Cam Belt Replacement

[Iluvmycar]

Hi all.

I'm new to the loc forums, and I'm amazed at the wealth of information offered here to lexus newbies like myself.

Having looked into the costs of the cambelt replacement including the water pump, alternator belt, ac belt, it looks like I will be busy for the next couple of weekends.

Could one of you experienced guys out there tell me what a "breaker bar" is. Is it an extension bar for the socket wrench? I tinkered about with cars when I was younger, and never came across one of these.

One other question, once the new belts are on, do you use an "araldite" type glue to lock the pulley bolts to stop them slackening off, or are they just torqued up to specification?

Thanks again, your forums are fantastic

Stuarty

[kam05]

Hi mate, this should help you:

CLICK ME

[MacRS200]

A breaker bar is one of THESE. This is the one that I have. Have always rated the Halfords Professional range good for the price, also if you break it they will replace it free.

[Steviewevie]

A breaker bar is just a longer bar (as you can see from the links) and will let you apply more force to whatever you're trying to loosen/tighten. Actually, you've reminded me, it's something that I need to pick up myself, and since I've already got some Halfords Professional stuff (which seems very good) I think I'll get it from them - as Mac said if it breaks you can get it replaced free.

[Iluvmycar]

thanks for the quick replies gents, it's kinda what I thought it was, just never knew it's proper name.

As for the threadlock type glue question. A few years ago my father in law had a timing chain beak through the block after he did a head gasket replacement on a mazda. A mazda tech told him after the damage was done he should have used a glue type compound to lock the pulley bolt.

Thanks again

Stuart

[k33rjd]

you can use a thread lock if you wish, but isnt neccessary- if the bottom pulley bolt is torqued up to the correct torque setting then that will be sufficent. if you dont have a torque wrench then if you tighten the bottom pulley bolt up as tight as possible then using a block of wood on the tool your using to tighten it, give it a couple of taps with a hammer (this helps ensure the bolt is tightened enough as the engine will turn over as your trying to tighten it). and as long as you dont remove the camshaft pulley bolt (as it shold be replaced with new if done so), you shouldnt have any problems. i cant talk for mazda, but lexus rarely use thread lock on any bolts. in some cases they use a sealant - like that on the gearboxes - to ensure a bolt doesnt leaka fluid. if you need any torque settings just ask.

and i can say that the Halfords breaker bars are second only to mac or snap-on. very similar in quality and reliability but beats them on price. would recommend.

[Steviewevie]

On the same original topic of this thread, as I mentioned earlier, I need to get hold of a breaker bar myself. I see that they come in different lengths. Would I pretty much just be best off getting the longest one that I can, i.e. to supply the biggest leverage ? That was my plan but just wanted to check I'm not missing something.

[Iluvmycar]

Thanks for all your advice guys Its 1st stop Halfords for me then I'll be digging out me old socket set and torque wrench

[MacRS200]

On the same original topic of this thread, as I mentioned earlier, I need to get hold of a breaker bar myself. I see that they come in different lengths. Would I pretty much just be best off getting the longest one that I can, i.e. to supply the biggest leverage ? That was my plan but just wanted to check I'm not missing something.

Problem is if get the longest one you can't get into a lot of places, I got the 16" (400mm) one and even that is too long for some jobs. Generally I can get most things undone with though.

Also worth buying decent sockets as well because with the extra leverage you can easily knacker the hex on a bolt if you use badly fitting sockets.

[k33rjd]

i would always recommend single hex sockets as they fit better. also you should only need the longest breaker bar (the longest bar fits snuggly into the chassis leg crumple zone) for undoing the bottom pulley bolt when changing the cambelt. there are no other 'tight' bolts that cant be undone with a standard 3/8ths rachet. altough i do agree that the medium length bar comes in handy for other jobs.

[MacRS200]

i would always recommend single hex sockets as they fit better.

Could not agree more, quality single hex sockets usually have a slight inward curve on the faces so they bear on the "flats" of the hex and not the corners.

i do agree that the medium length bar comes in handy for other jobs.

I went for the medium length bar for general purpose use, I suppose it also depends on the individual. I'm about 15 stone and an ex prop so hanging off the end of that gives me a fair amount of leverage. If I needed a longer one for a specific job I would go out and buy one. Over the years my tool kit has built up from basic stuff by getting tools as I needed them.

[Steviewevie]

I've already got a Halford Professional socket set, so hopefully that means my sockets are already decent quality. Thanks for the tips though, sounds like I will be picking up a 16" breaker bar before too long.