Hello Toyota groupies, I am working on a 95 Lexus ES300 with the 1MZFE engine. This is my first encounter with this particular engine, and I need some info from more experienced persons. The mileage on the car is 220,000 and the last time the timing belt was changed was at 93,000.
I intend to do the following: Timing belt, water pump, Valve cover gaskets (leaking), and the usual tune-up items plugs, filters etc. So far I have removed the timing covers, setup the marks and removed the old belt. After taking out the nuts and bolts holding in the water pump, I realized that the black metal plate behind the cam gears is blocking the pump from coming out. I tried holding the front exhaust cam at the flats with a 15/16 wrench while trying to break the 17mm bolt on the cam gear, but is rock hard and doesn't budge.
Is there anything special about this bolt that I should know about? Lefthand thread? Does anyone have any tricks to renoving the water pump without removing that metal plate?
Any advice or additional tips are greatly appreciated. Inshan