by FLUXEMAG » Mon Jun 28, 2010 1:30 pm
Update from the timing belt job. I tried to do it myself, got the instructions from the manual and found some message board tips. I bought the timing belt, drive belts and a seal for $80 at the dealer, and got a water pump from Autozone for $55. I chose one the hottest day of the year so far in AZ, it was about 106, so already I was off to a good start. Autozone had loaned me a crankshaft pulley puller, shich I could use to remove the pulley. I started early, at 8 while it was in the low 90s. I was feeling confident, had done all the work on my Solara since new, and had good sets of tools.
Everything went pretty smoothly at first, I got the engine mount pieces, brive belts and timing belt covers off. I even got the crankshaft bolt off easily using my impact gun and air compressor. But the pulley puller didn't fit quite right and it chipped off a large piece of the pulley. I found one online next day air for $135 including shipping. Dealer wanted $350. Make sure you use a puller that threads into the bolt holes on the pulley, not the ones with the little fingers that grab the edges. So already, I'm 4 hours in and down some money. I got the crankshaft and cams lined up TDC, which was hard because I didn't remove the spark plugs. The last thing I had to do to get the timing belt off was remove the tensioner pin. That was a total bastard, and the bolts were shrouded by things that even a 3 year old child's hand couldn't have fit around. I spent another hour and called it quits for the day.
I decided to read some more posts from message boards to see if anyone had some tips, especially with the tensioner pin. I found was that after over 5 hours I was about a third of the way done. The water pump requires removing the camshaft pulleys, which based on my experience with the crankshaft one, was probably not going to go well. So like a true hero, I decided to quit. I called the dealership and had AAA tow the car for them to finish. Put all the pieces into the trunk in ziplock bags. So in total, I spent slightly more than if I had just dropped it off to begin with. I paid $760 including the new pulley, the dealer quoted $690 including the drive belts, water pump and seal. In order to salvage my morale for wasting 5 hours of my Saturday and missing a pool party, I treated myself to an 18oz bone in filet with lobster mashed potatoes and snow crab claws...and some wine... and a little bourbon for good measure.
Lessons learned:
Don't wait until summer in Phoenix to do major car repair.
Get the right pulley puller.
Know the limits of your mechanical ability and patience.
Take the tensioner pin off both bolts gradually, not one bolt at a time. I may be buying a new one of those too.
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1967 Karmann Ghia Coupe, Rusty White
2005 Solara SE Sport V6, Lunar Mist
2010 G37 Coupe, Moonlight White
