Alternator belt: Mk2 SCP90 2SZ-FE

[defever]

Good morning fellow Yaris owners,

My wife proudly owns Yaris (Mk2 French 2006 SCP90R-CHMGKW 1.33L 2SZ-FE? Engine), just hit over 115,000miles and passed MOT (only fail: hazy headlamp!) earlier this month. It's been very much maintenance free (had clutch done last year and nothing else major!). It’s been very reliable and trusty companion.

With the recent cold weather, the alter belt seems to squeal for few seconds when driving off from cold engine. It’s nothing more than the usual alternator belt symptom but being 115,000miles and my wife not recalling the belt not being replaced for the last 8 years of her ownership, I'm wondering if the belt should be changed, or at least tension the belt.

I'm quite competent with basic mechanical stuff (I'm more familiar with VW / Audi cars) so I went out to search on YouTube and UK / US forums on how to tension / replace alternator belt for 1.3L engine. All I can find is "VVT-i" engine with he alternator at the front of the engine (which looks super easy to adjust the tension / remove the belt!). I thought VVT-i signifies Toyoya’s technology on engines, not a specific engine code. Her Yaris has the alternator at the back of the block (I believe it's 2SZ-FE engine code?) and also has A/C pulley at the front.

I cannot find any "how to" video / instructions or even an image online for this engine. I can’t seem to find where the tensioner is and it seems that I would need to get underneath to remove the belt, due to the engine mount obstructing at the top?

I would like to ask if there is some instructions online for 1.3L engine or whether a generous soul can point me briefly where I should be looking for the tensioner and how the belt is usually replaced on this engine.

Many thanks in advance, and safe driving in this Baltic weather!

[alan333]

Your belt is overdue a replacement (it's probably a 5 year item).  

Is this your belt layout?

https://www.justanswer.com/uk-car/224nc-need-know-belt-2sz-fe-engine-toyota.html

If so, then you have (clockwise around the belt from the top right) - power steering, air con, crankshaft, 'G' seems to be the tensioner, alternator, water pump.

This video shows how to release the tension on a similarly placed tensioner.  Usually you can 'unloop' the belt from underneath the engine mount without too much trouble.

 

[defever]

Thanks very much Alan,

The layout on the link seems to be the one (I will double check when she's home this evening):

Thanks very much for the YouTube link. I watched one of his clips on the "VVT-i" engine with the alternator at the front (but fixed, not on the slider guide). He's quite good and thumbs up for explaining in English.

I'll look for some sort of lever to release tension on the belt this evening and will report back.

Many thanks!

[defever]

Bingo. I found a Russian forum with the exact engine and how to replace the belt:

Toyota Ractis ラクティス › Бортжурнал › Замена приводного ремня 2SZ-FE

Google Translation of the link: Toyota Ractis ラ ク テ ィ ス > Bortjournal > Replacement of drive belt 2SZ-FE

This is how the alternator is mounted and it seems that the long bolt adjusts the tension of the belt at the alternator:

I checked the belt (though quickly, she wanted to get in complaining that it's too cold outside...) by 90degree test and checking for cracks. Only goes upto 80 degrees and I couldn't see any cracking. Looked fairly new, so it must have been done at some point.

I will check again tomorrow (at my leisure) and see if I can check thoroughly. Google is very powerful, it knows anything!

Safe motoring in the Baltic weather tomorrow!

[Cookie-monster]

If your car is a 2006 model, then its the same as mine, and will have the 1.3L engine rather than the 1.33L which came in in 2009 I think. The serpentine belt on my car has been a source of endless problems since I had the car, with squeeking and chirping noises every time the car is started from cold, and its worse in winter. Once the engine has warmed up, the squeeking and chirping stops pretty much completely. I have replaced the belt myself, but after a few hundred miles on the new belt, the same problems with noise on cold returned, and worse than they were before. I used a Dayco branded belt from Euro Car Parts, which is the long belt for the diagram you showed above, except there is no PAS pump at the top on the front of the block, its just an idler pulley on the Mk2 models with Electric power steering instead of the older hydraulic pump driven PAS on the MK1 models.

I think the issue with these models is there is a belt alignment issue going on caused by the idler pulley marked "G" on your diagram above. This pulley has a small amount of play in it when cold, and I think this caused the belt to slip over the water pump pulley, or to slip on its rear side over the idler pulley at "G" causing the squeeking and chirping noises. Short of replacing the idler pulleys, I am just putting up with the noise, as I was unable to remove the pulley to replace it, due to the engine mounting bolt being in the way, and causing me a whole load of bother to remove. In order to replace the serpentine belt, you will need to slacken off the alternator, and also remove the engine mounting from the inner wing, by jacking up the engine from underneath, so that you have clearance between the engine mounting and the inner wing to remove the belt through it. In short, the belt cannot be changed without raising the engine and uncoupling the engine mounting from the bodywork, so its a bit more involved than you might think. If the belt is in good enough condition, I'd leave it as it is, or even just try slackening the alternator off, and checking BOTH idler pulleys (at G and PAS) for excessive play. If there is a lot of play and bearing noise / rough operation, especially of the pulley at G, then its gonna need the pulley replacing as well as the belt and I'd leave that job to a garage, as its a pain in the **** to do.

[defever]

Fantastic, thanks very much cookie-monster!

As you exactly described, the squeal only occurs in cold & wet morning, when started up first thing, especially when the power steering kicks in. And only for few seconds. Then no problem afterwards until the engine is restarted after being sat for all day (after-work), but only for a few second.

Also, you're right about the pulley at the top front of the block. The diagram above shows power steering pulley, but on the engine it's just a pulley anchored on to the block; I don't see anything connected to the pulley. But general layout is very similar to the diagram.

When the snow goes away, I might adjust the alternator and add some tension to the belt.  My wife says she can live witht the occasional squeal. The squeal is not constant so I may leave it at that until the belt shows some significant sign of wear or if the squeal becomes constant.

Thanks again for your post, it gives me some confidence that it's not an urgent matter.

Happy motoring!