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1G 4G63 Timing belt install

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spoolnsincal

Probationary Member
2
0
Feb 21, 2010
modesto, California
im completely to putting in timing belts in cars. Putting an engine together is easy, timing scares me and can be costly if you don't know what you are doing like me. I want to learn all I can about these engines, but I need to start with the install of the timing belt and balancing shaft belt. I don't know what tools I'll need or how to line everything up. All information and advice will be much appreciated.
 
check vfaq, its one of those jobs if you dont get it right, youll spend more than what it costs to pay someone to do it. It can be done did mine the first major job, The best thing is to search for timing belt install but the best 20 bucks can be the chilton book at your local auto store.
 
Honestly, if you've ever done a timing belt, it's not bad. The worst is the amount of room LOL... or should I say LACK of room. Seriously though, it's not that bad. I've NEVER changed a t-belt on a dsm until my water pump started leaking. I didn't have a guide or access to a computer (in between states) and just a few hand tools. Took me a couple hours in the parking lot of Autozone to swap the pump and belt. I have done timing belts on v6 legends, dohc hondas, etc. and this job on a 1-10 scale of difficulty is about a 4.

The best advice if you tackle it yourself, read everything you can until you understand it. Go slow and ask any questions BEFORE you try to figure it out. We've all been there once and it will take some time... but you can do it.:thumb:
 
Is there another way to make sure oil pump is where it needs to be? Can exactly get to that bolt on the back of the motor. Its a one owner car and no room. I only have a few hours left to get this done. I hit a deer in my daily driver and this is the only car I have to drive to work now. Please help
 
Is the car put together now and correct? If so you just line up beforehand and then work from there. If not and the seals aren't super new you can tell which way the balance shaft is oriented because the sprocket will fall towards the mark or away from it if that makes sense. Like....if you line up the mark and then move the sprocket a little bit either way it will try and return to the mark on its own or it will fall away from it. If it returns on its own its right.
 
I'm not 100% it was correct. I know everything else was. But when I don't the timing belt on it a few months back I just lined up the oil pump with the mark because I couldn't get to that bolt, I cam but it's so tight and I can't get any leverage. So I just timed it with marks and hoped for the best. Well my water pump got lost in shipping and didn't get it until 3 weeks ago. Anyways the car ran fine but waterpump started leaking so I just parked it until I got time. Still never was sure I got the oil pump right tho. Now it's gonna be my daily so I have to make sure it is correct
 
Follow my advise above. I haven't loosened one of those bolts in a long long time. If seals are very new this method works poorly.
 
I thought the trickiest part was getting the crank bolt off and on, due to the high torque involved. An impact wrench helps with the “off” part, but you’ll still need to hold the thing still when you retorque the bolt later. RTM ( vendor on this site) sells the right tool (which I have, now!). This, along with those Jay racing tools makes it pretty straightforward. Setting the tensioner pulley took me several tries to get right, but checking with the drill bit will at least tell you when its good or not.
Also, search this site and check the many posts describing how folks needed help when they took a wrong turn. You might find one or two of mine.:aha:
 
The biggest thing I've preached over the years about this job is not just the "methodology", but the tensioning aspect. The hydraulic tensioner is the ultimate piece in this equation. Learn how what it does, how it works, and the rest of the job becomes crystal clear.

Let the tensioner set the belt tension. The pulley sets the ballpark. "Perfect" with said pulley would be when you can crank it over by hand with the pin pulled, and easily re-install the pin.

Too much tension will push the plunger back in. This is BAD.

If the plunger on the tensioner is just *slightly* upwards from the set point, you're losing a TINY amount of travel, but I've yet to see a 4G come in where the tensioner (set correctly at install) has used up all of the ability to tension without the belt snapping first.
 
I'm doing the timing belt on my 92 TSI. I had tried about 5 to 7 times and every time was coming up off a tooth in one direction or the other. I've done plenty of them in the past and never remembered it being so difficult. So I thought about it for a min and realized that I had my cam gears off one tooth. The exhaust cam has the tendency to rotate in that position which I thought I had accounted for, but once I rechecked that and got those timed together. The rest of the process went very smooth and easily. Just like I remember it.

So if you're having difficulty and keep coming up off a tooth. ***Make sure you have the two camshafts correctly aligned!***
Then proceed and it should go off without a hitch.

Oh, and if you don't have or want to get the tensioner tool you can do like I did. From underneath get a small pry bar between the tensioner arm and the tensioner pulley. Twist/pry it so that it's pushing up on the pulley and down on the tensioner arm. Doing this I was able to get everything to spec on my first try.

Just be aware that if you scuff or gouge that pulley you'll want to sand it smooth(or risk belt damage). You can wrap the end in tape to prevent this happening and obviously just be careful and you don't have to pry hard at all!!! (Very little pressure needed) you're basically just taking up the slack so the tensioner can do its job.

Also I shouldn't have to say this, but I'm gonna !!!NEVER PRY ON OR AGAINST THE BELT ITSELF!!!
 
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