I'm a little late and understand the burning is gone, but did you mean as in burning coolant or perhaps a little like burning rubber? Just as a precaution... One thing that popped out at me was that you replaced your Timing Belt Tensioner but no mention of a new Belt. As you may recall when installing the Tensioner, the amount of force takes to compress it before installing. A new Tensioner puts a great amount of force on the pulley which rolls against the belt and can give off a burning rubber type odor for a while.

Although, common mistakes such as the pulley is over-tightened or the washer behind the pulley left off by mistake, the pulley will not roll freely against the belt. In this case the burning odor will also go away when the pulley or bolt finally works it's way loose or when the belt develops a hard enough glaze from the friction until it finally breaks.

Sensei

 

Where've you been man??? I was waiting for you to chime in with some words of wisdom for me

You're correct, I did not put a new belt on because I had just replaced the T-belt about 4 months ago. At that time I was low on funds and couldn't get a thermostat and water pump put in at the same time and decided to wait. Now, because the belt was replaced a short time ago we simply inspected it (and it was still in great shape of course) and put the water pump and thermo in. The smell I detected seemed to be more like rubber than like coolant so your diagnosis is most likely dead on. I know no parts were left over or forgotten (and the smell is now long gone) so hopefully all is well. Any other thoughts? I appreciate your input, always very helpful

One other thing you stated, "A new Tensioner puts a great amount of force on the pulley which rolls against the belt and can give off a burning rubber type odor for a while." Is there any danger in this?

 

Not that I am absolutely correct, but a new tensioner with an older belt is what I would suspect. No danger, the tensioner is designed to push against the roller and keep the belt effectively taut. As already mentioned, it's kinda "just breaking in" as they say. Your old tensioner was probably somewhat worn out and wasn't strong enough to really stretch out the belt.

Not to get alarmed, but I can somewhat predict another possible upcoming issue related to all this. Generally on it's own, a car with high miles, the oil seals behind the Cam pulleys and especially the seal behind the Crank pulley begin to leak oil. Understandably with the belt nice and taut, now puts more load on these pulleys. If you haven't replaced these seals when you replaced your Timing Belt, I wouldn't be surprised if your Crank seal starts to slowly leak oil; although using quality oils and filters with regular changes can help aleviate this problem all together. So, you're probably wondering what's this all gonna cost?

Well, an Oil Seal is only around $5 bucks. Knowing that you have to spend another weekend removing EVERYTHING you've just put in, to access the Oil Seal... PRICELESS!

Sensei

 

Ahhh, well...I changed the valve cover gaskets/seals if that's what you're referring to. Is it? Funny you should mention the old tensioner though. When we tried to put it back on the pin wouldn't move telling us that the tensioner was dead. This caused a 2 hour delay in the repair because we had to drop everything and race down to the dealership to buy the part ($75) before they closed. keep the info flowing my good man

I paid $21 each for the seals from Beverly Hills Lexus and yes, it took a whole day to do the work but hey, I did it and it's done...I did notice when I was down in there for the water pump that there was a load of gunk on the splash guard and the lower part of the engine in front by the radiator. I want to get the thing steam cleaned but I'm hesitant...I've also heard people mention issues with the rear main seal, but I haven't tackled that yet nor do I know what the signs are.

 

Well well well...guess what repair I'm dealing with now?...I'll give ya a cookie if you can guess. lol.

 

Hi Guys,
How much would the cost of fixing power steering pump be (parts and labor)?

 

The pump is about $95 if you get the OEM one from Carson Toyota and labor will run a couple hundred at most shops. So I'd say you're looking at @ $250-$300 total.

For future reference, using the "search" feature of the forum is better than posting a random question within a thread. Call some shops and get some quotes and compare.