6G Celicas Forums

Apparently, mine doesn't have enough torque (like my 200k 7AFE - LOL!).

I ended up making a tool this weekend. I welded two tabs onto a piece of 3/16" bar stock (at about 45* angles) and spaced them so that they would grip the webbing of the balancer. I left the bar stock long enough (about 20") so that the tool would brace itself against the garage floor as I turned the crankshaft bolt. Problem solved. The same tool worked great to re-install the bolt.

Thanks for help - I drove the car to work this morning.

How do I hold the crankshaft pulley still in order to break loose the crankshaft bolt? Is there some special tool or holder?

On a small block chevy, I've always crammed a screwdriver in there - that's not an option on the Toyota...

Good, thanks. I've got all those things + a timing light. Can you even adjust the timing at the distributor on these cars? I thought that was flashed onto the ecm & controlled by the crankshaft position sensor. I dunno.

On a side note - the Toyota parts counter didn't have any of the parts I needed (timing belt kit, various gaskets, and the water pump) and their price was $250 HIGHER than Napa (I'll take my chances on a car with 200k on the clock). The water pump alone was $121 vs. $59. Yikes.

I'm trying to determine if I need any special tools to replace the timing belt on my 7afe.

I did a little digging and found the pdf's for the tech manual & they show a special tool when you remove the belt. Is it really needed?

EDIT: It's called "SST" & it is pictured for the crankshaft pulley removal. Is this just a pulley puller? END EDIT

Also, I'm assuming I need to get a new belt & idler pulley, a new valve cover gasket, and a new water pump/gasket. Did I miss anything? I'm assuming Toyota parts are the way to go, right?

Sorry for all the questions, but I'm new to Celicas. Thanks!

Thanks, that's what I figured. I didn't know if the car would through a code or something...

My AC compressor started to lock up yesterday. Once the smoke & smell subsided, I removed the belt & unplugged the compressor from the wiring harness. For a car with 200k miles, I'm not complaining!

Am I asking for trouble if I run my '96 ST / 7AFE with no AC belt?

So far, the engine idles MUCH smoother and has better pickup - the compressor must have been dragging for a while...

Interesting project you have here Matt.

I'm curious if you've done any port matching on the intake/heads/headers (or exhaust manifold) - especially since you had the runners in the heads opened up. It seems like you would want them to match spot-on if you really wanted this engine to breath as well as possible.

How much did you deck the head & block? Did you just deck them to get them true, or did you shave enough to actually change the compression ratio?