Timing Belt DIY
08-06-09, 12:44 AM
#16
If you are planning on replacing the water pump your need to remove the cam gears. The back one is the pain in the butt. Their is no enough room. You need to remove the cam gear so that you can remove the cover plate, then you will have full access of the water pump. This plate covers 1/4 of the water pump.
02-08-10, 10:41 PM
#17
You do Not need to remove the Cam Gears or the back timing cover plate from the Engine to remove the Water Pump.
I just replaced my 2002 RX300 WaterPump Last Night without removing the coverplate or Cam Gears, and it was not a problem. All I did was removed the bolt in the middle of the timing cover to the engine, and pryed the timing cover about a 1/2 inch from the engine, removed the water pump bolts, AND removed the 2 long torx-head studs, and the water pump comes right off.
The timing cover only covers about 1/4"-3/8" of the very top of the water pump housing.
BEFORE REMOVING THE TIMING BELT!!!!:
Getting the new timing belt on was a PIA, I suggest an old trick to make sure the new timing belt/Cams are positioned correctly - the Cams tend to want to rotate 45-deg due to the VVTi;
1) Get the crank and cams all aligned to TDC - the rear timing housing cover on the Right (front) Cam has a timing mark which will line up with the Right Cam Gear
2) The Engine Housing has a not very noticable timing mark at approx 12:00 which will line up with one of the crank gear teeth. Mark the 12:00 Crank Gear/Dot, AND engine housing mark at approx 12:00 with a Red Perm Pen. - Note: The Timing Belt doesnt contact the Crank Gear at this location, so its VERY Important to do Step 3 below.
3) Mark the Existing Timing Belt with a Red Dot at approx 3:00 position timing Dot on the Crank Gear - Mark the Dot on the crank gear with a small Dot as well - so you can differentiate this dot, and the 12:00 gear tooth that lines up with the engine housing mark.
4) Mark the Right Cam Gear tooth at the timing Dot AND draw a Full Line on Existing timing Belt with a Red Sharpie (red shows up best). This will line up with the timing mark on the top of the timing house cover.
5) Mark the Left Cam Gear tooth with the timing dot and existing Timing belt at that tooth with 2 dots. There is a mark on the timing cover there too, but its very difficult to line up, dont worry about that.
6) Now your ready to remove the timing belt - Remove the timing belt tensioner spring which is located left of the crank gear - its a long cylinder with 2 12mm bolts to the underside of the engine block. It Wont fall apart or fly off, but its tight.
TRY NOT TO ROTATE THE CRANK GEAR. But if you accidentally do, you have the Tooth marked which is at 12:00 - so you know where it needs to go back to.
DO NOT TURN THE ENGINE OVER !!!
The Cam gears will rotate a little because of the VVTi - we will deal with this is a few steps - its teadious, but not too difficult
7) Once the timing belt is removed, most likely the left cam gear will flip 45-deg left or right...this is a pain in the ***, but can be dealt with later...and is why its SO CRITICAL IMPORTANT to do steps 1-5 above exactly with the Dots ON the old timing belt.
8) Transfer the Dots from the Old belt onto the New Belt exactly so the new timing belt will set the exact number of teeth for the Cam Gears.
9a) If the Left Cam Rotated, turn it to where the tooth with the timing dot is roughly 11:00-11;30 position - the cam will tend to stay there, but will flip 45-deg right or left if you pull on the timing belt.
9b) Line up the double dots on the new Belt with the Left Camp Gear - You MUST do the left gear first, the stupid timing cover makes getting the belt over the left cam impossible later...plus this camp wants to rotate.
10) Guide the TB thru the tensioner and the crank gear - Line up the Single Dot on the new TB with the Crank Gear Dot at about 3:00 position.
11) rotate the left cam gear left or right to remove slack from the belt between the Left Cam gear and the crank gear. this will give enough slack to get the TB on the Right Cam gear.
12) rotate as req'd the right cam gear to get the Full Line on the new TB to line up with the timing mark.
13) use a pry-bar or large flat screw driver, and wedge it between the engine block and the Timing belt Tensioner Arm -this will allow you to get the Spring cylinder back onto the engine block.
14) remove the prybar after the tensioner spring is fully tightened.
15) rotate the crank shaft 10 full turns, then another turn or half until the timing mark on the right cam gear tooth is lined up with the timing cover plate on the right.
16) Ensure that the Full tooth you marked on the crank in Step #2 is aligned with the timing mark on the engine at approx 12:00.
