quick timing belt question

[E30_(1st Musk)_]

when you turn your car off. and begin to take off the timing belt. is your camshaft supposed to be alined? mine was not. so now im trippin!

if so. should i losen the middle camshat torx bolt with the belt still n and turn the crankshaft till it alines. THEN take of the belt?

[Adrian_Visser]

What you just said makes me wonder if you have any clue what you're doing. Sorry not to be a dick but...

Do you have a bentley or other manual and have you read and understood the section on changing the timing belt?

Now moving on...


I assume that you mean the timing mark on the cam sprocket didn't line up with the mark on the head is that correct?

Did you have the marks on the harmonic balancer and block lining up?

If the marks were significantly out the engine would be destroyed already.

On the last belt I did I found that the timing marks were out by one tooth it ran fine, who knows if it was done wrong before or if it slipped a tooth it still ran fine.

[E30_(1st Musk)_]

What you just said makes me wonder if you have any clue what you're doing. Sorry not to be a dick but...

Do you have a bentley or other manual and have you read and understood the section on changing the timing belt?

Now moving on...


I assume that you mean the timing mark on the cam sprocket didn't line up with the mark on the head is that correct?

Did you have the marks on the harmonic balancer and block lining up?

If the marks were significantly out the engine would be destroyed already.

On the last belt I did I found that the timing marks were out by one tooth it ran fine, who knows if it was done wrong before or if it slipped a tooth it still ran fine.

i have read both the diy on here. the bentley and the 101 performance porject...etc" i honestly have not moved the camshaft or the crankshaft around. I know that if they werent lined up with the harmonic balancer that the car would be toast. but they arent(hence why i posted the thread) there both not alined with the block or belt cover. im so effin confused

[E30_(1st Musk)_]

here is a picture of how it sits. i havent moved the camshaft. and it saids to move the crankshaft a full 720. but i can hardly move it with all my force



notice how it isnt lined up

[Adrian_Visser]

Okay so let me get this straight you haven't moved anything yet?

Remove all the spark plugs. Put car in neutral, parking brake on. Now put your socket on the crank hub bolt and rotate until the harmonic balancer marks line up.

Now do the cam sprocket marks line up?

[E30_(1st Musk)_]

Okay so let me get this straight you haven't moved anything yet?

Remove all the spark plugs. Put car in neutral, parking brake on. Now put your socket on the crank hub bolt and rotate until the harmonic balancer marks line up.

Now do the cam sprocket marks line up?

it still wont move clockwise. i mean i can move it very little. but it takes all of my strength to do so

and yes i removed the spark plugs, car is in neutral, and parking brake is on

[Adrian_Visser]

Well I don't know what to tell ya man it should move freely in neutral with the plugs out. The engine was in running condition prior to this right?

[E30_(1st Musk)_]

Well I don't know what to tell ya man it should move freely in neutral with the plugs out. The engine was in running condition prior to this right?

its alright you did what you could. and i thank you for that. and yup it was in running condition. its just frustrating me because i did everything by step on the diy, bentley, etc. and it just isnt working. guess ill just have to have a mechanic stop by....:hitler:

thanks man

[SpecM]

so, in the picture, your crank is set to #1 TDC?

if it is, them something is goofy... the cam sproket only bolts to the cam one way, via a little pin in the sproket and hole in the camshaft

[E30_(1st Musk)_]

so, in the picture, your crank is set to #1 TDC?

if it is, them something is goofy... the cam sproket only bolts to the cam one way, via a little pin in the sproket and hole in the camshaft

well i never removed the camshaft. the crankshaft is almost in the same position. both are not aligned at this point. and i know thats when we turn it by the crank bolt. but it wont turn counterclocwise.so im completely lose...

are all my belts suppposed to be in? or just the timing belt and tensioner?

[ForcedFirebird]

Are you trying to align the marks to each other, or the tick marks on the block/head? I just did a timing belt yesterday at my shop and it doesn't appear that that cam is in the correct position. The cam tick mark should be somewhere around 1 o'clock and the crank should be somewhere around 11 o'clock to line up with the reference marks...

-John

EDIT: even with the plugs in, the motor will rotate, I didn't pull them out, you just have to allow the compression to bleed down and turn the crank a little slower.

[Gruelius]

dont forget the crank rotates twice for one cam revolution or its the other way around if you find them not lining up.

and you are trying to rotate it from the 22m bolt on the crank? i odnt see how it woul dbe too hard

Unless its an auto, i have no idea how that witchcraft works.

[E30_(1st Musk)_]

Are you trying to align the marks to each other, or the tick marks on the block/head? I just did a timing belt yesterday at my shop and it doesn't appear that that cam is in the correct position. The cam tick mark should be somewhere around 1 o'clock and the crank should be somewhere around 11 o'clock to line up with the reference marks...

-John

EDIT: even with the plugs in, the motor will rotate, I didn't pull them out, you just have to allow the compression to bleed down and turn the crank a little slower.

no im not trying to align them to eachother. im trying to aline the cam with the head. and the t/o with the belt cover line. but it wont move.maybe i messed up somewere and something inside in touching. making it hard to move. so im afraid to push it and bend something causing me to have to replace the engine. i guess its just one of those things that you have to see in person to explain and understand.

the car is a 5 speed. and ive been at it since 12 noon yesterday.

im having someone check it out later today.but i hate not knowing where i made the mistake(so i could learn from it)

[blueapplesoda]

try moving the camshaft around, turning the crank the same direction as turning the camshaft, little increments in both until both are lined up.. since both crank and cam are not at TDC marks, the resistance you may be feeling is one of the pistons pushing against an open valve or something.

[E30_(1st Musk)_]

try moving the camshaft around, turning the crank the same direction as turning the camshaft, little increments in both until both are lined up.. since both crank and cam are not at TDC marks, the resistance you may be feeling is one of the pistons pushing against an open valve or something.

well if this is the case wouldnt it mean that pushing it any further would cause for me to just completely destroy the engine?

the reason i dnt wanna push it is because that what im afraid of doing. making the situation worse than it is

to be honest i dnt know much about how it all works together. i just was following by steps and hit this problem