How tough is the timing belt job for a newbie?

So I am a new owner of a 2002 SR5, has 245k miles on it. Got it for a good deal, but belt is overdue, changed at 108k miles. Less than one year of working on cars.

Anyways I ordered a kit, the aisin one from rock-auto. I have done basic stuff, suspension, sway bar links, ball joints, and some other things on my last car, a Nissan xterra.

I feel like it would be nice to save 700 bucks and do it myself, but nervous about messing it up, looks like its a delicate job. I have the necessary tools I think, but the ease of mind sounds good by going through my mechanic. Plus the mechanic will do a inspection on the rest of the truck, all it needs from my eyes is rear shocks and alignment.

So would you recommend me honing on my mechanic skills a bit before tackling a job like this? With this repair I am still under my budget of 5k for a new truck, so I won't be strapped for cash.

Thank you guys!

 

I've not done one myself but from what I have seen on Y/T it's fairly involved and you have to be sure you get the timing right before you button her up or bad things will happen. I guess it also depends on if you are doing this in the driveway or rather in your garage. I would hate to get 1/2 way thru it and then not be able to finish if it's outside and gets dark or starts to rain or snow. There are plenty of videos out there....

 

You'll get three types of inputs here:

• Some will build up your confidence and convince you it's no problem to tackle. Optimists.
• Others will tell you a lack of experience and the sensitivity of the job involved isn't something you want to "cut your teeth" with. Pessimists.
• Finally, those who'll say if you're having doubts already, it may be worth seeking a professional, it's much more difficult than brakes and suspension. Realists.

I fall into that last camp. This isn't something basic-mechanical, where you're taking off a nut and bolt here or there, taking a part out, stuffing a new part in, then reinstalling a bolt, a castle nut, a cotter, torquing to spec. You're actually tinkering w/the timing of your engine, and on an interference engine, that could be catastrophic.

If you're adventurous and hungry to learn, and have high confidence, have a good place and a couple of days to take your time on this (knowing it's 4-6 hours active work for seasoned shadetree mechanics), and you won't freak out when a pulley jumps on you, and you may need to start over at TDC, etc. then ... go for it.

YouTube is an incredible resource and there are some great videos out there which could guide you through it.

But this is one where I'd find a mechanic familiar with the 2UZ-FE to do the work. Hit a shop that works on Toyota, not just some generic jiffy lube type place. Dealership is probably going to charge 2x-3x as much as a decent Toyota-specific shop.

You may want to ask them what else to change up - pulleys, tensioners, drive/serpentine belt, etc.

 

Shiftys answer sounds right..............

 

So, I've never done a tundra timing belt, the 17 year old neighbor kid did mine before he sold the truck to me.

But I've done about a dozen of them on subarus.

Getting it wrong is catastrophic....

But, it's easy to check safely, as many times as you need to in order to feel confident, before you start it up. Thats what always allowed me to do subaru timing belts without worry, if it's right, it's right and you can tell its right. If it's wrong, it's wrong, you can tell it's wrong, and you just do it again.

It's not like an oil seal, cursed be thy name...that you can't tell if its right or not just by looking. A timing belt is EASY to see if its right, even if it can be a bit of a challenge to GET right.

So my camp is, it's moderatly hard to DO, but dead easy to know you did RIGHT when you actually get it right, which is the bigger thing for me on any job.

 

it is Montana. Getting dark faster and already see snow in the forecast. Sadly no garage, so might just play it safe and get a proffessional.

Yeah I’m here with you, sounds like it’s best for ease of mind and the truck to get my shop to work on it. Plus I don’t have a garage, only driveway and snow coming.

maybe in a few years I’ll knock it out around spring/summer time. For now it’ll be suspension and brake work.

 

You could handle the job. If you watch a few walk throughs on YouTube to get familiar with what you will see and what tools are needed, and get a field service manual or Haynes/Chilton’s with step by step instructions, you would be fine. Only challenge was getting the torque on the crank pulley bolt. The rest was like baking a cake. Not a job to cut corners on. Get the right parts, take the right steps, do it right the first time. All in the manual. Would I tackle this job outside in Montana with winter coming? Hell no. In a shop with a mechanically minded friend and some beers over a weekend? Hell yes.

 

I wouldn't put it off. Timing belt break may mean you've just got a big brick under the hood.

 

P.s. Did mine in 2014 at 212k miles. It’s almost due again based on time (9 years). I’ve only driven 55k or so miles since then. Good time for a new radiator and possibly a new fan clutch. PHM had a meticulously beautiful write up in his build / resto thread.

 

meant in a few years for the next timing belt.

 

Done mine with son in law, took about 8 hours. Lots of bolts but not a hard job.

