Davo76

BUMP

Same here on my '02 wagon. Been too lazy to investigate but will post here if I ever do.

Hi all, I've been after the mesh grille from a GTP Gen 4. Toyota doesn't have any more and I've had no luck from the wreckers or find-a-part. Can anyone help?

Hi all, I've just signed up after having seen all the awesome info available in the forums. I drive a white 2002 MCV20R Camry CSi Wagon that's done 149k. Bought it a year ago and all that time dreamed of having a manual transmission. Weird that Toyota decided not to offer a manual gearbox in the V6 wagons, they made manual V6 sedans amd manual 4-cylinder wagons. Anyway, I have just converted mine in my shed using a manual V6 sedan as a donor. While I was at it I decided to replace the motor with one from a 2004 Avalon with only 62k kms. The job wasn't that hard, anyone with a bit of mechanical know-how and an engine hoist could get it done. I used the donor car instead of buying all the bits from a wrecker as it probably worked out cheaper and i knew I was getting everything. I used a 2002 Advantage sedan that I bought unregistered for $1900. Now I've got mine up and running, I've just got to get the sedan running(with my auto) for sale before the missus really gets upset with it sitting in the front yard. Manual transmission has really woken up the car. It seems like a different car! For anyone who hasn't driven a 20-series manual V6, it is quite surprising and has made a few friends re-assess their thoughts on Camrys. Looking forward to being active on the forums, especially the Camry one, learning from and helping other members.

Good idea to get it all done, let me know how much it all costs. To do the idler pulley job there's no need to undo the crank pulley bolt. Takes a big rattle gun to get it off and on.

Hi mate, it's quite an easy job to do if you have a little bit of mechanical know-how. I had to do it myself recently. Firstly, you have to remove the upper timing belt cover(some of the lower bolts can be difficult to get at, go through the driver's side wheel arch and remove the splash-guard at the front thats held on with 2 small bolts, you'll need to do this for later anyway)which requires removing the dog-bone upper engine mount. Once you've got the timing belt cover off, immediately put a small paint mark on the cam gears and belt, just in case the belt slips while your working, so you'll know exactly what tooth goes where. The upper idler pulley is right in the middle of the cylinder Vee and can come out now with a 14mm socket. To get the new one on you'll have to remove the hydraulic tensioner located at the rear of the engine, just above the sump, it's a small silver tube-like device pointing straight down, about 10cm long and attached with 2 12mm bolts. Before removing it, place a small nail or allen key into the hole in the rubber grommet on the tensioner to lock the piston in place. This will make re-installation much easier. Now you can put a long spanner or socket wrench onto the rear cylinder bank cam gear and turn it clockwise just enough to get enough slack in the belt to re-install the idler pulley. Re-assembly is the opposite, do the tensioner(slowly "walk" the tensioner in by alternating between the 2 bolts), pull out the nail or allen key(may need pliers), re-install the timing belt cover, dog-bone mount, and inner wheel-arch splash guard and you're done. Oh, and get the pulley from a bearing place like CBC, same pulley just half the price Toyota will try to charge! All the best, any problems PM me.