Lower Timing Belt Cover Problems

[knochgoon24]

I'm doing some work with the engine still in the car, but I need to get the lower timing belt cover off. I have the motor mount off. I took out every bolt I could find, but it still seems to be attached somewhere near the back side of the motor. Is there a bolt back there that I just haven't seen or is there some other trick to getting it off.

(I'm replacing my front main seal if you were wondering.)

 

[dsmmack]

hey, there maybe a bolt that you've missed i'd double check that, there are some bolts that are hard to see if you've never done it before, so i'd check that out first and go from there if its tight all the way around with all the bolts out, then try prying it slowly away...also make sure you have all the pullys off that need to be pulled to get the cover off, hope that helps

 

[knochgoon24]

I'm able to get the left side pryed away just fine. The right (back) side doesn't want to move near the top. Since I've never pulled the motor, I have no clue where some screws might be hiding.

 

[knochgoon24]

So, I finally found a picture of what the cover should look like.

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My cover looks like it's been through WWII. I have a hole where the idler pulley has worn through the cover. Either that or the pulley for the A/C wore through it. Chunks are also missing around the crank pulley. Looks more like this. Oh, and I think I may have forgotten the bolt circled in red. Maybe.

 

[dsmmack]

ok well like isaid double check all the bolts are out, if its the top rear of the cover then it could very well be that bolt, and yes my cover is ripped in half pretty much as well, haha

 

[crimsondragon]

You should order a new cover. Imagine the things that did that to your cover did it to the belt.

 

[pj91gsx]

I would just say get a gently used one that is in good condition. Save you some money. Those lower covers are expensive. It would just be awful for the belts to eat it up again.

 

[2GeNTSi]

I'm in the same boat here, but I'm having issues removing the bolt circled below. I had every other bolt removed, figured out how to remove the crank pulley after thinking that I had to remove the large bolt for a while-but couldn't remove just this one bolt that is tucked away behind the water pump pulley. (It might be the bolt above and to the right, I can't remember judging by the picture but either way I can't remove it).

I was in the process of removing the water pump pulley, but I stopped because I was reading that even after removing the pulley that there still isn't access to the bolt.

Anybody have any insight on this?

 

[brian9397gsx]

once you get the pulley off you really should not have a problem with that bolt

 

[k2crasher]

I just removed and replaced mine, it really isn't that hard, just used a small 10mm 1/4 inch drive sock and 10mm wrench, it did hit the water pump a little but it wasn't that hard. The lower cover has exactly 9 bolts holding it, 3 long and 6 short ones. Check out the vfaq on it for the exact bolt locations. Also removing the ac pulley bracket, motor mount and upper and middle timing covers help a lot with removal and install.