trackball

I'm at 91000 miles on my 1997 SC400, and eager to get my timing belt / water pump, etc changed out. I've got a nice kit with all of the parts ready to go.

Chatting with my mechanics, they were saying that they want to have a friend of theirs from a nearby shop come and do the work, because he has done three of them now. They said that he had told them it took special tools, because he had done one of them where the "cam came loose" after that owner drove it away.

I've seen several people on here mention having down these replacements. Can anyone clarify for me what kind of special tools would be needed to replace the timing belt or the water pump?

Zimaura

Did mine few days ago, but the car doesn't run right anymore. i Think the timing is off or something.. but thats another subject.
I didnt do the water pump, but to change the timing belt, i didnt need "special tools", unless you consider an impact wrench as special tool. let me know how it went. Good luck.

P.S. please let me know how to adjust the timing if you know how to, or get it right.

turbodremz

iTrader: (18)

You may want to consider one of the Schley 64300 Toyota/Lexus crank tools for the timing, cause Toyota though it would be funny to torque the crank bolt to 600+ ft lbs.. Other than that all you need are basic sockets/wrenches.

S142jz

iTrader: (2)

Yea these dame crank bolts are a *****. I did a timming belt and water pump on a customers car and was half a day trying to get the bolt off.

Tabaka

iTrader: (8)

What is an approximate estimated price for shop labor time on a timing belt/water pump?

I've been estimated everything from $550-800 including parts.

S142jz

iTrader: (2)

I did one for $380 with parts. T Belt,water pump, T Belt tensioner. Only took 3hrs. Takeingmy time.

Ali SC3

iTrader: (10)

i would pay the 550 and run before they changed their minds.
some Toyota dealerships can be reasonable and sometimes run a special.
If they start off quoting you at 1 grand just hang up.

turbodremz

iTrader: (18)

I agree. $550 isnt bad for having it done a dealership, or even a private shop. But all in all, you can do it yourself for just the cost of parts and a couple hours of sweat/blood/tears..well and possibly the Schley crank tool.

spdrcr771

iTrader: (21)

Well if its your first time, I got money says it takes you at least 5hrs. This job can be done w/o removing the radiator, but most do, thats if you want room for the bigA$$ impact that you will have to have to get that crank bolt loose. There is a method I use that is not the safest but works. I use a 2ft 1/2" snapon ratchet. I brace the ratchet aginst the frame & bump the starter. breaks loose everytime. If someone trys this method, make sure the rotation of the motor is correct, to which side you brace your braker bar/ratchet, & disconnect the coil so the motor doesnt start. The dangerous part if your tools break. Use good tools & DONT stand in front of it. You will need a vice to compress the belt tensioner/with a skinny allen wrench to slide in the tensioner to hold the piston down untill you install then remove the allen. C clamp will also work, just harder to do.

masagsxr

Check out these links..

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sc-...lley-bolt.html
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/per...o-back-on.html

I made a tool myself as well although I do have the Schley 64300 turbo mentioned about.

Here are a few pix of my tool DIY... I will eventually create my own DIY thread when I attempt my timing belt job. I have everything sitting in my garage ready to go but I'm still about 30K miles away from my service.

List I have sitting in my room collecting dust
1. Water pump and all the gaskets
2. belt tensioner
3. Left and right camshaft seals
4. crankshaft seal
5. timing belt
6. serpentine belt
7. thermostat
8. 2 gallons pure toyota red coolant
9. radiator cap

Yep... might as well do everything while i'm in there..... Soon!!!

JesLet

iTrader: (19)

^^^ Do I still need those special tools if I have a set of impact tools and Husky 30 gallon air compressor, to remove and install the harmonic balancer?

Can I also use my air tools and compressor to remove the 2 camshaft gears/sprocket?

spdrcr771

iTrader: (21)

to replace the cam seal, requires removal of the cams. its kinda of a motha, this is vvt-i motors im talking about. the non vvti 400 you can change w/o removing the cam. good luck with the husky.

spdrcr771

iTrader: (21)

nice tool man. I never thought about making a bar to hold the pulley, probably cause i was always in the middle of the job & let the starter do the work for me. But that right there would work perfect with a good braker bar. good job bro. i might have to make me one of these.

masagsxr

Thanks spdrcr771....

By the way, Do I really need to remove the cams to replace the seals? I thought I will just need to remove the cam gear/pulley itself, slide the old seals out and slip the new seals in... hhhmmmmm

spdrcr771

iTrader: (21)

Yes these pics may not be that good, but the gear behind the vvti cam actuator has to come off to get the old seal off, & put the new one on. I dont think there is any way to undo the 4 allen bolts that hold it to the actuator. The other gear to the other came is preloaded & even if you were able to spin the cam & get all the bolts off the other cams preload would make it almost impossible to realign. These really need to be removed & replaced on a vice. That allen bolt that holds the actuator to the rest of the cam is super tight. Like the crank. Sorry the pics are in order from bottom to top.