Timing Belt Change Question

[TexasProton]

Hello Yall,
I am in the middle of changing my timing belt. I am not feeling good about what I am looking at as far as the timing marks on the pulleys vs. the marks on the engine:

1- The camshaft pulleys did not spring out in motion when I removed the tensioner...Which I understand that is ok
2- the mark on the LH pulley is spot on with the mark on engine
3- The mark on the RH pulley seems to be about a tooth off the mark on the engine...Before the 2 Clock mark
4- The mark on the Crankshaft pulley seems to be a tooth above the mark on the engine...The notch Bart described in his post is 180 degrees the other way...Almost at the 2 Clock position rather than at the 8 clock position where the timing mark is

I rotated the engine several times before I removed the old belt but the three pulleys never lined perfectly (I did not remove the spark plugs before I rotated the engine)...They ended up as I described them above.

Questions:

1- Should I adjust the LH and crankshaft pulleys to make them line up exactly with the marks on the engine?
2- Should I leave it alone?

Currently, the two lines line up with the marks on the RH & LH pulleys, and the double line (not a dotted line) lines up with the mark on the engine, but the mark on the pulley is one notch past the 8 clock position going towards 9 clock

The other question I have is about the timing belt gasket...the gasket looks a little rough, but not too bad, should I reuse it, or use silicon?

Thanks a lot for your help

[Triathlete]

When I changed
mine the marks did not line up with the old belt on since it was streched. Before putting new belt on I aligned all marks. They stayed that way with new belt installed. She started right up and purred like a kitten. So yes, line up all marks. As for the gasket, I reused mine. It is basically just a dust cover.

[TexasProton]

Thanks for your reply Billy. What concerns me is that with the old belt the mark on the crankshaft sprocket never lined up with the mark on the engine no matter how many times I turned the engine. After installing the new belt I noticed both camshaft pulleys moved back (Counter clockwise) almost too teeth. So now with new belt installed None of the marks are lined up (The two camshaft pulleys are before the marks, and the crankshaft sprocket is after the mark. I have a real bad feeling about this!!.... I did not move any of the pulleys since I removed the old timing belt!!

Should I go back, remove the belt and manually move each pulley to make it line up with the corresponding mark on the engine, or am I close enough??

Thanks a gain for your help

[Triathlete]

I would move them so they line up. More than likely your old belt was stretched, as mine was.
Did you use an oem belt or aftermarket?
I used an oem and everything lined up perfectly.

Also while in there did you do a new water pump? I figured I didn't want to ha e to worry about tearing it down again for a water pump so did that at the same time. My old one still looked great so I kept it for a spare.

[TexasProton]

I used an aftermarket I bought from Rockauto.com for about $180, it was a Goodyear kit that came with everything including the water pump and gasket. I will remove the belt and manually line up all the pulleys with the marks on the engine...Hopefully this does the trick, I really don't want to open it up again after I put the radiator and AC compressor back in there

Thanks again for the tip...I'll post the results as soon as I am done

[rowhard]

. I will remove the belt and manually line up all the pulleys with the marks on the engine...

make sure #1 is at the top of compression and not exhaust or whatever the manual says it is suppose to be

[TexasProton]

I just spoke with a friend who did not recommend adjusting the pulleys independently...Now I am confused and have no idea what to do!! On the one hand I am thinking I should leave it alone, because it worked just fine with the marks where they are before I removed the old belt. But then everyone says the marks on the pulleys need to be lined up with the marks on the engine...Houston...we have a disaster in the making!!!

[Triathlete]

Heres the problem in your friends thinking...
Your marks were off because your old belt was stretched. Your computer will compensate to a certain extent. By putting your new belt on without lining up your marks, when your new belt begins to stretch your marks will be even further off. How far they can be off and the computer compensate I don't know but eventually the computer won't be able to compensate and then you may run into some serious timing issues.
Just my two cents...hope it made sense.

[TexasProton]

Thanks Billy, I'd feel better if the marks were all lined up. So you don't think I will hurt anything if I remove the timing belt and manually move each pulley until they all line up? When I removed the old belt all the pulleys stayed put and did not move at all. the reason why I am concerned is because everything I read pointed to not move the crankshaft sprocket once the timing belt was removed!!

