BY5260

I suspect I may get really questioned but I'm ready for that. During a recall for my 2005 ES330, the service department showed me a leak from the water pump. I believe it's the original water pump but I have had the timing belt changed before.

For whatever reason (maybe a head injury I forgot about or the high cost) I decided to do this repair myself. I'm fairly comfortable working on things and I have about every tool ever made. This car is kind of an "extra" at our house so I figured that time wasn't a huge issue. I've now got the car unassembled (laid parts out on a table as I removed them and took a lot of photos).

As I prepare to reinstall the parts, I'm starting to get some real anxiety. I don't want to go through all the work of putting it back together and finding it won't start. Oh, and also, the w/p, t-belt came with new seals for the camshafts and crankshaft. How difficult are they to replace when the engine is basically torn down for water pump replacement. Again, I think the original seals are in the car and I can't say for certain they are leaking but......

So back to my anxiety; I'm confident in putting all the parts back where they go. What I'm nervous about is making sure the timing is right. I didn't worry to much about the position of the crankshaft as I didn't think it would move during this repair. I had no problem getting the bolt out and the pulley removed. When I looked at the camshafts, I believe the previous mechanic marked thing with red nail polish or something. The sprockets were marked and so was the bracket behind the timing belt. They were at about the 2:00 position. I did notice as I was trying to remove the camshaft pulleys (back one was almost impossible but I got it). The pulley would rotate as I put force onto them. They didn't turn freely. It was almost as if they had a notch(or hill and valley) or something and they'd stop in those positions as they turned (not sure how to better describe that).

So now I'm worried that I may have messed up something with the timing. I'm ready to put it back together, planned to slip the belt onto the crankshaft and then line the red marks up on the camshafts. I know there are notches in the camshaft pulleys so they pulley must be put on in the exact same spot as it was removed. So is this going to work or do I need to do something more to insure I don't get sick when I try to start it and it won't start? After I've got it running again, I need to change at least one of the valve cover gaskets as it seems to be leaking. I don't want to tackle that until I hear the motor run after my last repair. If some of this doesn't make sense, I may have some photos to better explain it. I'm hoping you're able to just visualize it. I do appreciate any help you can offer.

LeX2K

Firstly not to be rude but have you ever heard of paragraphs? A wall of text is not exactly easy to read. Watch this video along with maybe a couple more on seal replacements, there are several methods of doing it including a special seal remover for the camshafts

ES300NZ

It's like a puzzle, ... nothing should be left over :P

The cam wheels come of with a special tool, which is easily bought for about $15-20. you use the tool to hold the wheel, and your third arm to loosen the nut. (e.g. you probably need another person).

The timing marks on the cam wheels line up with the timing marks on the cover behind them (on the heads), you then line the main pulley (crank pulley), up with the timing mark down there, where is a mark on the wheel and another on the alloy plate behind it. When you release the tensioner, all this will fall out of alignment, if you don't have the 'slack' in the belt on the tensioner's side. That's the only pit fall. It's easily fixed, If that happens, unbolt the tensioner, and put it in a vice, wind it down until the pin slides back in, put it in. Try again. When you're done, all the timing marks should be within about .5mm - 1mm of perfectly aligned.

I get it, finish the water pump job, i would do the seals, personally. Well I did do them. remember to smear them with some oil before installing them to a 'flush' position (level with facing). then do the valve covers (cam covers actually), I would also do the spark plug seals at the same time. Also, the tiny little bolts that hold the cam cover down are very fragile, turn until they stop and no further, ... they often break on people, one did for me, ... it's a real problem if that do.

Dude, .... paragraphs.