How to Change the Timing Belt on a '97 Toyota Tercel
- 1). Remove the fan belt by loosening the nuts bolting the alternator to the engine, pushing the alternator down and removing the belt.
- 2). Remove all the bolts from your engine's top and bottom timing covers and remove both covers. The timing cover protects the timing belt or chain. The bottom cover is behind the harmonic balancer, so remove the balancer's bolt and pull it off. If you cannot remove the balancer by hand, remove it with a puller.
- 3). Paint a line on each of the timing belt's cogs to show the cogs' positions in relation to other parts of the engine using the white paint and paint brush, and draw a diagram of where the belt goes. After that, loosen the bolt on the tensioner pulley and push down on the pulley with the pliers. Tighten it in the loose position to hold the pulley in place.
- 4). Remove the old timing belt and replace it with a new one following your diagram drawn in Step 3. If needed, there are diagrams available in repair manuals for the Tercel.
- 5). Loosen the bolt on the tensioner pulley and allow it to spring back into its normal position. Replace the bottom timing cover and the harmonic balancer before testing your engine by turning the engine over two full rotations using a cheater bar and a socket. Check your alignment marks to be sure the engine is moving freely.
- 6). Replace the top timing cover and the fan belt and be sure all bolts have been tightened securely.
