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Guest Aldo CM

Hi guys, first time posting here, just discovered this site while looking for some help on the net.

i bought a '93 corolla sedan, 2yrs ago, and well, it's time to do a bunch of stuff, right?

spark plugs, all fluids, and timing belt

(timing belt was replaced 4 yrs ago, almost 5, but only 94k ago)

anyways

i bought a haynes manual, but i'm not really ready to tackle this job, it seems quite scary, i have a basic ratchet set and...that's about it

also when i turn the car on now there's a howl at the front end, fades in and out, i suspect it may be my water pump, certainly sounds like it's coming from there

i can see this turning into a long post so i'll get to the point

the first time i ever popped the hood with the intention of fixing/changing something was just a couple of months ago, i changed all the drivebelts, (one of them was squealing)

and that's about as far as my expertise goes, however i'm willing to learn and am also mechanically inclined

anyways, is the timing belt a difficult thing to do? how about putting on a new water pump?, will i need a lot of tools, or can i get away with just a ratchet set and the basic tools?

how long will this take me, and how risky is it?

i can't really afford the 500-600 dollars for a garage to do this, so i have no choice

can someone give me a brief walkthrough of this job?

thx for your time,

Guest toyotacorollafx

i dont know how to change a timing belt or water pump, but i know for a fact that its hard and ur gonna need alot tools

espcially a garage to lift the engine out...thats the only way u can do it. You should just let a mechanic do it

i hear u can get it for around 90 or a hundred dollars for just the timing belt

i dontknow how much the water pump would be tho

Guest Aldo CM

actually reading over the haynes manual about 3 times today, it's not so scary anymore, and my basic ratchet set will do :-)

if not, no prob, i changed all my drivebelts with a 14mm comb wrench, pliers and bunch of imperial wrenches that were 'close enough' :-)

anyways, water pump is now a non-issue, the noise only happens when the car has been cooling for hours, (8ish), and disappears quickly,

either way, water pump wouldn't have been too bad,

i'm gonna do my spark plugs at the same time as timing belt since i have to take them out anyways, smart? or does it get too confusing this way, i'll just number everything i guess

oh well, any tips on the timing belt would be appreciated, i have a good idea but words of caution will be considered

btw, timing belt is a $250-300 (CDN) job, because of all the stuff u have to do before u even get to the timing belt

Basic tools would work - although it might be a good idea to invest in some tools. Like a torque wrench, breaker bar, floor jack, gear puller, and a buddy. Luckily, most of the bolts are metric - but there are a hand full that are SAE sized. I'd put a combination wrench on those if you don't have the right sized one. Worse thing to do is to round off a bolt head or nut because there was too much play in the closest sized wrench.

A torque wrench will come in real handy. Some of the bolts are designed to stretch a bit - if you put too much torque or too little, the bolt will either break or work loose.

You can change the timing belt without pulling the engine - but you will have to remove pulleys and accessories to make the job easier. Without a gear/pulley puller and a breaker bar - will be really tough for you. Power tools are great (electric or pneumatic) but you may not enough room for these all the time, plus they are $$$ for the good stuff.

But you are right - not too bad, if you got the time. Tricky points are pulling the crank pulley (can be a royal pain) and working the belt past the engine mount (don't put jack under the oil pan or you'll be screwed).

As for the sparkplugs and wires - they can be changed before or after the timing belt job. That job will be a breeze compared to the timing belt - unless you get the firing order mixed up.

Good Luck.

Guest Aldo CM

cool, thx for the advice

i think i will get a puller, torque wrench, and breaker bar

looking at the torque spec on the crankshaft pulley bolt - 87ft/lbs seems a bit too much for an 8'' ratchet, lol

and i certainly don't want to crack the pulley when i tighten it back up

hurts cause i don't have $$ but taking it in to a shop turns out to be the same price...but i don't get tools from that, and next time i do the timing belt it'll be $23

alright u've convinced me

puller, torque wrench, breaker bar

is there anything i should look for in particular when buying these items?

like a range of 25-100ft lbs? or 1/2"dr vs 3/8" with 1/2" adaptor (cause my sockets are 3/8)

price? ~$250?

any advice on buying these tools?

Just shop around. I got one of those 151 piece tool sets from Sears for $99 on sale. Got all the Metric and SAE sizes I need and comes with three ratchet (1/4, 3/8, and 1/2), open ended and box wrenches, hex keys, nutdriver, etc.

Torque wrench - for most stuff - a mid level one (up to 150 ft.lbs) should do you. Ran me about $50. Gear puller will run about $35, breaker bar about $20.

If you go with a torque wrench or breaker bar - go with the 1/2 drive. You can get a step down adapter to use your existing sockets - $5.

With a coupon (10% off) I got everything at Sears for less than $200. If you don't want to get a breaker bar - a pipe would work as well. The 1/2 drive is pretty tough.

As for advice - buy what you can afford or be able to use. Ebay might be another place to check for tools. Some people swear by one brand or another: Snap-on, MAC, Husky, Kobalt, Craftsman, Chicago, etc.- really a matter of personal tastes.

Some online retailers could get you better prices, probably get you prices 50% less than what you can get at a showroom retailer - but I like to see the tools I'm buying - but that is just me.

Good Luck.

Also don't forget that you can rent certain tools for free at Autozone. I know a Torque wrench for sure, might want to look into others, A breaker bar is cheap and good to have, so always a good investment.

Guest Aldo CM

i just couldn't help it, i saw a 0 - 150ftlb torque wrench for $25 at sears

and there was no puller available for borrowing at the auto store, and i needed this job done now, so i bought a harmonic balancer puller, $20

as for the extension bar, another $20

and an adaptor bit for 1/2dr to 3/8

anyways...

the removing of stuff is taking way longer than i expected

right now i'm battling with the starter motor, could they have put it in a more convenient place??

and the valve cover, what a stubborn thing that was,

oh well,

i've got 2 days to finish with this, and i guess i'll buy a new rotor and distributor cap and spark plug wires as well, that way i can kind of breathe easy for 2yrs

thx for all the help guys



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