Thanks again

[PK]

Having done the timing belt change myself, I think you have started off in the wrong position.
If the #1 cylinder was at TDC as supposed, when you removed the old belt the camshafts would of moved because the valve springs push the cams over. It has to happen.
You then clamp the new belt onto the cams with the marks lined up, and when you release the new tensioner, it all pulls back into line.
There used to be a full procedure on here that talked through how to re-establish timing after the timing had been lost. Now that Deermagnet has gone, I am not sure if it is still here.

I hope I am wrong, but I think you have some work ahead of you.

PK

[TexasProton]

Man...I guess the damn thing is not going to be running anytime soon!! How do I check to make sure that the #1 cylinder is at TDC? If I start turning the engine again, I am definitely going to screw everything up...I was already clueless when things were simple, now that things have gotten much more complicated...I am totally lost! I thought I could follow Bart's instructions, but I sure did not get the same results as he did as I was following his steps! I think Billy is correct, the old belt was stretched out to the point were the marking on the pulleys were not going to line up any more while the old belt was on!

[jasonm621]

First all I found this link to be a HUGE HELP! If timing is or isnt lost it shows how to get your belt on right! http://vehicross.info/modules.php?na...warticle&id=37
I know this doesnt help your current situation but my tip may help other avoid a timing belt oopsie... When i did my timing belt & water pump i manually moved the crank shaft so that all timing marks (both camshaft pullys & crank shaft pully) were next to the belt. I then took a silver sharpie and marked on the belt where the timing marks line up. I then took the belt off. I could then compare those lines to the new belt to confirm the spacing was correct. Or if the new belt didnt have timing marks on them then i could transfer the marks on the new belt. Hope all the best. I know the scary feeling you get once the belt is off and you wont know if you did the job right until you get everything patched up. And if you did it wrong you literally have to do EVERYTHING ALL OVER AGAIN! Here is also a video of changing the water pump and timing belt in 15 seconds... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ve_nAX0OqWE
Good luck hope all the best!
I want to also note that the VX engine is a non-interference engine, so you at least have that on your side... That and plenty of people willing to help on the forums!

[Lfen]

There are a lot of different how to videos and instructions out there, but I just did mine and this helped me more then the Schematics and vids. Actual photos with instructions of the steps needed to be taken. Hope it helps

http://isuzugeek.org/howtos/tbelt/tbelt.htm

[jasonm621]

There are a lot of different how to videos and instructions out there, but I just did mine and this helped me more then the Schematics and vids. Actual photos with instructions of the steps needed to be taken. Hope it helps

http://isuzugeek.org/howtos/tbelt/tbelt.htm

I used this link as well when i did mine! HUGE HELP! I was having a tough time finding the link last night.. Good find Lfen!

[PK]

First all I found this link to be a HUGE HELP! If timing is or isnt lost it shows how to get your belt on right! http://vehicross.info/modules.php?na...warticle&id=37
When i did my timing belt & water pump i manually moved the crank shaft so that all timing marks (both camshaft pullys & crank shaft pully) were next to the belt. I then took a silver sharpie and marked on the belt where the timing marks line up. I then took the belt off. I could then compare those lines to the new belt to confirm the spacing was correct. Or if the new belt didnt have timing marks on them then i could transfer the marks on the new belt.
I want to also note that the VX engine is a non-interference engine, so you at least have that on your side... That and plenty of people willing to help on the forums!

Good post Jason.
The old belt would not have stretched that much that your timing marks are out. Any stretch in the belt is compensated for by the belt tensioner. Otherwise the engine would not run.

The most important steps are -
1. Line all the marks on the pullies and the block up.
2. Use a marking pen to clearly mark the belt at the pully marks.
3. Release the tensioner, and remove the old belt.
4. Transfer the marks on the old belt to the new belt, using the number of teeth as the guide.
5. Fit the new belt lining up the belt marks with the pully marks, and clamp the belt in place using butterfly clamps (from your stationary supplies). Then release the new tensioner and the slack goes out of the new belt and everything should line up.

If you have started from the wrong position, the link Jason attached will explain how to get it all back in line.

Good luck.

PK