warterdesmanne

First off I apologize if this should have been posted on another thread as opposed to starting a new one. I figured bumping the DIY was not the right thing to do.


I have worked up the cojones to tackle my TB. I figure that I have good attention to detail and from reading, watching, and gathering as much information as possible I feel that it is within my skill set.

I would love if someone with experience could chime in here and answer a few questions about the job.

#1 Would anyone recommend a method of holding the crank and cam pulleys in place after finding TDC on #1? Or even bothering, I would think these would hold themselves pretty well, but I also hear that at TDC the sprockets are "teetering" on rolling over in both directions.

#2 If, god forbid, things were to move unexpectedly... Moving the rear and crank to the TDC marks and moving the front to TDC #1 would align everything back up, no?

#3 Theoretically I've heard one can use a vacuum/pressure gauge attached to cylinder #1 (via the spark plug seat) to tell crank position, correct? Would there be a way to determine rear cam position other than the mark? Or is that sufficient? Ditto with the front (although I know this cam has a TDC #1 mark).
#4 My Haynes and Chilton both suggest cranking the engine manually after replacement of the belt six times to bring it back to TDC #1. Some folks have suggested even with the spark plugs out one could damage the internals. This seems to be unlikely unless you are really cranking the pulley and not feeling for resistance. With the plugs out what is a normal amount of resistance?
#5 When pulling the water pump out our DIY suggests draining from the rear plug is not useful as not much fluid will drain from this point. Could you manually turn the water pump a few times to "force" the fluid through after draining the rad to minimize spillage? Or would this damage something/just be useless?

#6 I see kits with crank and cam seals. I also understand if these are in good shape one wouldn't necessarily need to replace them, or are they a common point for leaks? I also hear this is the same for the oil pump. How difficult is a replacement/repair of the oil pump? Would anyone suggest just re-seating it with a new seal and visual inspection? Or if you go to this trouble should one just replace?

#7 I know I have also asked this several times, so I apologize. If there is a reason this is a dumb question I would love to know. I need to replace the front mount. I hear replacing the through bolt is needed/suggested, yet some state they re-used the bolt/s. These bolts "stretch", correct? Much like the crank pulley bolt (that I intend to replace during the TB process).
I re-call seeing the 04-06 FSM posted here somewhere but can’t find it. I would love if someone could link it for me as I seem to not be able to search even with the advanced option, lol. Would someone be able to tell me how far off this would be from the 07 or be able to share some shots of their FSM for the 07 105k service? I think I will be waiting on the valves till spring… They don’t seem noisy.

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

Mark your old belt, transfer the marks to your new belt as an added assurance that you're aligning everything properly. I bought a silver sharpee that got the job done well.

Your fear is that you'll move something and not know where it should have been...trust me, once you get it all off...and you do the valve adjustment (if you are) then you'll see without the belt and plugs, it all moves relatively easily and freely and then aligns back up perfectly before it ever matters.

When putting the new belt on...it was too tight to get the teeth on properly on the back end...so I used my ratchet to bring the cam forward, teeth bit, then pushed back into position. Once all three of your TDC marks are lined up, you'll be golden.

Make sure tension is on the correct side of the pulley...pull the pin...you're good.

Trust me, as someone that over-thought it for 5 years, once you're knuckle deep, you'll be good. You should have posted in the DIY thread...Majofo/Justin/NFN/IHC would have seen it by now.

Unless it's leaking, leave the cam seals alone...that's the advice I was given.

About the front mount: If you have to ask, buy the $2 bolt. Better safe than sorry.

Good luck!

warterdesmanne

Thanks for the help, maybe someone over there can help as well I.E. oil situation. I hope all is fine under that cover.

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

Anytime, and welcome!
Yeah, you already got a ton of responses from real knowledgeable people over there.