kuzbro

I replaced the timing belt on my 1990 3.0 V6 at 76,400 miles. During the process I adjusted the valves, replaced the water pump, idler pulleys, intake gasket , coolant, thermostat, and radiator hoses. All parts were Toyota OEM and were purchased from a local Toyota Dealer. You can buy the tools required to adjust valves for about $40.00 on ebay. I also ordered the SST Toyota tool set for $200.00 but managed with the aftermarket set. Nissan has same type valve adjustment system and the same tools worked for my Nissan Frontier. I found three valves that needed adjustment and had to wait two days for shims from Toyota. The timing belt, water pump, idler pulleys, all looked in good shape. I did find out the old timing belt had stretched a bit and was making some noise. Until that time I thought the noise was coming from transmission. I spent about $500 on parts, but they were all Toyota OEM. My policy is always use genuine Toyota parts if possible, Toyota has such a good reputation primarily because their parts quality. Two weeks later we made a 2600 mile round trip to Dallas, Texas and the only problem was about 10 oz of coolant loss. The radiator cap turned out to be defective and I replaced same. That took care of the problem. Anyway, any mechanic that can't adjust the valves should not be allowed to touch anything else. The special tools are not that high tech. Just a special type of pliers to take tension off the valve spring and a shim removal tool. You will also need a micrometer and know some basic algebra to figure out what size shim is needed to bring your valve(s) back to specs. Valves that are too tight will effect compression and can burn, and one that is too loose will be noisy. There are lots of things that have to be removed such as the power steering pump, EGR valve, vacuum lines, just to name a few. It is a lot of work. If something isn't done right the first time, having to go back into the engine would be painful. I took about a week and took my time. I set up a patio umbrella to shade the sun. I would not consider doing the same for anyone for less than 1500.00 with the understanding that it could go higher if I found anything out of the ordinary. Like I mentioned previously, the Toyota Valve Adjust tools didn't arrive until after I finished the job. They are obviously made better than the after market set I used.

I may mention a few things that has already been covered, but here goes. First is that it's good to know the Toyota based RV is overloaded before any personal stuff is brought on board. The one ton axle is a must for safe Toyota RV travel. The rear axle has timkin bearings that require clean and repack service. Seals and hub gaskets are needed to accomplish the work. It's not rocket science work, and if possible it's better to do it yourself and cut no corners. The 3.0 V6 is my preferred engine. It does fit tighter, but mine never let me down. It is a non-interference engine, so if you lose a timing belt there is no damage. I replaced my timing belt at 76K and it looked almost new, but had stretched enough to cause some noise. The new belt took care of that. Spark plugs require patience to change, but can be done in about an hour. I use NGK or Denso plugs, I sold my 1990 on Ebay a couple years ago for 6200.00. I sold it in California which required a smog check. There are many other things I could mention, but time is short. One final thing, the Toyota RV does not respond well in snow or ice. It's heavy for it's size. I only drove south in the winter months.

I used to spend a lot of time on generator when traveling. My Honda 2KW generator would keep the AC running, battery charger, and power for charging cell phones, etc. I would shut down the AC if I needed to run the microwave or coffee maker.

No matter how experienced, valve adjustment for a Toyota 3.0, (in the truck) is a pain. I've said this on other forums, but at 72,000 miles, I found one valve tight, .007 remember right. Shim change went OK. Practice makes perfect.

Repacked my bearings last summer. I replaced the inner and outer seals, grease was partially diluted with gear oil, but bearings looked fine. I replaced the gaskets at the axle flange, got them from Toyota, replaced one of the locking screws, also from Toyota. Breaks shoes and hardware still in good shape, last done three years , 20,000 miles ago. The cone washers came out with a few taps on the hub,...check out YouTube for pictures of same.

Does anyone know the proper install depth for the axle seal? Is it installed flush with the end of the tube?

The Brunswick, Ohio dealer has at least one experienced tech. Valve adjustments are not rocket science for competent mechanics. Even if they were affraid of the "shims", it would be worth at least checking to see if there were any out of adjustment. I will be checking mine soon. I just bought new valve cover gaskets. I'll keep you posted.

Thanks for your comments. First, yes, I have the floating axle and had them done last year. Since then I have purchased the special tool to do the work myself. I was mostly curious if anyone is actually using the tension guage. I ended up first tightening the nut to 25 Ft lbs (Toyota recommended), loosening the nut, then tightening about a half or less turn beyond finger tight. I used a scale that was designed for weighing fish, starting tension of my setting was about 1.2 lbs of force. That is within specs.

I just repacked my 90 Winnebago front wheel bearings. The Toyota manual tells you to use a spring scale to adjust the bearings. I'm wondering if anyone uses this method/ and if so, what type of spring scale did you use?

I torque mine to 150 then use a breaker bar with socket and add a bit more. It's not rocket science, I just have a feel for it.

Ken, 70 PSI seems real high for the airbags. I run mine at about 35 to 40 PSI, I found your post because I'm searching for ride height adjustment. I am concerned that I may have been running with the rear end too high which can effect steering, etc. My technical data is in the RV which is in storage. I'll follow up after reviewing same.

Jim, Thanks for the information. My timing belt is up for replacement in about 5000 miles. Did Toyota ever upgrade to a stronegr belt that suppose to last longer? And, is there a special tool need to get the job done?

I have a 90 Warrior and just bought a set of the same tires for the rear. I tried to obtain the same ones on the front (Federal), but had no luck. I made a 1800 mile trip with them set at 52 psi (rear) 45 front. I met a retired tire man at a campground and he suggested I run the rear tires at 65 and the frons at 55. I decided to split the difference and try 60 psi for the rear, and 50 on the front. I made a test ride and the ride did seem to be better. As for the RV manufactures providing information, they suck in that department. Tire pressure is important and as for Winniebaggo, I'm pretty disappointed in their lack of concern. Anyway, good luck. And, as for those Cont. Vanco's, they are made in Brazil,...not impressed with that, but we'll see. I use to buy a lot of VW parts and tried to avoid brazillain made parts because they were cheaper made in quality.