17) You can also try to peak at the timing mark on the left cam to make sure its lined up with the timing mark on the back cover. You can also tape the old TB with the Right and Left cam gear marks edge-on with the new belt and the will visually show you the exact teeth of the Cam Gears line up with the old TB Marks.
18) If this seems too difficult for you STOP and HAVE A PROFESSIONAL MECHANIC do the Job. You cannot be Off by even 1 tooth on any gear.
Sorry no Pics...
I just replaced my 2002 RX300 WaterPump Last Night without removing the coverplate or Cam Gears, and it was not a problem. All I did was removed the bolt in the middle of the timing cover to the engine, and pryed the timing cover about a 1/2 inch from the engine, removed the water pump bolts, AND removed the 2 long torx-head studs, and the water pump comes right off.
The timing cover only covers about 1/4"-3/8" of the very top of the water pump housing.
BEFORE REMOVING THE TIMING BELT!!!!:
Getting the new timing belt on was a PIA, I suggest an old trick to make sure the new timing belt/Cams are positioned correctly - the Cams tend to want to rotate 45-deg due to the VVTi;
1) Get the crank and cams all aligned to TDC - the rear timing housing cover on the Right (front) Cam has a timing mark which will line up with the Right Cam Gear
2) The Engine Housing has a not very noticable timing mark at approx 12:00 which will line up with one of the crank gear teeth. Mark the 12:00 Crank Gear/Dot, AND engine housing mark at approx 12:00 with a Red Perm Pen. - Note: The Timing Belt doesnt contact the Crank Gear at this location, so its VERY Important to do Step 3 below.
3) Mark the Existing Timing Belt with a Red Dot at approx 3:00 position timing Dot on the Crank Gear - Mark the Dot on the crank gear with a small Dot as well - so you can differentiate this dot, and the 12:00 gear tooth that lines up with the engine housing mark.
4) Mark the Right Cam Gear tooth at the timing Dot AND draw a Full Line on Existing timing Belt with a Red Sharpie (red shows up best). This will line up with the timing mark on the top of the timing house cover.
5) Mark the Left Cam Gear tooth with the timing dot and existing Timing belt at that tooth with 2 dots. There is a mark on the timing cover there too, but its very difficult to line up, dont worry about that.
6) Now your ready to remove the timing belt - Remove the timing belt tensioner spring which is located left of the crank gear - its a long cylinder with 2 12mm bolts to the underside of the engine block. It Wont fall apart or fly off, but its tight.
TRY NOT TO ROTATE THE CRANK GEAR. But if you accidentally do, you have the Tooth marked which is at 12:00 - so you know where it needs to go back to.
DO NOT TURN THE ENGINE OVER !!!
The Cam gears will rotate a little because of the VVTi - we will deal with this is a few steps - its teadious, but not too difficult
7) Once the timing belt is removed, most likely the left cam gear will flip 45-deg left or right...this is a pain in the ***, but can be dealt with later...and is why its SO CRITICAL IMPORTANT to do steps 1-5 above exactly with the Dots ON the old timing belt.
8) Transfer the Dots from the Old belt onto the New Belt exactly so the new timing belt will set the exact number of teeth for the Cam Gears.
9a) If the Left Cam Rotated, turn it to where the tooth with the timing dot is roughly 11:00-11;30 position - the cam will tend to stay there, but will flip 45-deg right or left if you pull on the timing belt.
9b) Line up the double dots on the new Belt with the Left Camp Gear - You MUST do the left gear first, the stupid timing cover makes getting the belt over the left cam impossible later...plus this camp wants to rotate.
10) Guide the TB thru the tensioner and the crank gear - Line up the Single Dot on the new TB with the Crank Gear Dot at about 3:00 position.
11) rotate the left cam gear left or right to remove slack from the belt between the Left Cam gear and the crank gear. this will give enough slack to get the TB on the Right Cam gear.
12) rotate as req'd the right cam gear to get the Full Line on the new TB to line up with the timing mark.
13) use a pry-bar or large flat screw driver, and wedge it between the engine block and the Timing belt Tensioner Arm -this will allow you to get the Spring cylinder back onto the engine block.
14) remove the prybar after the tensioner spring is fully tightened.
15) rotate the crank shaft 10 full turns, then another turn or half until the timing mark on the right cam gear tooth is lined up with the timing cover plate on the right.
16) Ensure that the Full tooth you marked on the crank in Step #2 is aligned with the timing mark on the engine at approx 12:00.
