Crank relation to Cam timing (Timing Belt Replace Question)

AdventureToday · 08-12-2006, 11:46 PM

I'm replacing the timing belt on my dsm, and before I removed the old belt, I cranked the engine over until all the marks were in their "default" spots, so I would have to do a minimal amount of aligning. But when removing the balance shaft belt (after removing the main timing belt), I don't know how many times I rotated the crank, which means I was rotating it independantly of the oil pump, balance shaft and cams. Will this matter if in the end all the timing marks are lined up in their right spots, or will the crankshaft be out of phase with the cams?

This entire time I've sorta assumed it would be fine, but I want to make sure that the crank and cams don't need to be on the same stroke for the engine to be timed right.

Otherwise, I have a 1/4 chance of the crank being in phase with the cams.

Thanks in advance.

90mitsu3clipse · 08-13-2006, 12:56 AM

Put your hand over the #1 Cylinder and have someone turn the crank until you feel the air lightly push on your hand. That will be your best bet.. Oh and make sure everything else is lined up. EVERYTHING.. There are plenty of posts on this stuff.. Just do a search and I'm sure you will find something that will be helpful.,. Good luck

Old Mitsu Tech · 08-13-2006, 01:10 AM

The rear balance shaft is the only one you can have look right and not be right. It's a 3 to one phase. Every 6 revolutions of the crank brings things back into alignment. There's a little bolt, 14 mm I think on the rear balance shaft boss. Remove it and using a 1/4 extension or such rotate the rear balance shaft until the tool goes into the hole the furthest. This will set the phase properly. The others just need to be aligned to their proper marks. You'll know if you get it wrong as it will remove your fillings via vibration.

Good Luck