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I was under the van today and noticed some missing nuts:
Attachment 207
I have no extra nuts laying around. could they have shaken off. Van has been driven only 600 miles since then. I did take them off a year ago and maybe i forgot to tighten or even put them back on. Or, could i have stumbled into a common problem?
That can't be good. At least the bolts are held captive. Find some nuts and torque then to specs before you fire it up again. Tim
the rubber is all ripped (not sure what that part is called). maybe thats why i could not torque them right. it's been a year so i'm not too sure what i did there. new nuts are in the workings.
It's part of your SADS (Separated Accessory Drive System) and it's called a flexible coupling. These are common failures on Previas and should be replaced when the rubber components become damaged. You will need to purchase a 94 & up flexible coupling kit from Toyota (part number 04374-28010). Depending on where you purchase it will cost about $225 - $300. Stay away from the aftermarket stuff.
If the one on your crankshaft pulley is ripped up, then you can bet the one on the front of that shaft is messed up too. Both couplers are included in the kit from Toyota. The introduction section of your FSM (Factory Service Manual) talks about this system a bit, but basically says don't mess with it (I guess they thought they would last forever). For more info, check out the TSB (Technical Service Bulletin) I'm attaching to this post. Tim
Wow, thanks so much for the info. This issue is brand new to me. Stinks Toyota did not design this better. Just can't have it all. The two vans at the pull-a-part had bad ones too. not that i would waste my time and put used ones on.
Yeah, this is a weak link. They typically last about 150k-200k miles, but at some point they get really bad and will make a bunch of racket......... especially while running the AC. Just remember that alignment is critical so be sure to mark the original location of the accessory chassis mounts and put everything back exactly as it was. If for some reason alignment is messed up, then you'll need to follow the alignment procedure that's outlined in the introduction section of the FSM. Tim
PS: Never put any stress on these or let the drive shaft hang while removing the engine. You also need to take care while torquing the nuts so you don't twist the rubber shock mounts in their bores.