17) You can also try to peak at the timing mark on the left cam to make sure its lined up with the timing mark on the back cover. You can also tape the old TB with the Right and Left cam gear marks edge-on with the new belt and the will visually show you the exact teeth of the Cam Gears line up with the old TB Marks.
18) If this seems too difficult for you STOP and HAVE A PROFESSIONAL MECHANIC do the Job. You cannot be Off by even 1 tooth on any gear.
Sorry no Pics...
If you are planning on replacing the water pump your need to remove the cam gears. The back one is the pain in the butt. Their is no enough room. You need to remove the cam gear so that you can remove the cover plate, then you will have full access of the water pump. This plate covers 1/4 of the water pump.
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mckellyb (02-16-18)
02-28-11, 07:51 AM
#18
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My RX300 '01 just reached 108,000 miles ready for timing belt/water pump replacement. If I want to keep the car for over 200,000 miles, how would you suggest the replacement of the idler pulley as well as others such as tensioner at the same time?
Last edited by fanchius; 02-28-11 at 08:12 AM.
03-01-11, 01:27 AM
#19
My suggestion would be to replace ALL of those parts. Not because Lexus says to replace them at 90k mi, but because there IS a chance that one of them might go before you reach 200k mi. The most likely would be the lower tensioner pulley, because it only has a single row of bearings, whereas the W/P and upper idler pulley both have 2 rows of bearings, ALL the same size. You can buy ALL those parts OEM brand online (E-Bay) for a fraction of what they run at the dealer. I WOULD NOT use anything but OEM parts though because they are of such high quality. If you want the info for OEM at the BEST price, PM me. I have NO connection whatsoever with the source.
03-01-11, 09:14 AM
#20
If there is no sign of coolant seepage from the water pump, I would leave it. If there is the slightest sign, then replace it.
The Tensioners tend to go bad between 120-150, so replace them for sure.
Go OEM Only on these types of parts, Toyota does make a far better part than auto stores "Lifetime" stuff.
The extra $300+/- will give you piece of mind worth far more than $300.
The Timing belt is a P.I.A. to get the cams to stay positioned while installing the new TB...must have lots of patience and no guns anywhere near the vehicle.
Have fun!
The Tensioners tend to go bad between 120-150, so replace them for sure.
Go OEM Only on these types of parts, Toyota does make a far better part than auto stores "Lifetime" stuff.
The extra $300+/- will give you piece of mind worth far more than $300.
The Timing belt is a P.I.A. to get the cams to stay positioned while installing the new TB...must have lots of patience and no guns anywhere near the vehicle.
Have fun!
03-02-11, 08:28 AM
#21
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How many tensioner(s) should I purchase? I was told by a Lexus dealership it is only one tensioner needed, with a timing belt, for replacement. Also was told that two camshaft seals and one crankshaft seal are required. Are all the said numbers correct?
03-02-11, 09:53 AM
#22
The "Tensioner" Lexus is probably talking about is a piston-like cylinder that applies pressure to one of the pulley arm and wheel. There is a second Wheel.
That piston Tensioner wont go bad...the "tensioners" most of us are talking about are the actual wheels that the belt rides against...there is a bearing in each that goes bad. There are 2 of the wheels with built-in bearings.
DO NOT replace the cam shaft seals unless you know exactly what you are doing...and I say this in all kindness...the fact your asking if you should replace the camshaft seals tells me you may not have done a timing belt before. Yes it would be nice to replace the cam and crank seals...doing the cam seals requires pulling the cam pulley's off of the cam shaft.
Replacing the lower crankshaft seal requires pulling certain covers and is a pain in the a$$ to gain access to pry the old seal out and get the new one in without damaging it.
If the cam seals are not leaking lots of oil, and the fronnt crank shaft isnt leaking lots of oil, Leave them alone IMHO. My RX300 has 150K and none of them leak.
That piston Tensioner wont go bad...the "tensioners" most of us are talking about are the actual wheels that the belt rides against...there is a bearing in each that goes bad. There are 2 of the wheels with built-in bearings.
DO NOT replace the cam shaft seals unless you know exactly what you are doing...and I say this in all kindness...the fact your asking if you should replace the camshaft seals tells me you may not have done a timing belt before. Yes it would be nice to replace the cam and crank seals...doing the cam seals requires pulling the cam pulley's off of the cam shaft.
Replacing the lower crankshaft seal requires pulling certain covers and is a pain in the a$$ to gain access to pry the old seal out and get the new one in without damaging it.
