timing belt issue-help
 

I thought I set the marks up on the timing belt with the marks on the head when I removed the belt but when I put it back on I noticed the cam arrows were not pointing to the small marks on the head. Also, the mark on the crank gear does not line up with the mark on the case.
How do I get it back to where it needs to be to install the belt? I looked at Ryan Macdonald's site and I was confused compared to another chart on this site that shows the entire belt with everthing at tdc.

Help--I need to get back to tdc--I think.

Is that where the cam arrows point to the mark on the head and the mark on the crank gear hits the mark on the case?
Thanks in advance.

The three (3) marks on the T-belt must line up with the marks on the crank pulley and cam pulleys. If this is not the case, well then you will have to take the belt off again and start over.

The crank pulley and cam pulley marks do not have to line up exactly with the block and rear covers for the T-belt. You should also be able to turn the crank slightly to line up all the pulley and block marks.

All of the above will hold true as long as you have not rotated the crank shaft more than a few degrees. If the crank has been turned once or twice or several times you will have to start over agian.

Dig? :)

yes you neeed to get back to TDC. and the arrows don't line up for the timing belt. see attached.

I take it you are closing the timing belt tensioner all the way and putting the pin in and then setting the marks and pulling the pin once its pushed all the way to the left. Just making sure, b/c that was pain the first time i did it. I couldnt figure out why it kept moving. You have to have the tensioner as far as it will go before you pull that pin. Good luck

That tensioner is key. Any time I've heard that somebody had a hard time installing the timing belt, they weren't following the right procedure for the tensioner.

Thanks for information. I set it to TDC and everthing lined up. It helped to keep tension on the belt when I released the tensioner.

how do you close the timing belt tensioner...?? seems very solid. and how do you put the pin in?>

you need some sort of press or clamping system to squeeze the rod back into the cylinder. Once squeezed, you insert a small Allen wrench or suitable substitute into the hole across the base of the cylinder and through the hole in the end of the rod. see attached - a picture is worth a thousand words...

Mike Wirt "rufus" told me of a neat trick for keeping all of the alignments correct when changing the timing belt.

With a utility knife, split the old belt in half lengthwise the entire length while still attached to the engine.

Pull off the front half of the split belt and slide half of the new belt into position. Once the first half is on, cut away the rest of the old belt and slide the new belt the rest of the way on. Perfect alignment since at no time were the pulleys allowed to rotate out of alignment.

now that is using yor head - I will remember that trick. :)

I am not sure if that would work. After the tensioner is removed the belt can slip over a tooth or too. I know this happens because it has happen to me a few times while putting in a new belt. Without the tensioner it would difficult to keep even the half belt from slipping over a tooth or two unless another means of keeping it taunt was there.

It may also be difficult to slide the new belt over the lips of the CAM pulleys.

I always get someone to help hold the belt in place on the timing marks.

Don't remove the tensioner :)

regaurdless of where the cam gears and crank gears are, make sure the marks on the belt and the marks on the pulley are matched up. Thats all, its very simple.