95 Camry DX, Timing Belt Replacment

Hello, new to the forum. All help appreciated.

I am replacing the timing belt on my Camry. I thought I would do it myself. It is more complicated than I thought it would be.

So far, I have removed the right/front fender, per instructions from Haynes book. Removied all spark plugs. Removed valve cover. Removed altanator. I removed the top cover to the timing chain. I am having trouble removing bottom cover. Do I have to remove bottom pulley to before I get to remove the bottom timing belt cover?

The bottom pulley bolt is out, and TDC is aligned.

That is as far as I've got. Is there anything else to keep in mind, when I change this thing out?

Also, under the valve cover is lots of old oil gunk. I would like to clean it out. Any recommendations?

Thank you for all your help!

95 Camry DX, 4 cyl, 2200/16 Valve. 5SFE type motor.

This is an earlier post from this forum:


What you'll have to do to replace the timing belt in your Camry is this:

-Remove the right front wheel and fender apron seal.
-Remove the coolant overflow tank.
-Remove the spark plugs and drive belts.
-Remove the alternator and bracket.
-Support the engine from underneath with a floor jack and a piece of wood. (Not under the oil pan)
-Remove the right engine mount and support rod.
-Remove the upper timing belt cover screws and pull up the wiring harness, and remove the upper timing belt cover and gaskets.
-Position the No. 1 Piston at TDC on the compression stroke. Make sure the small hole in the camshaft pulley is aligned with the TDC mark on the cam bearing cap.
-Loosen the upper idler pulley set bolt and unhook the spring. Remove the belt from the upper.
-Remove the lower timing belt cover and slip the belt guide off the crankshaft.
-Slip the timing belt off the sprocket and remove it. If the sprocket is worn or damaged you will need to replace it.

This is an earlier post from this forum:


What you'll have to do to replace the timing belt in your Camry is this:

-Remove the right front wheel and fender apron seal.

-Remove the coolant overflow tank.
-Remove the spark plugs and drive belts.
-Remove the alternator and bracket.
-Support the engine from underneath with a floor jack and a piece of wood. (Not under the oil pan)
-Remove the right engine mount and support rod.
-Remove the upper timing belt cover screws and pull up the wiring harness, and remove the upper timing belt cover and gaskets.
-Position the No. 1 Piston at TDC on the compression stroke. Make sure the small hole in the camshaft pulley is aligned with the TDC mark on the cam bearing cap.
-Loosen the upper idler pulley set bolt and unhook the spring. Remove the belt from the upper.
-Remove the lower timing belt cover and slip the belt guide off the crankshaft.
-Slip the timing belt off the sprocket and remove it. If the sprocket is worn or damaged you will need to replace it.

I have all of that done. Except I have to pull the bottom pulley off to remove the bottom timing chain cover. I need to know how to remove the bottom pulley. I have tried working it with a pry bar. Didnt work. Any ideas?

Thanks for taking the time to reply to my problem!

Sometimes the pulley is on too tight, or it gets stuck, it is supposed to slip off relatively easily. Pry bar can damage the pulley. You might have to go out and buy or rent a pulley puller tool. They're not expensive, and can be found easily.

Make sure you check the alignment about A MILLION TIMES before you put the new timing belt back on because you will certainly move the crank around. It's a bitch of a job, isn't it? I was horrified the first time I did one.

Did you take off the fender? You didn't need to do that. You just needed to take off the access panel inside the wheel well.

Sometimes the pulley is on too tight, or it gets stuck, it is supposed to slip off relatively easily. Pry bar can damage the pulley. You might have to go out and buy or rent a pulley puller tool. They're not expensive, and can be found easily.

Make sure you check the alignment about A MILLION TIMES before you put the new timing belt back on because you will certainly move the crank around. It's a bitch of a job, isn't it? I was horrified the first time I did one.

Did you take off the fender? You didn't need to do that. You just needed to take off the access panel inside the wheel well.

First, THANK YOU for taking the time to tell me about the puller. I will pursue one this week. Next, I totally agree about taking the fender off. I have a Haynes book that says to do that. And after everything Ive done, it just seemed like a waste of time.

And also, is it ness to pull the top pulley off? AGAIN, THANKS FOR THE ADVICE!

If you use a puller, it should be the type that attaches to the hub only, e.g. steering wheel puller.Do not use a jaw-type puller as it will damage your pulley.Top pulley is only needed to be pulled if you are changing the oil seal.Water pump change recommended.

I don't know if you need to pull the camshaft pulley. On my car (88 with 2.0 4cyl) you don't need to. If the Haynes manual says to pull it, I would expect so, but after your experience with the fender I wouldn't be suprised if they were wrong again! Moonshine is right! Use a puller that will screw into the crank pulley. I use a STEERING WHEEL PULLER from Lisle, Inc. It's small, and works great. I don't know if it will work for you, however.