[oregonjoe]

Fast forward on progress to where I am at now.

From my experiences with the 4Runners, I started by removing the radiator and fans. This gives me better access from the start.

Then removed the air ducts and water hoses to the timing cover.

Next the throttle body and top part of the air intake. My wife is helping by labeling plastic bags as we go for all the bolts and small parts. She started with a PINK marker because she thought it would look nice but had to switch to dark green when we could not see it on the bag.

The top part of the timing cover comes off and the belt looks a little worn but not bad for 20 years. It will get replaced along with the idler

When I did the first 4Runner, I had a heck of a time getting the cam sprockets off. I actually broke one trying to wedge a socket in the sprocket. Had to get a replacement pair from the junk yard for $70 (lesson learned). Why did Toyota not put some holes behind the sprockets to insert some stopping bolts I will never know. Finally had a friend weld up this special tool to hold the sprockets still so I could turn the bolt. Took me 4 days on the 4Runner to get them off with out the tool. Also work great for holding the crank while I go the damper off.

Anyway on to the Supra. The same tool worked great again on the sprockets but could not be used on the damper like the 4Runner. Just no spines to grab on. Luckily I had read through the forums a used the pry bar in the flywheel technique. Only problem was removing the starter which is a real pain. So I had to finish removing the air intake manifolds to get to the top of the starter. Problem here is that Toyota runs the fuel lines through the intake runners making it impossible to remove without having dismantle everything on the drivers side.

So in summary – to take off the damper you need to stick a pry bar in the flywheel

To get to the flywheel you need to pull the starter.

To pull the starter you need to pull the intake manifolds.

To pull the intake manifolds you need to remove everything else.

A day latter I can stick a pry bar in the teeth and pray not to break one. Damper finally comes off and I can finish with timing belt removal.

As a side note. I have since learned that there is a way to actually use the starter to turn the engine to get the damper bolt loose. Will have to try this next time. But remember to remove the fuel pump fuse first. I had to reconnect the battery to raise the windows and forgot to remove the fuse only to see a mini spout of fuel as the windows went up.