Rough Running after Timing Belt Install

[VCrossfan]

I've never seen marks on the stock belt. but the gator I installed...

Single stripes alone (2) = cams

Dual Stripes together (1) = Crank

[psychos2]

so does the the gatorback come with directions? does it have an arrow or some writing to show direction?because the stock belt lines up the line on the passenger side not the drivers side.if one of you lined it up one the passenger side, and one on the drivers side ,then someone has the belt on backwards. shawn

[kpaske]

VCrossfan -

If you put the belt on so that you can read the writing while standing in front of the vehicle, the double lines (Gatorback) will line up with the 9 o'clock on the crank. The VX Manual on CD shows it very clearly in one the diagrams. I suppose if the belt were reversed (writing up-side-down) it would probably line up with the 3 o'clock.

Psychos2 -

No real directions to speak of come with the Gatorback. I've referred to the HowTo that Randy posted some time ago, some scanned instructions that VCrossfan e-mailed to me, as well as the VX Manual on CD.

[VCrossfan]

kpaske

When I installed mine I disassembled it down to the belt reinstalled the crank pulley bolt turned it over by hand (breaker bar) time after time and if I remember right every 3 revolutions of the Crank all the marks lined up with the crank notch at 3:00 lining up with the oil pump line that is on the block (at 3:00). Once I knew where I wanted to be I removed the tensioner and installed the new belt lining up the marks as mentioned without moving anything (cams,crank)

The picture in the scan shows the notch (behind the crank pulley) at 3:00 aiming at the line thats on the block. The only alignment mark for the crank is on the block at 3:00...

[psychos2]

kpaske

When I installed mine I disassembled it down to the belt reinstalled the crank pulley bolt turned it over by hand (breaker bar) time after time and if I remember right every 3 revolutions of the Crank all the marks lined up with the crank notch at 3:00 lining up with the oil pump line that is on the block (at 3:00). Once I knew where I wanted to be I removed the tensioner and installed the new belt lining up the marks as mentioned without moving anything (cams,crank)

The picture in the scan shows the notch (behind the crank pulley) at 3:00 aiming at the line thats on the block. The only alignment mark for the crank is on the block at 3:00...

VCrossfan,
the mark on the block lines up at 3:00 with the notch . but the mark on the belt lines up at 9:00 with a dot on the opposite side.and again the #8 diagram is for the crank not the cam. shawn

[VCrossfan]

I know in the diagram I emailed kpaske it's fig.#7 and The question was about the double lines that are together, that has to be in the same groove as the notch on the spacer behind the pulley on the crank...The single lines are the cam marks.

I see what you mean about the reference marks on the belt at 9:00. My Gatorback just had the two lines together you lineup with the crank pulley notch and line on the block at 3:00..

Checkout Joe_Blacks post #5 at the crank pulley Notch and alignment mark..it's 3:00...The two lines on the Gatorback lineup with that mark..

I used the marks as mentioned and my Vcross runs great..

psychos2 I can email the scans that I sent kpaske??

[kpaske]

Vcrossfan - You're absolutely right - the instructions you used never made mention of the left side alignment marks on the crank shaft pulley. A little bit confusing when compared to the Isuzu shop manual, but as I said before, I think if you flip the belt upside-down, it would line up correctly that way. The actual mark on the crank shaft pulley is very hard to see, but it's there. As you can see from the diagram above, #8 is a blow-up of the marks on the belt, showing where they should line up. The stock belt has a dotted line instead of the Gatorback's double line, but other than that, everything else is identical.

Just an update for you guys... I took it to a local repair shop, where they've torn it down and put it back together several times. They can't figure out the problem either. They're telling me that all three cylinders (1,3,5) are NOT firing. They've got spark, they've got compression (190 lbs I think they said), but nothing is happening on that side. Can anyone here explain that one??? I'm baffled...

[Dare2Dream]

This is probably not much help, but maybe you should just try the OEM belt to reduce any 'possible' doubts with the gatorback. Obviously, gatorback has worked fine for others, maybe you just have a fluke!

[VCrossfan]

Good Idea Dare2Dream..I did have a friend that installed a non-OEM timing belt (not sure the brand) and the timing/alignment marks on the belt weren't even close. It was several years ago..but it does happen...

[thedutchguy]

They've got spark, they've got compression (190 lbs I think they said), but nothing is happening on that side. Can anyone here explain that one??? I'm baffled...

Place your finger on the injectors to"feel" if they're working. So that you're sure you've got fuel.
If you have: compression, spark and fuel it has to be a timing issue.