 

Ah good. Just making sure

 

Supporting hot link: https://www.tundras.com/threads/the...chronological-story.46816/page-7#post-1917085

Know that if you did go in on this, you've got an army of other owners with the same truck and drivetrain here ready to provide a lot of online support.

It's late October, I think the timing is off (punny, but not intended), but it's an option on the table.

 

There’s always a ‘gulp’ tent of pain, er I mean shame, or is it fame???

 

@Tundra2 called it the tent of pain, I called it the tent of shame, but only cause I heard there was half-naked kentuckians in there. Sounds like OP would be working Bmf style, aka the driveway of despair.

 

I'm going to tackle mine in the next week or two. Here's an info thread I put together, if you want to have a look over it. I've never done a timing belt but, I'm willing to give this one a go. I think a big issue is not to get in a hurry. Having a hard deadline or an imminent need can lead to stress, shortcuts and inattention that can be catastrophic. Take your time and double check your work.
https://www.tundras.com/threads/timing-belt-master-thread-sticky.107240/

 

Seeing as how I'll only be doing mine every 9 years, I'm fine just paying a shop to do this job. Last time the Toyota dealership charged me $900. I believe there are also several tools I would need to buy so that would reduce my savings by doing it myself.

 

I don’t have my first gen anymore but I did all of my timing belt changes. I did them at around 95,000 miles and timed them for good weather and no schedule pressure. I did a total of five belt, pulley, water pump, hose and tensioner changes.

The first one I did took 12 hours because I didn’t have everything I needed and I was not familiar with the process. The last one I did took six hours and two Dr Peppers. The service became an opportunity to me. Swapping out all of the parts and fluids at that interval kept my truck reliable. In the 500,000 miles I drove my truck it only left me stranded twice and both of those were my fault.
The 4.7 engine is a trusty work horse if properly maintained.

Watch the several videos on it, buy Toyota parts (there is a difference that benefits you), do the water pump, use a new tensioner (easier reassembly), change stiff hoses and label everything and where it goes. It’s just a process.
As my dad used to say, if man built it, man can maintain, service and fix it.

 

It’s not too bad, turn the cams to the “T” that’s the neutral position so the cams won’t roll. Line up the dots on the belt to the gears, and the rest is pretty much just normal mechanical stuff.

I used baggies to keep all the hardware organized.

 

@Diablo169 That second picture makes me miss my 1st gen. That is the point where the first Dr Pepper break happened.

 

I just did mine last night. Wasn't terrible. Here's just a quick little post about it.
https://www.tundras.com/threads/2005-everyday-american-build.74663/page-2#post-2964488

 

I allowed 3 days to change my timing belt. I took my time, spread out the parts in the order I removed them, and took regular breaks to consult with the videos. The ground wire on top of the AC compressor gave me the same problems, but otherwise nothing to write home about. I was done by noon of the 2nd day, so 10 - 12 hrs overall. I saved ~$900, so my time is worth $75 - $90/hr...not bad!

 

Good luck with the work if you decide to do it. I just want to add, when I had mine done I also had parts replaced that needed it or would need it soon. I can't remember all the parts I had replaced. Maybe some of the guys will give you some advice on things to do while it is torn apart. You have it all torn down it is easy to replace the parts. The Toyota dealership I take my cars and trucks to have been taking care of me 42 years and mostly the same guys. They only charged me for the parts, no labor since they had it broke down. I can't remember all the stuff they replaced but one important thing was the water pump. This was on my 1987 Toyota Deluxe Pickup 4X4 (LOL that is what they called it back then.) I had it done at 150K. On my truck it is a timing chain. I hope you have success.

 

It's definitely a VERY involved job. I took it to a Toyota independent mechanic to have done. With the engine apart, he replaced the timing belt, pulleys, water pump, cam seals, spark plugs, thermostat, radiator cap, and obviously radiator fluid all for $1600. Best wishes on whichever route you choose.

 

Damn that's a hell of a good price! I think even the independents here in town would charge me $1600 just for the TB, pulleys, and water pump.

 

That's here in Utah. He was a former Toyota mechanic, and now just works on them independently. He did a great job, and even put the timing belt replacement sticker on under the hood so we know when it was replaced and miles. He was kind enough to point out other issues he saw (worn cam seals and plugs). So I had him replace those while the engine was apart. That's the kind of mechanic I prefer working on my vehicles.

 

That's the kind of mechanic I'd like to find locally, but the reality is, if they actually existed, the backlog to get your vehicle in the door would be 6-12 months out.

 

That's exactly how he is now... 6-12 months out. Thankfully I had the work done back in July of this year.