5.7 Toyota Tundra DIY - Serpentine Belt, Tensioner Pulley, & Idler Pulley

[@felipesalazar942]

February 18, 2022 I followed every step of your video and I just finished changing the same parts as you did. Got my dayco parts from advance auto parts Can't thank you enough!

[@MidMoTundra]

I’m glad the video was helpful and you had a successful DIY! Thank you for the feedback, hope you have a great weekend

[@bendeleted9155]

Did yours start squeaking only for a minute or two when cold?

[@jacalnan]

My 2015 Tundra 1794 same color as yours with 73000 miles just started making the pulley noise. I got two quotes from two different Toyota dealers and they want $285 and/or $558 to replace the belt and pulleys. Thanks to your video I'll do it myself and save hundreds!

[@MidMoTundra]

We got the best Tundra color IMO! I’m glad the video was helpful, should be an easy DIY as it was pretty straightforward

[@jacalnan]

Just installed the pullies and belt today following your instructions and made all of the same purchases you advised with 75K miles on my Tundra. Took better part of an hour and the toughest part was figuring out how to twist the belt to get it on without removing anything. Thanks for saving me hundreds!!! Jim from Dallas

[@MidMoTundra]

@@jacalnan nice DIY work! I’m glad the view was helpful, and I’m happy it saved you money!

[@darkmatterm4a1]

If your 6mm hex bolt is rusted and stripped and you can't get it out, use a T40 torx bit instead. The torx bit bites into the sides of the bolt head and prevents it from slipping. Put pressure on it and you'll eventually hear a snap and the bolt will come loose. Much easier than having to pull the radiator out. Don't forget to order a replacement bolt. Hope this helps someone.

[@Laffy1345]

Thanks it did me

[@lowlifea_yt8164]

Where did you get the replacement bolt from

[@edwardkim3277]

Just finished replacing mine. My truck is 15 with 35k miles. Same symptoms on irregular intervals on cold and humid days. Though noise is gone once it warms up but it was enough to get my attention. Took good 2 hrs. I appreciate your guidance otherwise I wouldn't have attempted.

[@MidMoTundra]

Edward Kim I’m glad the video was able to help you tackle this yourself, thank you

[@DMJ160]

Wow, 35k and these pulleys need replaced? When did Toyota switch to dayco pulleys? What happened with Denso?

[@edwardkim3277]

@@DMJ160 I know right?.. Mine still have noticeable squeal if I listen for it. It may be is coming from water pump pulleys.

[@Jcreek201]

Thanks for the video. On cold/wet days, my truck will squeal, but only ever at idle, and when the engine is cold. Once the RPMs get over 1200 or so, it goes away temporarily, and once the engine it warm, it goes away completely. I've always assumed it was a belt/pulley issue but I've never been able to isolate it for sure. I've taken it in a couple times, but it happens so irregularly, they've never been able to replicate it, and since it only happens a handful of times each year, never a saw reason to dump a bunch of money into it. This helped confirm my suspicions but didn't do much to show the process of actually replacing the belt. =/

[@tommyg5346]

Nicely done. You saved me a ton of time and money. Just finished mine. Thank you for taking the time to video this and help others.

[@MidMoTundra]

Thank you, I’m glad it was helpful. Good job

[@amco314]

2015 tundra, squeaking at 109k, I had changed the serpentine belt with a continental belt which it had actually stopped for a few months. Once again it’s back, will look into replacing the belt tensioner and idler pulley. Thanks for the video!

[@MidMoTundra]

No problem! I’m glad the video was helpful and thank you for sharing your experience

[@Rain-ox3dp]

That's the same belt that runs the alternators?

[@amco314]

@@Rain-ox3dpYes, that is correct.

[@aymanbeedo7911]

Thank you so much for making this video. I was able to change the belt and the tensioner by following your directions.