If the cam seals are not leaking lots of oil, and the fronnt crank shaft isnt leaking lots of oil, Leave them alone IMHO. My RX300 has 150K and none of them leak.
03-02-11, 12:33 PM
#24
Buy the TB, Waterpump and Idler & Pulley Wheels from Lexus. They will know what you need. I believe you need to order the WaterPump Gasket separatly from Lexus.
If you want to pay more, go ahead with the seals. 2 camshaft, and 1 crankshaft.
I wouldnt bother with the Piston Tensioner...they last forever, and its expensive. The Idler wheels and Pully will also be expensive.
You could go ahead and replace the front engine motor mount while there, and the serpentine and AC belt.
I think your making a wise decision....getting the camshafts re-aligned due to the VVTi system is a MAJOR pain in the butt while installing the new TB....they spring clockwise or CCW easily and they must be perfectly spot-aligned to make sure the timing is spot-on with the crank shaft and each other...or else you get BOOM! valve interference.
If you want to pay more, go ahead with the seals. 2 camshaft, and 1 crankshaft.
I wouldnt bother with the Piston Tensioner...they last forever, and its expensive. The Idler wheels and Pully will also be expensive.
You could go ahead and replace the front engine motor mount while there, and the serpentine and AC belt.
I think your making a wise decision....getting the camshafts re-aligned due to the VVTi system is a MAJOR pain in the butt while installing the new TB....they spring clockwise or CCW easily and they must be perfectly spot-aligned to make sure the timing is spot-on with the crank shaft and each other...or else you get BOOM! valve interference.
03-02-11, 12:34 PM
#25
If you havnt already done so, pay the mechanic to change your spark plugs...the ones on the back 3 are extremely difficult to get to...but make sure they re-attach ALL grounding strap wires to the EXACT spot they disconnect them from...failure to do so will result in a very rough running engine...I know from experience. :-)
03-02-11, 02:24 PM
#26
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I checked on http://www.mylexparts.com, which is a Lexus dealer online store. The illustration shows "tensioner" (its part name) looks like a rod, a tube type.
Are the parts you mentioned called "tensioner pulley" ($81) and "idler pulley"($73)? --- Both look round like a bearing, or a wheel? And I will change spark plugs and two drive belts, too.
Are the parts you mentioned called "tensioner pulley" ($81) and "idler pulley"($73)? --- Both look round like a bearing, or a wheel? And I will change spark plugs and two drive belts, too.
Last edited by fanchius; 03-02-11 at 02:29 PM.
03-03-11, 03:30 AM
#27
I checked on http://www.mylexparts.com, which is a Lexus dealer online store. The illustration shows "tensioner" (its part name) looks like a rod, a tube type.
Are the parts you mentioned called "tensioner pulley" ($81) and "idler pulley"($73)? --- Both look round like a bearing, or a wheel? And I will change spark plugs and two drive belts, too.
Are the parts you mentioned called "tensioner pulley" ($81) and "idler pulley"($73)? --- Both look round like a bearing, or a wheel? And I will change spark plugs and two drive belts, too.
03-03-11, 06:48 AM
#28
Pole Position
Agreed I got a timing belt kit on Ebay with everything and OEM parts for $250...That was with Aisin water pump, Mitushobosi belt, koyo bearings, tensioner, and cam shaft and crank seal...I delt with them before when I did Daughters Sequoia and all parts are as promised...great quality and great price.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Lexus...Q5fAccessories
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Lexus...Q5fAccessories
Last edited by thomas1; 03-03-11 at 06:51 AM.
03-06-11, 01:10 PM
#29
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Hey guys,, Im about to do a tbelt and waterpump for my uncles rx.. since most of you guys dont recommend doing the "piston tensioner" I guess this ebay kit is perfect then..
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Lexus...item5190f15cc8
Its $50 cheaper without that piston tensioner for this kit.. or should I go with the 9 piece kit instead?? need a bit of help here. thanks in advance..
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Lexus...item5190f15cc8
Its $50 cheaper without that piston tensioner for this kit.. or should I go with the 9 piece kit instead?? need a bit of help here. thanks in advance..
03-06-11, 10:27 PM
#30
You will get opinions (that IS what they are) on both sides of the isle. I DID NOT replace the tensioner on my DIL's '99 RX, though I had it apart 3 different times and there have been no problem with it. It did stick a little the last time I had it apart, but I just "coaxed" it with a screw driver and it popped right out. I don't personally think it needs it if it seems to have the pressure it needs (you'll be able to tell when you compress it in a vice).