Fan Belts need changing time. Tips & advice appreciated

[Who]

Well the original toyota belts are need of a change badly. 19 years even with low mileage dried them up and they are cracked. Before I begin I would like to know if all the belts are removable without having to disassemble the fan / fan clutch. Any other tips would be appreciated. While I am there I would also like to peek at the timing belt as well. How hard is it to look at the timing belt. Thanks for your time.

 

[johnathan1]

Yea, I'm pretty sure you can replace them without removing the fan... you will have to release tension on the Alt, and P/S pump.

 

[Frank Rizzo]

Thermostat housing must come off in order to remove the upper timing cover.

Would be a good time to replace the upper radiator hose also.

And start thinking about the fuel filter. 19 years and only 30K miles = lots of sitting.

 

[88YotaTurbo]

all accessory belts are pretty straight forward and easy to replace but do yourself a favor and spray the belt tensioner/idler pulley bolts with some PB blaster or liquid wrench. I have broken the bolt for the tensioner in the past.... thank god for a parts car.
Timing belt is as Frank Rizzo said. I also think replacing the t-stat and rad hose is a great idea. You may also want to flush out your cooling system. 19 years of sediments and scaling,

 

[Doward]

For the belts - Goodyear Gatorback (available @ Autozone) - accept nothing less.

 

[Who]

Liquid wrench, New thermo, radcap, flush the system, gatorback belts, upper hose all great suggestions. Fuel filter seems like I will have to go the shop for that. I looked at that bottom hose but it sure looked menacing. As far as flushing the system I am going to drain, fill, and run the engine several times with distilled water. I don't dare use a strong chemical flush solution.
Good suggestions.

 

[Frank Rizzo]

Yes use distilled water when you fill the radiator. Never use tap water, well only if you are in a bind, stranded, etc.

The lower radiator hose isn't that hard to replace. Just remove the accordian hose, AFM, air box and unbolt the PS res bracket and swing it out of the way and you will have perfect access to the lower radiator hose.

Fuel filter, just get yourself a 14mm flare nut wrench and you'll be fine.

 

[Zumtizzle]

Fuel Filter is a thing on the toyota's that confuses me.

50% Say don't change it, 50% Say it flows all the crap through it thats why you never change it.

I say don't bother with a fuel filter, many people will vouch for this.

 

[Quin]

Btw, for the crank bolt, hook up a long extension and put it on the ground, then go bump the key in the ignition. It'll save you some time and effort

 

[Frank Rizzo]

Here we go with the I "heard" or I "read" crowd. :icon_roll

I have yet to pull a factory fuel filter off ANY car/truck that wasn't filled with orange/brown gas and/or sediment/foreign debris. And I've changed many. Fuel filters, water separators, pre-filters, you name it, I've changed it!!

And post #9 is a one-way ticket to fubar the crankshaft pulley key-way. Think- How do you torque it back to 195ft/lbs....hmmmm

Do it the right way, stop the flywheel/flexplate from moving.

 

[Who]

Here we go with the I "heard" or I "read" crowd. :icon_roll

I have yet to pull a factory fuel filter off ANY car/truck that wasn't filled with orange/brown gas and/or sediment/foreign debris. And I've changed many. Fuel filters, water separators, pre-filters, you name it, I've changed it!!

And post #9 is a one-way ticket to fubar the crankshaft pulley key-way. Think- How do you torque it back to 195ft/lbs....hmmmm

Do it the right way, stop the flywheel/flexplate from moving.

Crank bolt?? I got to mess with the crank bolt to remove the belts?? I hope not. Please explain

Any tips on setting the belt tension would also be appreciated.

 

[Quin]

You have to take the crank pulley off to get the lower timing cover off to replace the timing belt. The timing belt has it's own tensioner, to release it, release the spring and loosen the bolt in the tensioner pully and it'll slide a little out of the way

 

[GrimJack]

I don't think the OP was considering replacing his timing belt, just the accessory belts.

You *can* get all the accessory belts off without taking off the fan clutch and fan, but it's a pain to do. Mind you, taking off the fan shroud, fan, and e-fans is likewise a pain, pretty sure this is going to work out to be the 6 vs half dozen debate.

 

[Dan_Gyoba]

I took apart my original OEM Toyota fuel filter, when I (stupidly, as it turns out) replaced mine at about 250,000 kms. Then, at about 320,000 kms, when that one started acting bad, I took it apart.

It should have been a clue that an original Toyota OEM filter costs about 4 times what the aftermarket one I bought cost. There's a LOT more filter area in the OEM one. Further reading on the subject, and it seems that under normal conditions, the fuel filter should easily outlast the car.

Naturally, if you get any unusal sediment in your gas tank, this all goes out the window, but the amount of filtration material in the an OEM Toyota factory fuel filter is HUGELY greater than the amount in the aftermarket one.

Change or don't change the fuel filter, I'd say don't. If you do change the filter, though, spend the extra to get a Toyota OEM one, and you'll never have to do it again.

For the belts: Yes. I've changed them all without removing the radiator fan, no problem.

The timing belt, on the other hand is another matter. If your fan belts are cracking, the timing belt is probably also cracking. It is highly advisable to at least check this. While the 7M is supposed to be a non-interference engine, if the timing belt breaks, you're looking for a tow. Funny how the engine won't run without the cams turning. Best case is you need a tow, worst case is that you have a bit too much carbon on one of the valves than you should, and you bend it.

You can CHECK this without removing the fan, but you will have to remove the upper radiator hose and water pump outlet to do so, since the upper timing cover has to come off.