[@MidMoTundra]

Thank you for the feedback! I’m glad the video was able to guide you through the DIY

[@howardlund3356]

Thanks for the video! Very helpful my 2016 Tundra just started making the same noise. Will be ordering parts soon.

[@MidMoTundra]

Thanks for the feedback! Good luck on your install, mine was smooth without hiccups

[@HeyMikeyLikesIt2]

I had a squeal about a year ago, and replaced the belt and worked for me. I always thought its the belt when you hear the squeal. When you hear a chirp 🐥,chirp sound that’s a pulley bearing rubbing. I thought like you did….since I’m going to be in there I may as well replace everything. I smelled some antifreeze, so I got the water pump, thermostat, tensioner pulley….. I haven’t started and glad I didn’t. I need those special tools. But I’m going to actually start with the tensioner. If that stops the chirp, I’m returning some other parts.

[@MidMoTundra]

Sounds like a good plan, I’m at ~59k miles now and zero issues since I replaced the parts in the video (knock on wood)

[@HeyMikeyLikesIt2]

@@MidMoTundra it squeaked again after 4 months….. toyota is known for the chirp/squeak. The pulleys don’t line up very well, and puts a very small strain on the rubber belt, that’s why after 4 months it started again. This time I dipped the belt in 303 Aerospace rubber protectant for 20 minutes. Wiped it clean and installed. The first start up it squeaked….. that was yesterday. The next day, no chirp. I’ll give you a 4 month update soon.

[@MidMoTundra]

@@HeyMikeyLikesIt2 dang, let me updated. I haven’t done anything to my belt or pulley’s since doing the DIY

[@MBTUE]

I have a 2007 tundra 206,500 miles with the original pully and tensioner pully. It just started squeaking a bit. I can't imagine it's a Dayco brand if yours is so much newer and crapping out already. Maybe they used Japan built parts back then. 07 was first year of the new Tundra. Interesting. Thanks for the video.

[@6pointstar]

Very cool! Thanks for the video and especially the parts info.

[@matthewlyons9272]

Thanks man! My squeak is just now showing up at 85k. Gonna fix here soon.

[@jp_r00512]

I have a '13 Sequoia and had some squeaking. Used your video to get me through and fixed the issue. Thanks!

[@MidMoTundra]

Glad the video was helpful, thank you for the feedback

[@AzJoshRealty]

Well I purchased theses DACO parts for my 2014 Tundra from Amazon as advised by this video. My Tundra as of this time has over 87,000 miles and one of these original bearings are beginning to make some noise. My DACO belt that I received was made in Argentina. My DACO tensioner pulley assembly that I received was made in USA. My DACO idler pulley that I received was made in China. I just got off the phone from my Toyota dealer parts center tech. He verified that their factory parts are only made in USA and Japan. Looks like I will be returning my DACO belt and idler pully back to Amazon. Next time I will spend the extra money and purchase only factory parts!!! My advise to everyone is to shop the internet for the best prices on factory Toyota parts.

[@MidMoTundra]

Interesting, I checked my boxes and all my parts were made in the USA except for the idler pully. I pinned a comment, the OEM belt supplier is Bando not Dayco as confirmed by a user that works for TMMTX. The Bando part number they gave is 8PK2410 or the Toyota part number is PT-90916-A2023

[@kabbythedog9409]

Thanks made me feel good about my lil squeaks mine always been like that in the rain

[@ChangYangOutdoors]

Great job! Now I’m about to attempt this tomorrow

[@MidMoTundra]

CY tv thanks, hope the video was helpful. Good luck tomorrow!

[@smokedout1993]

Just finished changing my timing chains, makes this look like cake! 😄 great job man!

[@MidMoTundra]

Good job, the timing chains aren’t for the faint of heart

[@stetsonakin527]

Josh, what were the symptoms for the timing chain replacement?

