I don't know when the previous owner replaced (or didn't) the timing belt, and the timing belt cover has been badly damaged since I bought the truck, so I decided to finally just replace the belt and fix the cover. It was surprisingly painless and, aside from waiting for solvent to dry, only took about an hour or two, tops. The only tricky part was replacing the tensioner spring. That sucker is tremendously stiff and difficult to get into position. I ended up sliding the spring along one screwdriver until it was close enough to hook onto the post where it belongs. Then using a few gentle taps from a socket extension to knock it into position.
To fix the timing belt cover, I used ABS plastic melted in Acetone to "weld" the ABS plastic of the cover back together and fill the holes. It worked great! Acetone has nasty vapors, use caution.

"Before", badly cracked timing cover.	Taped up and ready for filling	I added larger chunks of plastic to fill the big voids, to help prevent sagging and hopefully speed things up a bit
Acetone. The smallest container I could get is a liter. I am certain that I will never need to repair enough plastic to use an entire liter.	ABS chunks, waiting for solvent	The ABS donor- an extra window switch
Dribbling the gooey glue into the cracks. My first attempt was rather thin and evaporated too quickly. The second batch that I made was much better- I let it dissolve the ABS overnight and got a thick paste.	The finished product. Not perfect, but watertight.	Interior view of the finish. I could sand it and even paint it to make it look better. But who am I trying to kid? This will never be a 'show' motor.
New timing belt, new tension spring. Re-used the idler pulley as it spins very freely, no wobble or sticking points. Getting that spring on it challenging.	New fan clutch beside old fan clutch. Minor housing differences. Much cleaner.	Side view of fan clutches. Note the blue stem on the new one. I wonder why blue?
Fan. A little battered, A lot dirty.	All clean! Still a little battered.	My dog. Very helpful. Guarding the beer (empties).
Fan clutch and timing cover, installed.	Along the way I found an old oil cap that was in better shape than the one on the motor. And it says "Toyota", which I prefer to "Engine Oil". It is the little victories that I savor the most.

Labels: Costa Rica, dog, land cruiser, photo