[psychos2]

THIS INFORMATION BULLETIN OUTLINES THE PROPER STEPS TO INDEX THE CAMSHAFTS WITH THE CRANKSHAFT FOR VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH DIRECT ATTACK DOHC 3.2L / 3.5L V6 ENGINE. IN THE EVENT THAT CAMSHAFT TIMING HAS BEEN DISRUPTED, DUE TO TIMING BELT BREAKAGE OR CAMSHAFTS / CRANKSHAFT BEING ROTATED WITHOUT A TIMING BELT, THIS IS IMPORTANT PRIOR TO TIMING BELT INSTALLATION. *TT
Make : ISUZU Model : VEHICROSS Year : 1999
Service Bulletin Num : SB0014S001 Date of Bulletin: FEB 01, 2000
NHTSA Item Number: 614146

i found this in a previous post. this is what i think the problem is.the cams are not indexed properly. if you sign up for alldata you can get the info you need.it is 24.95. or try to get info from a isuzu dealer. shawn

[mbeach]

I couldn't find that SB at any of my (usually very good) sources.

I did find a number of references to "valve damage" in the event the camshafts and crankshaft were rotated independently. It's odd that valve damage can occur in a non-interference (free-running) engine however.

I also found some high-quality images of the correct method of 'capturing' the belt tensioner during timing belt replacement. I'll cross-reference my method with those methods already used in kpaske's efforts.

[kpaske]

I looked up that TSB/NHTSA item number (614146) at the NHTSA web site, and it refers to the Child Safety Seats.

Make: ISUZU
Model: VEHICROSS
Year: 1999
Type: ANY
Service Bulletin Number: SB0014S001
NHTSA Item Number: 614146
Summary Description:
AMERICAN ISUZU MOTORS INC. IS PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE THE AVAILABILITY OF TOP TETHER CHILD RESTRAINT SEAT ANCHOR BRACKET KITS FOR CERTAIN ISUZU SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES. THE USE OF THIS ANCHOR BRACKET MAY BE NECESSARY WHEN INSTALLING CERTAIN CHILD SEATS, WHICH REQUIRE ANCHORING TO THE VEHICLE WITH A TOP TETHER STRAP. *TT

This is actually the one I think you meant to direct me to:

Make: ISUZU
Model: VEHICROSS
Year: 1999
Type: ANY
Service Bulletin Number: IB00S005
NHTSA Item Number: 614139
Summary Description:
THIS INFORMATION BULLETIN OUTLINES THE PROPER STEPS TO INDEX THE CAMSHAFTS WITH THE CRANKSHAFT FOR VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH DIRECT ATTACK DOHC 3.2L / 3.5L V6 ENGINE. IN THE EVENT THAT CAMSHAFT TIMING HAS BEEN DISRUPTED, DUE TO TIMING BELT BREAKAGE OR CAMSHAFTS / CRANKSHAFT BEING ROTATED WITHOUT A TIMING BELT, THIS IS IMPORTANT PRIOR TO TIMING BELT INSTALLATION. *TT

I'll pass this info on to the shop working on my VX and see if they can get the information. Worse case scenario I can shell out the cash to NHTSA and get it myself. Maybe this will solve my problem once and for all. Thanks Pyschos2!

Mbeach - Can you give me some more info about this valve damage you speak of? That seems odd to me too, as I've always heard that even a timing belt breaking at 60+ mph cannot cause damage to a non-interference motor.

[mbeach]

It really just added up to "...failure to follow these instructions can lead to valve damage..."

Sounds weird to me too.

[kpaske]

Well, the TSB solved the problem. Thanks again to Psychos2 for bringing it to my attention.

A word of warning to anyone who attempts to replace their timing belt by themselves... I don't know if this problem was resolved in the 2000-2001 models, but apparently the Timing Belt Replacement procedure outlined in the Isuzu Shop Manual can create this problem. While the manual states that you should remove the timing belt and rotate the cam shafts and crank independently, the TSB explicitly states that this SHOULD NOT be done. The end result is having to remove the heads and realign the gears to reindex the cam shafts. Neither the mechanic nor the Isuzu technician he spoke to could really explain why this happens, but the bottom line is if you are going to do this yourself, the marks should all be lined up by rotating the crank BEFORE the belt is removed, and NOT rotated again until the new belt is back on and tensioned. I know some others have had success doing this themselves using the manual procedures, but I know I followed the directions correctly and it wound up costing me several days of my time, the cost of the parts, plus over $300 to have this mess fixed. You've been warned!