[@smokedout1993]

@@stetsonakin527 I had chain slap, sounded like horses galloping in my engine, got worse with increased rpm

[@smokedout1993]

Thought it was the tensioner but the driver side chain was stretched

[@kabbythedog9409]

Switched both nice and quiet now 😎 honestly mine has been squeaking for 70k

[@doughembruff6202]

Awsome. But now I am stuck working the snow. So I will be taking it in.

[@rusgrigo]

Jesus, I’ve got 2009 with 170k, it sounds better with original still belt/pulleys 😂 Gonna do mine today as preventative maintenance- it warmed up here in Alaska to 30’s ha Thanks for sharing diy

[@obviousgiant4568]

Here on this channel cause my truck sounds like that right now. 😂😂😂😂

[@exquisiteremodeling1]

I didn’t see in your video where you remove the tension off the pulley, and how you used the Allen key.

[@MidMoTundra]

The Allen key is to hold the pulley in the back position to remove tension on the belt. Once the belt is removed, you can release the tension in the pulley and remove the Allen key before you remove it from the vehicle. Or you can put the pulley in a vice and remove the Allen key with it off the vehicle. Sorry I didn’t include that part

[@jujitsujosh4774]

So do you think the squeak was coming from a pulley or the belt?

[@otahu26]

Frig'n Toyota and that Tension is a pain in the butt.. The pulley doesn't go. It's the Pressure on the tension-er itself looses pressure over time. The 4.7 uses a Spring type and no issues.

[@ilovetotri23]

Great video! I have now changed my serpentine belt and idler pulley thanks to your great video! My "tweetie bird" sound has not gone away. I am up for changing out the tensioner pulley, but wondering how much more I should spend guessing at parts.

[@MidMoTundra]

Mine was the tensioner pulley, I’d almost bet that if you still have a noise it’s probably coming from that. Thanks for the feedback, and great job on the DIY!

[@ilovetotri23]

@@MidMoTundra Tensioner pulley should be here tomorrow. Thanks for the support.

[@MidMoTundra]

@@ilovetotri23 thank you for your support, good luck 👍

[@ilovetotri23]

@@MidMoTundra Replaced tensioner pulley today. the "tweetie bird" sound remains.

[@MidMoTundra]

@@ilovetotri23 oh no, I’m sorry to hear that. Wonder if it’s the water pump or another pulley that’s associated with the belt. Does it get louder higher the RPM’s are? If so, I’d think it has to be something on the drive belt or maybe the fan clutch

[@coloradoboo1071]

Great video! I'm leery of chinese-knockoff Toyota OEM parts on Amazon so only buy from an on-line Toyota dealership. Amazon needs to do a better job protecting consumers from Chinese crooks but they won't...it's all about making money.

[@MidMoTundra]

I have the same fear, I try to get everything on Amazon where it’s returnable for 30 days incase I get jipped. Luckily the parts can be sourced from other vendors, my experience has been the return process is usually cumbersome compared to Amazon or a big company

[@fernandobobu2274]

Thanks men! Good job!

[@ErniePortell]

Is the idler pulley directional? Looks the exact same if you flip it 180 from what I can tell

[@MidMoTundra]

I believe it is, but it has been awhile since I had one in my hands

[@MakerSeeMakerDo]

Awesome video! On the tensioner pulley, you dropped that Allen wrench in there after you cranked back the tensioner arm with the 14mm wrench to hold the arm back? Also are you using a torque wrench to install the screws back? If so are you tightening to a particular #?

[@MidMoTundra]

Thank you! I used the allen to hold it in the hole, I didn’t get it out after inserting it and it was the cheapest tool to sacrifice for me. Looks like it has to be ~5mm or smaller to fit in the service hole. The tensioner pully torque specs for the two bolts show 17 ft lb per the Toyota manual I used. I didn’t see a torque spec for the idler bolt. Here a link to the document I referenced: dahoodman.com/docs/Tundra_3UR-FE_Belt.pdf

[@chriscooper1910]

@@MidMoTundra I know it's a late reply, but for those in the future. Both tensioner bolts are 17ft/lbs, as you stated, and the idler is 32ft/lbs. Great job on the video! Really helped me out.

