Highlander Hybrid Timing Belt

I'm going to replace the timing belt on my wife's 2006 Highlander when I get a chance in the upcoming weekends and in teh procedures noticed a special tool for crank bolt and pulley removal. Do I need those tools or can I get by with something else?

I'm going to do the water pump and other bits at the same time. Is there anything else I should do while in there? Crank seal (even if it's not leaking), spark plugs? I was going to pull them to making turning the engine over easier and a few of them might be under the intake, so I was thinking about just replacing them while I'm in there. It has about 108k miles on it.

3.3L? Those pulleys can be tough to get off without the special tool. You can try the ETCG 'two bars' method, but that means prying against the timing covers, and that won't end well. The shop has this OTC set , which works pretty well. I'm sure you have something to get the crank bolt off?

You could get by with something as simple as this , as long as you have the right bolts. IIRC, they're pretty small, M6 probably. Definitely not M8. Most kits won't have that size, so you may have to hit up a local hardware store to find the right length bolts to make it happen. I recall having this struggle every time I do one of these timing belts. They occasionally slide right off the crank, but I wouldn't count on it. :silly:

If you're pulling the intake, you'll probably want several kinds of 14mm and 12mm sockets/wrenches on hand to get the rear bracket bolts loose. Other than that, I think you're good to go! I'd leave the seals alone if it were mine, but I'm not hating at all if you want to change them. This Lisle tool makes pulling the old seals a breeze, compared to clawing them out with picks and screwdrivers. :lol:

The Bolt can be a real bear to break loose. This pic show the guy HOLDING the SST. You are better off bracing it against the floor, or frame. Then, get the biggest, baddest breaker-bar you have. Or a bad-ass impact. Sometimes a blast in the forward direction, with the gun, before reversing helps.