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2G Can't get Timing Belt to line up on my 2G Eclipse

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Ekracz14

Probationary Member
7
2
Nov 5, 2025
Snowmass Village, Colorado
Hello, I recently started working on the timing on my 2G Eclipse. I noticed that every time I tighten the belt, my oil pump and crank gears do not align with the timing marks. I’ve tried several configurations, moving a tooth back and forth, but nothing seems to line the gears up correctly.

At first, I thought it was because I bought a cheap belt and that the fitment was incorrect, so I bought a more expensive one for around $180. Now that I have this more expensive belt, I thought it would fit perfectly like they explained in the manual and on other threads, but it still doesn’t seem correct.

Honestly, I don’t know what to do at this point, and I’m way too picky to just leave it the way it is now.

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You have to redo. The timing is off. Either intake is advanced by a tooth or exhaust is retarded by a tooth.
You don't have the balance shafts, so the oil pump sprocket timing mark is not so important. Crank never be off, the cam phase is off.
Please refer to the link.
 
Place a very straight hard ruler between the 2 cam shaft bolt centers and make sure the proper and correct cam sprocket teeth/notches (notice teeth orientation there) line up with the ruler edge (so both cam alignment teeth are not too high or too low {even though they may align opposite each other when too high/low} which sometimes can be hard to tell w/o a ruler). This pic shows this as well as the crank sprocket alignment to its alignment tab. Click each to get close-up. This pic is from my 99 GST.
 
Crank pulley is off by atleast 2 teeth. Zip tie the belt to the cam gears up top so the belt doesn’t move, slide the belt off of the crank and rotate the crank to line up the timing mark
I try that before and it’s still marked the timing wrong every time I put it right where it’s supposed to go when I tight the belt, everything moves out of sync like the crankshaft mostly.

You have to redo. The timing is off. Either intake is advanced by a tooth or exhaust is retarded by a tooth.
You don't have the balance shafts, so the oil pump sprocket timing mark is not so important. Crank never be off, the cam phase is off.
Please refer to the link.
Well, maybe that’s why every time tight the belt it goes off for like a tooth or two and by that point it was getting irritating because even if I try to compensate for the little moment that I was going to have, it was either too much or too little like for example, the one photo that I posted it’s when I try to compensate for slack and put it a little further from the timing mark, but when I put it in the timing mark exact, it goes off by like two tooth.
 
when I tight the belt, everything moves out of sync like the crankshaft mostly.
When you put the tension on the belt, the crank and exhaust cam would slightly move, it's normal, but it wouldn't change the timing.

Set the timing and push the belt by pushing the tensioner pulley/arm towards the belt by 14mm wrench to simulate the tension before removing the tensioner grenade pin, then confirm the timing. Don't remove the pin until the timing is set correctly, so you can avoid to keep doing the same thing. When you see the timing is correct, then go setting the proper tension.

Well, maybe that’s why every time tight the belt it goes off for like a tooth or two
but when I put it in the timing mark exact, it goes off by like two tooth.
As I said above that you set the cam gears timing marks incorrectly, and you are forcing the cam gear's timing marks lined up with the wrong valve/cam timing which is not possible to line up, that's why the crank timing mark moves more from the proper position.

Technically you are doing in opposite way and that is making you confused. Installing the timing belt means you are setting the valve timing, the valve timing that is relative to the piston #1 and #4 at TDC. So when you want to check the timing, you MUST align the crank timing marks first, and don't let it to move. And then check for the cam gears timing marks position. That's the actual valve timing you have and that's what we need to see in pic.
 
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