[@jdenha7078]

I got a belt from the dealer, it says Toyota on it, it was too tight I couldn’t install it even with the tensioner locked with an allen. It was way tighter than the old one

[@MidMoTundra]

Hmm, did you cross reference the part number to make sure they gave you the right one? Maybe they gave you one for a different engine?

[@tommychen3099]

Cool video. Thanks!

[@jamram9924]

Dayco is garbage. I removed the bearing from the factory tensioner and then pressed in another Koyo or Timken bearings.

[@Spillmansgarage]

200k on my factory Dayco tensioner. No noise, no issues.

[@TriggerMeisterDOTcom]

My truck has 67k miles on it, and I have the dayco. Not going with OEM 😂

[@okeyparsons]

I'm curious...why does the skid plate have to come off? Is this necessary for only a belt replacement?

[@MidMoTundra]

I had to go from underneath to loosen the tensioner pulley, I don’t think there was enough room to go from the top. The guides I read prior, all showed going from the bottom, that’s how I did mine

[@lilswagga254]

Good video, thanks man!

[@MidMoTundra]

Thanks, hope it was helpful

[@lilswagga254]

On the dayco idler did you have to take off a dust cover

[@MidMoTundra]

J.i.Martinez for the upper idler pully, I believe I only had to remove the engine cover. I was able to access it with my breaker bar

[@Matt_Funk]

Did you have a hard time getting the new belt on? Was it super tight and require forcing onto the tensioner pulley?

[@MidMoTundra]

I don’t recall it being super tight but the tensioner pully pinned back. Are you use it’s the correct belt?

[@SpiritKing-pg3hb]

Great job.

[@bneyens]

Mitsobishi makes the belt.

[@sergeydudukin4214]

Bando is making OEM for Toyota. Never heard of Dayco.

[@kirkhamster0024]

Great video bud. How are these dayco parts holding up? I have a 2016 sequoia with close to 70k miles. Debating if I should buy the dayco kit or buy OEM parts directly from Toyota. Price breakdown below. Serpentine Belt $49.76 Part # 90916-A2033 Accessory Drive Belt Tensioner $64.48 Part # 16620-0S012 Accessory Drive Belt Idler Pulley $71.69 Part # 16603-38012 Subtotal $185.93 Shipping $21.10 Tax $16.96 Total $223.99

[@MidMoTundra]

Thank you, I’ve been happy with my parts, no issues at all since I did the install. Only thing I’d change is I’d get the Bando belt as someone commented that’s the actual supplier for Toyota (I pinned the comment and part number in the comments section of this video). I haven’t priced my parts out since I did the install, but I plan on using the same parts except swapped for the Bando belt when I do this on our 5.7 Land Cruiser. Nothing wrong with OEM parts; but if you can get the “same part” directly from the supplier and save a decent chunk of change, I don’t see anything wrong with that

[@pastorfred3460]

any suggestions on torque specs...thanks for a great video!

[@MidMoTundra]

Hey, this is the repair document I used. If I recall correctly, it has all the torque specs dahoodman.com/docs/Tundra_3UR-FE_Belt.pdf

[@pastorfred3460]

@@MidMoTundra Thank you!!!

[@gurcharangrewal4078]

What are you supposed to do if the location where the pulley is supposed to be placed onto is broken. My mom’s Mercedes has that problem and now she’s using my car until I fix hers.

[@MidMoTundra]

Gurcharan Grewal I’m not familiar with how Mercedes are setup, but on my Toyota’s you can replace every part. I’d assume you should be able to remove the broken part and install a new one. You may need to contact a Mercedes dealer so you can get a diagram of the belt assembly on your Mom’s engine. That’s what I’d do and go from there

[@braydonhansen1785]

hkw did u relieve the tension on the pulley?

