Toyota Repair: 1995 Tacoma Timing Belt Change, haynes manual, metal pin

Question
This truck was our youngest sons 1st ride after he was married...I'me keeping it. It has 141K and I'me getting ready to put a new belt on....it's a V6,standard trans,4wd,uses a lot of gas but runs great. I'll do the work myself using a Haynes manual..any suggestions??..think I should change the sprockets?...  Thanks, Jack (66 yrs old)

Answer
There is no reason to replace the sprockets unless you mean the belt tensioner and the idler pulley which may be a good idea. Also check the water pump, they have a habit of leaking at this mileage and it may also be a good idea to replace it so you don't have to take everything apart again a little later when it does start to leak. Replace the thermostat as well. The belt has an automatic tensioner that is going to extend as soon as the belt is removed, there is a special tool available that pushes the tensioner back in but if you replace the tensioner compress it in a vise and put a metal pin into the small hole that goes through the housing and pull the pin out after the belt is back on, the critical part is to get all the marks lined up correctly, since you have the manual that should not be a problem, good luck with this and let me know if you need any more help.