just scared the hell out of me.

Then in later years I bought Hondas and started getting over my TB fears -- though the belts are small compared to a Toyota and use still used interference engines. It was a maintenance items that went along with a new water pump.

If you want to compare the Toyota 3.4L timing belt to a Honda V6, here's a comparison. I got bored and lost interest with the Honda V6 and related club because they seemed to be stuck in a time warp. Some of the same old problems kept reoccurring without anyone trying to figure out a better way. The lack of meaningful feedback was not good for the owners or people who would have ventured into the DIY experience. Owner frustration was high, many owners bailed out after having to remedy an issue after the first time. They didn't get a feeling the replacement or fix would lead to a more reliable engine than the original. I'm sure this is different for the Honda 4-cylinder groups that appear to be constantly reinventing their cars and engines for maximum performance and reliability.

Based on this picture, you can see why I feel comfortable with the Toyota 3.4L setup.

 

This really does sound the easiest thing to do. I just don't remember if I've ever done that or not.
First timing belt for me was a Pinto. Not much diff than a Taco. really. Did quite a few timing sprockets before that.
That used to be something you did to a used car to make them run better in the '70s-'80s.
They had nylon coated gears that wore plumb out (literally) and messed up your timing.

 

Ford and their dumb nylon cam gears. International got it right with their V8s, big heavy cast gears that never broke and sounded like a failing transmission

 

I'd do the route rec'd of using clips of some sort on the top gears to hold the belt, go around everything (using Timmah's tip about the crank gear from video to get ALL the slack out on that side) and if still having trouble with tensioner hanging lower than snug, put on top bearing last, jsut slipping it over the belt. It can't need much leverage at this point unless something is really wrong.


I think the problem a lot are having is not getting the right side (cam gears down to the crank gear) really snug and taking out ALL available slack.

Maybe that's why they all seem to slip in easy for me now, I've got that part down.

 

https://youtu.be/mErd7xoBS9I

Sounds like it is time to stop mall crawlin and buy some tools
Watch a few videos too, for us before we do this. From what I’m seeing/discovering from this thread is the top idler goes on last for easiest install.

 

You can do this, yours can't be that different than the others, just gotta hold your tongue right.

 

After looking at picture I've never done the idler last.

always the tensioner. Maybe Idler on another vehicle.

It just has to be tight on the other side....back off timing and pull the tightness in after belt is in correct groove.

Timmah talks about it. It's key here.

 

I don't like the idea of the idler last because ALL the timing won't be tight and in phase when you unpin the tensioner.

 

In the video at 9:00 minutes, compressing the tensioner is key.

Then at 15:00 minutes how to slide the belt on using your hands.

 

Something I just noticed Tim does diff. than I do......I ALWAYS pull out the radiator.

I can get my head in there if I have to. I'm stick shift so it's easy but anyway. It gives me room for the impact on the balancer too.

 

Oh yeah, man there's no way I would have tried that.

So much easier to pull everything out than to fight stuff in the way.