[@MidMoTundra]

You have to put a breaker bar on the first but on the tensioner pully. It’s spring loaded, so you have to turn it and it’ll relieve tension on the pully. There is an access hole that I put a lawn wrench into to to hold the tensioner pully in the “relived tension “ so you can remove and reroute the belt.

[@SunnyVangBruh]

Aww man mines doing the same thing. I hope its an easy job to replace

[@MidMoTundra]

I thought it was pretty easy, just take your time!

[@SunnyVangBruh]

@@MidMoTundra I did mine. It was easy but the most part I hate is the bolt that’s on the fan lol it was a pain in the ass to get them out. Thanks for the video it help out a lot!

[@MidMoTundra]

@@SunnyVangBruh agreed! I’m glad the video was helpful, good job on the DIY!

[@phi376]

Thank you!

[@MrFoxracer1215]

Do you have the torque specs on The 2 bolts?

[@MidMoTundra]

I show the two tensioner bolts are 17 ft-lb and the idler pulley is 32 ft-lb

[@dredlew]

What are the dangers of leaving it and not fixing it?

[@MidMoTundra]

Eventually whichever part is producing the noise will eventually fail. Given how easy and the cost of parts is relatively inexpensive, I’d recommend replacing the item(s) before the noise increases in volume

[@dredlew]

@@MidMoTundra thank you, if the belt comes off when the tensioner fails will it destroy the motor?

[@MidMoTundra]

@@dredlew shouldn’t damage the motor, maybe destroy the plastic fan blades but all of the accessory drive components won’t function and you’ll need a tow

[@dredlew]

@@MidMoTundra thank you for the practical response I really appreciate it.

[@MidMoTundra]

@@dredlew anytime, best of luck!

[@fabecov]

Would have the short 6mm socket work?.. or did it need to be long

[@MidMoTundra]

It would have worked with a slight extension and breaker bar. The short 6mm was 3/8 socket and the long was 1/2. I only had a 1/2 breaker bar which is why I used the long one. It didn’t require an extension due to the length.

[@elimaki4833]

Thanks you

[@alecd65]

How are these parts holding up about a year into it?

[@MidMoTundra]

I rolled 56k miles last week and zero issues with the parts I used. No noises at all, very happy with the parts after 13k miles and it’ll be 2 years this May

[@alecd65]

@@MidMoTundra that’s great to hear! I just replaced my serpentine belt thankfully that was the only issue. great video definitely helped a lot!

[@i.can.sew.anythingchic3295]

How long did it take to do the job?

[@MidMoTundra]

First time doing it plus trying to record and what not, I’d say maybe 2.5 hours. If I wasn’t recording I could probably knock it out in an hour - hour and a half. Pretty easy given nothing is rust welded together

[@4dot]

Any problems with the squealing returning?

[@MidMoTundra]

Nope, no squealing so far. Still quiet like the day I did the install

[@4dot]

Very nice, I had the same issue start a month or so ago. I think I'm going to replace the tensioner pulley and belt and not worry about the idler pulley.

[@MidMoTundra]

@@4dot gotcha, I did all of them since I had to take it apart anyways. I think the tensioner pulley is the culprit majority of the time

[@bbmaxi2k]

For the upper idler pulley, was it reversed thread, when you break the bolt loose did you pull towards the drivers side or the passenger?

[@MidMoTundra]

If my memory is correct, I’m 99% sure it’s standard threaded. I torqued it with my torque wrench towards the drivers side

[@cardiobroker]

“Everyone knows toyota 5.7s have squeal problem” One min later “I’m really happy with dayco. They make the belts and pulleys for the factory” Lol. You gotta admit that doesn’t sound right to go with what the factory chose if that is a common problem. I went with a different maker just BECAUSE the dayco from the factory squeal like 100% of the time after a few years

[@MidMoTundra]

I’ve had 5 5.7 V8 Toyota’s (2010/2011/2014/2016 Tundra and a 2016 Land Cruiser) and my 2016 Tundra is the first and only 5.7 so far to develop the squeal.

