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Finally got around to the timing belt and new radiator last weekend.
If you have done timing belts on other cars, there was nothing here that is surprising or tricky. As several mentioned in the TB thread, take your time and check the marks well, and all good.
the biggest difficulty I had was indeed the 4 fan clutch bolts that were partially rounded.
once I had the Schley clutch pulley tool and a 6 point wrench with a small cheater pipe it was very simply. The difference between a screwdriver or some of the prior home made tools I had used here to hold the pulley made all the difference. It’s not just about locking it in place, it’s the control and leverage of the clutch tool. A bit overpriced but alternatively my time with a Dremel to remove those 4 bolts once partially rounded was going to be far more. Plus now I have a new tool.
for crank bolt removal I used the starter bump approach and for torquing I also got the crank holding tool to make that easier.
I do recommend both tools and if anyone in the Chicago area is going to do this, happy to loan those tools.
the video on YouTube of the 09 is a helpful guide.
only additional tips would be:
1) if you are going to replace radiator at the same time, worth taking out early in the process for more room on the crank pulley but not needed. My crank pulley resisted sliding off by hand and needed some slight persuasion with crank pulley tool.
2) if flushing a new radiator as recommended with a flush, be prepared with a fair bit of extra distilled water. In hindsight I might not have used the flush kit and might have simply kept the residual coolant in the block etc added some new Toyota red and distilled and flushed after a couple of weeks. When flushing Since I had some yellow Toyota compatible I used what I had of that, the flush, and distilled water. The yellowish color helped identify how much I had left.
My block drains felt seized so I left them closed. When draining that way it’s hard to get much more than a gallon out, and I wanted basically only distilled water left in the heater core etc to add the new Toyota long life red coolant in the exact amounts.
I found popping out the thermostat and taking the top hose off at the radiator, plane adding a slight bit of airflow from my shop vac provided a easy way to encourage the residual out of the block. Make sure the vac can only blow truly clean air, and by using my hand and a towel to control how much airflow goes into the the top hose it’s easy to modulate. The air comes out the top radiator hose, and most of the liquid comes out the petcock. Go easy on the air flow and letting that work with slight constant pressure and volume of air appears to get out somewhere between 3-3.5 gallons. I did not precisely measure since I was simply looking to be sure I was well over 2.
Repeat filling with only distilled and going through a bleed/drain cycle until your ocd nature of clean distilled is satiated. (Heater on high etc) Then add the 2 gallons of red, and the remainder and bleed process using distilled only. Should be as much fresh as I believe we can get it and right at the 50/50 mix.
New brake rotors + pads and flexible brake hoses all around. And a new battery. And oil + filter. And tire road-force balance + rotation.
Since I hate the thought of a blown hose dumping half my brake fluid on the road, I went ahead and changed the hoses because they were 17 years old.
The old ones that were on there were stiff, but hadn't turned into crunchy plastic just yet, so I could have gone another few years. Probably.
Since the new rotors still have their cross-hatching on them, I'm getting really nice braking action now. 😊
The previous owner had skipped putting the brake pad clip on the rear brakes, so now they don't squeak when braking when backing up.
The rear rotors + pads they put on were an unknown aftermarket brand, which given the "quality" of their other repairs I've had to correct, were probably the cheapest ones they could find.
Got the front windows tinted last weekend. Spent this morning getting her washed, installed my Weathertech vent visors, floor mats and a set of door handle storage pockets installed.
Got a check engine light (plus the usual Trac and VSC off lights).
Yep. Time for another gas cap.
Also refreshing the front suspension. Lower control arms to hopefully solve the squeak I've had going over bumps, and because they're originals from 17 years ago, swaybar endlinks (the boot was torn on one of them), and swaybar bushings.
Got a check engine light (plus the usual Trac and VSC off lights).
Yep. Time for another gas cap.
Also refreshing the front suspension. Lower control arms to hopefully solve the squeak I've had going over bumps, and because they're originals from 17 years ago, swaybar endlinks (the boot was torn on one of them), and swaybar bushings.
OEM. The originals lasted 17 years, no reason to change brands.
The squeak is gone, and I'm reassured that the wheels won't fall off and destroy my front fenders. So I'm happy.
OEM. The originals lasted 17 years, no reason to change brands.
The squeak is gone, and I'm reassured that the wheels won't fall off and destroy my front fenders. So I'm happy.
And yes, it was the gas cap. Again.
Chip H.
My new gas cap was disappointing, it's like it was too tight and the little leash on it wouldn't spin when you tightened the cap, it actually broke off a couple months ago. Original lasted like 15 years, new OEM was trash from new, and broke inside of 3 years!
My 2007 GX470 , Bank 1 sensor 1 light came on Nov 2021. I usually do ALL my own auto repair. Upon barely being able to see it and couldn't even touch it under the exhaust manifold I took it to a local repair shop, Hawkers in Fort Collins, Co. They're very honest and fair.
I had already bought the sensor on Amazon for $43, it was a DENSO unit. This shop is 1 off few who will install your part just slightly bumping their labor rate.
They quoted $350-$450 to install. They called me 3 hrs later after install. The VSC chk eng lights still came on. It was the WRONG one I bought on AMAZON
though it clearly stated it was for my 2007 GX470! THAT WAS WRONG.
The one Amazon sold fit a 2003 -2004 GX470. The garage told me the O2 sensor I gave them from Amazon was Denso no. 234-4138
but correct one was 234-9051 for the 2005-2009 GX470!! After replacing with the correct one (they supplied this time ) total cost was $698. Oh well,
I've saved 10s of thousands of dollars over last 55 years and multiple vehicles. BEWARE of Amazon when ordering. ROCK auto is an excellent reference.
My new gas cap was disappointing, it's like it was too tight and the little leash on it wouldn't spin when you tightened the cap, it actually broke off a couple months ago. Original lasted like 15 years, new OEM was trash from new, and broke inside of 3 years!
I'm wondering if they changed manufacturers or something on the gas caps. My replacement lasted I think 3 or 4 years. So maybe they aren't as good as they used to be.
That looks sharp. Who makes it, and are those screws pretty secure?
Chip H.
It’s from Rago Fabrication. I liked it better than the others I saw mainly because it doesn’t sit flat. It uses bolts and lock nuts so it seems good and secure.
11-21-21, 04:54 AM
