94 timing belt job (2200)
 

Hey all, new guy here working on Mom's '94 Camry XLE with 2200 4 cyl. Getting started on a timing belt job, removing Right side motor mount and dammit if I didn't round the least accessible of the 3 bolts. :o
There is roughly 1/2" between the fender well and the cap of the bolt, so a bolt extractor is not an option. There isn't much room for anything in there.
By reading the Haynes manual, it looks like just the torque rod needs to come off, but looking at the job, I think I'm going to need access behind the actual mount.
Any insight?

remove the front engine mount top nut on front of the radiator area , make sure the engine mount bracket is not seize at the bolt area , after making sure of that using a floor jack lift engine , i use a piece of wood on top of the jack to prevent puncturing the oil pan , lift engine till stops ,making sure that you are not lifting the whole car , by doing this you wil gain enough room to use a regular 6 point 14mm socket or a easy out socket , it maybe have to remove or bend the p/s lines out of the way .

Hey boricua, thanks for the reply (Viva Puerto Rico).
I started to go that route and pretty sure I ran into what you're talking about with the front engine mount nut seized (you're talking about the big, center bolt on top of the mount, right?)...Started turning the whole engine mount to the point I thought I was going to ruin the rubber mount.
Any ideas from there?
I still need a couple inches to get at it with an easy out socket.

viva , yes the big bolt 17mm head ,when that happen to the mount is pretty much ruin ,this happen very often, sometimes a good soak on WD40 or similar will do it ,give it a few bangs at the out side of the mount leg to soften the rust a bit , in most cases will need a new mount .you can also loose the bottom bolts for the same mount it have 3 of them mix of nut and bolt i think , check for rubber plugs at the sub frame ,remove the plug you will see them in there

What type of wrench are you using on the bolt head? Try a 6 point box head if you have not already.

Here's what I ended up using, and it worked like a champ.
Good ol' Craftsman.

Flexplate access
 

Is there a trick to flexplate access on these 4 bangers? I fiddled with the access plate for an hour but can't get it off...gotta be missing something, but Haynes' illustration is different from what I'm seeing on the car.
I'm working on the 6 o'clock position at the bell housing (duh).
I pulled two horizontal bolts that secure the sheet metal plate to the bell housing, one that secures the block to the bell housing and one perpendicular to, and aft of those.



Red circles represent those I've removed. Yellow are bolts I'm wondering about (god, I hope I don't have to get to the top one...) But I'm wondering: how freakin' far up the bellhousing do I need to go to get the plate out so I can get the crank pulley off?



(Oil pan is up, transmission is down, front of car is right)

Are you trying to hold the crank via the flex plate ring gear? If so there are easier and better ways!

The side of the engine you show having 2 yellow circles may have be a stiffener that needs to come off. This piece stiffens the connection between the engine and trans.

Outside of the stiffener bolts there are 3 bolts on one side (circled in red) and 1 on the other (also in red in addition to the 2 stiffener bolts).

Or try one of the methods listed below:

1) Remove the starter motor and use a large screw driver or purchase a device that locks into the teeth of the ring gear.

2) Look at the front of the crank pulley for two threaded bolt holes opposite each other. If the holes exist find metric bolts that fit and long enough to bolt a section of wood to it. Have the wood long enough to reach the ground or frame then drill holes for the bolts and one big hole between the bolts for the crank pulley bolt socket and extension to fit through.

Bolt on the section of wood then rotate crank by hand until the board binds up with ground or chassis then unloosen the crank bolt with a large breaker bar.

3) Install socket attached to a large breaker bar onto crank bolt and locate the bar handle so it binds up with the ground as you rotate the engine by hand in its normal operating direction.

Disable the engine ign system by remove the plug wires, disconnecting the coil wire, etc then touch the ign key to start. This will cause the engine to rotate and given the bar is locked down the bolt should brake free. This typically works but use a large breaker bar or the bar can break.

4) use a heavy duty air tool impact wrench.

I recommend No 2 but No 3 does work.

No 4 works but you may need a heavy duty air wrench having enough torque to break the bolt free.

Ended up getting to it, but I like the block of wood approach. I'll probably do that next time. :)

Holy cow, that's a PITA. Always thought the purpose of inspection plates was convenience.:mad:

I was surprised that there was almost no clearance to pull the crank pulley off...Had to lower the engine and it was *still* tight. Hope it goes back on without a hitch. Might throw that pulley in the freezer over night to see if it'll go on any easier.

Any other sticking points I should anticipate?

Note sure it is an inspection plate as access to flex plate to allow the torque converter to be unbolted from it.

There should be a removable section of inner fender in front the crank pulley. Once removed this allows access, no need to drop the engine.

Once all the parts are off look for oil leakage from the cam, crank and oil pump seals and replace if required.

Check the idlers for noise and excess play.

Feel the water pump bearing for roughness when rotated.

If you are near a Toyota dealer the idle tension spring may have replaced with a updated version (done some years ago). The dealer would know, cost is a few bucks.

Haynes may have their own procedure to install the belt but basically you want the crank pulley mark at the 0 degree timing position. You may need to temporarily reinstall the crank pulley and cover. The pulley normally just slides on, if not check for burrs on the crankshaft then apply some anti-seize compound.

The cam pulley needs to have the hole in the spoke lined up with the notch on the top of upper front cam bearing.

Once done install the belt and release the idler pulley. Rotate crank by hand CW 2 turns and recheck alignment. If the cam pulley is now off this would have happened when the idler was released and the belt now under tension pulled the pulley in one direction without moving the crank pulley. Adjust the position of the cam pulley accordingly to take this into account.

If you have a timing light recheck timing but it should be pretty close.

Sometimes after the process is complete the engine idles poorly or barely runs, why?

If the belt change was done correctly after a few starts the engine will run normally again.