[@gregwolodkin4524]

Same here.. I've had three different 5.7L trucks and none of them had a squeal problem. Just changed the OEM pulley and tensioner (DAYCO parts) out at 92K without any squealing.. just preventative maintenance. I'll admit that I was unhappy to see that the idler pulley was made in China. The tensioner was made in USA.

[@squeak6]

You mentioned that it took you an hour.. how difficult would it be for a novest..

[@MidMoTundra]

Hey, so I think I mentioned it in the video but this was the first time I’ve done a idler pulley, tensioner pully, and drive belt replacement. I’d say if you can replace brakes, you can do this job. I thought the 5.7 was pretty easy to work on, just make sure you have the correct tools and it should be easy. Before I did the job, I did a lot of reading on Tundras.com so I had a good idea of what I was getting myself into. If you do it, I hope it goes easy for you. Hopefully my video helps you decide if you want to tackle it yourself.

[@squeak6]

I've never done brakes..😂😂😂.. I wanna give it a shot.. ( plus it would save me a bunch of money by having the dealer do it.. )

[@MidMoTundra]

squeak6 if you have confidence I say go for it. Hardest part is getting the tensioner pully off and back on. Since you can’t see it, you are doing it by “feeling” to get the bolts started. Then the routing is a little tricky but start from the top and take it slow, follow the diagram and you should be good. Did you have the dealer quote you to replace these? I’m curious what they quoted you.

[@Tom-pn5sk]

@@squeak6 😂

[@wlongmore]

@@MidMoTundra I had the serpentine belt on my 2016 Tundra (Crewmax, sr5, 4x4, 5.7 engine) changed about 2 weeks ago. The dealer charged exactly $209.05 (includes tax, Palm Beach, FL). Only the belt was changed, no tensioner or pulley. It took them about to 45 minutes to complete. Like everyone on here, the belt made that squealing noise when it was raining a lot, or was super humid, and since I drive a lot for work, I didn’t want to take any chances, so I wanted the “Pros” to do the work, since they could also tell me if anything else related to the belt needed any attention. I’m at about 107,000 miles by the way. Funny that you said that if someone can do their own brakes, then they can also handle this job. I always change my own brakes, rotors, bleeding the system, etc, so after watching your video I’m sure I could have done this belt change no problem. I also frequent the Tundras.com forum too, lots of great info and help on there.

[@Tom-pn5sk]

😂 it's OEM by Dayco😂

[@Nchai-Yang]

Updates?

[@MidMoTundra]

No updates other than zero issues. Parts are going strong with no noises

[@Nchai-Yang]

@Midmo Toyotas Thank you, good to hear, awesome video.

[@MidMoTundra]

@@Nchai-Yang thank you!

[@bryangonzalez7385]

What are the torque specs?

[@MidMoTundra]

Link to the repair manual PDF is in the description. It should have all torque specs

[@i.can.sew.anythingchic3295]

I hear this noise when I crank my Sequoia.

[@hobolyf]

The reason it failed because it was a dayco.

[@macgyver03ga]

Yep. I swapped mine with a dayco about 18 months ago. My squeak came back within a year. Ordered an OEM Toyota belt and tensioner to replace it this time.

[@hobolyf]

@@macgyver03ga even the OEM toyota one is made by Dayco. I don't know why toyota does this.

[@rps714]

I hate that sound.. also when you get new brakes and the still squeak for no reason 😡

[@troydepriest8579]

You got a thumbs down for buying from Amazon.

[@MidMoTundra]

My heart’s broken from your dislike

[@THGOklahoma]

It's not the best how-to video. I Reccomend showing what you're doing next time.

[@martinedeards5424]

well that was a waste of tine

[@plt903]

Not a good video! Not helpful

[@dinosaursuperherokids4326]

Worst video ever