Are dowel pins aligned correctly?

[sliver]

I noticed the dowel pins sit a little next to 12o'clock..Here are some pictures, they are a little dark but I stayed up late tonight putting the head back together...




Left exhaust cam:

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Right intake cam:

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Is it normal? Or should I set the exhaust cam to exact tdc and torque it down? It feels like it's pushing the springs down and also feels lopsided. Even when I do rotate it to TDC it naturally moves the left one click. If I recall this is what is supposed to happen but I could use some confirmation from someone.

 

[NOSLO2PT0]

Exhaust cam is off. Hold a straight-edge through the center of the cam gear bolts, and the timing marks on the gears should be sitting right on top of the straight-edge. That's how you know it's good.

 

[1992awdlaser]

They both look off to me.

Do this:
Put only the bottom tensioner bolt in a little so the tensioner can rotate counter clockwise so it won't be touching the tensioner arm.
Start with the crank and oil pump gears.
Remember to make sure the oil pump gear is in phase.
Once the belt is around them it will hold itself around them.
Slip it around the tensioner pulley and idler pulley.
Put it around the intake cam gear and use two or three clothes pins to hold it in place.
Then rotate the exhaust cam clockwise and make sure you intentionally rotate one tooth too much.
The exhaust cam will line back up when the grenade pin is pulled.
Pull up on the tensioner pulley or use the tool if you have it and then tighten the bolt.
Lift up on the tensioner arm so you can swing the tensioner under it.
Then put the top bolt in the tensioner and tighten both down.
Pull the grenade pin.
Then the cam gears should be lined up perfect and you can rotate it six times to verify everything.

 

[sliver]

The timing belt is off, so all I should have to do is take cam caps off and rotate both to tdc again. If I try to put the exhaust tdc it feels weird, but it naturally falls back to the left one click.

Is this normal until I put t-belt on?

 

[1992awdlaser]

You don't need to take the cam caps off to turn the cams. Yes it is normal for the exhaust cam to rotate when you let go. This is why I said " Then rotate the exhaust cam clockwise and make sure you intentionally rotate one tooth too much.
The exhaust cam will line back up when the grenade pin is pulled." It does this because of pressure from the valve springs.

 

[snowborder714]

Take a look at the VFAQ. The info you're probably interested starts at step 26:
Timing Belt VFAQ (Timing Belt TSB - ENHANCED)

 

[sliver]

thanks 1992 and snowboarder...that's the info I needed.

 

[steve]

You don't need to take the cam caps off to turn the cams. Yes it is normal for the exhaust cam to rotate when you let go. This is why I said " Then rotate the exhaust cam clockwise and make sure you intentionally rotate one tooth too much.
The exhaust cam will line back up when the grenade pin is pulled." It does this because of pressure from the valve springs.

There is no need to do this if you make sure to pull the slack out as you put the belt on.

Start at the exhaust amd clip the belt onto the sprocket with binder clips. Move the exhaust cam so the timing mark lines up with the mating surface of the head/rocker cover and hold it there while you move the intake cam a little below the mark (about half a tooth) and put the belt on the sprocket and clip it. The intake cam should move to the correct spot. If it doesn't you didn't get the belt on correctly, fix it before moving on to the oil pump.

Same deal, back the sprocket up about 1/2 a tooth so you can easily get the belt on and then move it forward until everything else starts to move. If the marks don't line up then you didn't do that one correctly. Once you do the crank the belt that's left will get taking up by the tensioner pulley/arm and nothing should move because you took all the slack out as you went.

Unless I'm confused the labels for the pictures are reversed. The first is the exhaust and it should be slightly more to the right of 12 o'clock, the second is the intake and it will be at 12 o'clock when the marks are lined up.

 

[1992awdlaser]

There is no need to do this if you make sure to pull the slack out as you put the belt on.

True. That is just the way I prefer to do it because it seems easier to me.

 

[sliver]

I'm so afraid yet excited to do this job. My car has not started for 2 1/2 weeks. I'm afraid all this waiting and finally getting down to it isn't going to pay off. :*(

wish me luck

 

[snowborder714]

You'll be fine. Just read the VFAQ a few times, then after each step, make sure everything is correct. Then triple check your work after you have everything installed before you pull the pin. Then go over everything a few more times after cranking the engine over 6 times and waiting 20 minutes.

 

[steve]

True. That is just with way I prefer to do it because it seems easier to me.

Understood. The downside with your method is if you do the rest tight you'll wind up a tooth off since there was no slack to take up.

I'm so afraid yet excited to do this job. My car has not started for 2 1/2 weeks. I'm afraid all this waiting and finally getting down to it isn't going to pay off. :*(

wish me luck

I remember how worried I was that somehow I'd mess it up when I did the first one. Pretty soon you'll be an old hand passing out advice to the next new person.

 

[sliver]

QUICK QUESTION,

wouldn't rotating the cams even just a little bit bend the valves? My block is TDC, just wondering..I'm doing the tbelt job right now.. I don't have the special tool for the tensioner pulley either. Is that why it is so hard to put the timing belt on? I'm going to go loosen it right now and see if it helps. Any advice is appreciated..All ears right now.

 

[snowborder714]

You can rotate the cams to get the timing marks aligned. Since you have the engine at TDC and the timing marks already lined up, I'm guess you just need to finesse the cams into time.

It will be harder to get the tensioner pulley correct without the special tool, but you can use 90* pliers (which is a big PITA). Without either of those, I have no idea how you'd do it. Some good improvising would be in order then.

 

[LTUDSM]

i did with 90 ngle "lock" pliers or how that thing calls.I got underneath th car.Put the 90 angle pliers,locked up to those two holes and ummm pushed up a lil, tightened the t-belt . tightened the bolt for the tensioner pulley and thats it. Pulled the pin from the auto tensioner.Measured the gap between auto tensioner shaft and the tensioner arm,The clearance was 4.1 mm
The book says,that clearance should be 3.8-4.5mm

 

[sliver]

What is this 90* plyers everyone is talking about? What's so special about those holes? I can move the tensioner up and down with just the center bolt loosened.. Are the 2 holes on the tensioner pully supposed to be at 12 o clock too???

In the mean time I'm trying to figure out a way to compress this auto tensioner. 4" clamp wasn't big enough..grr

 

[TURBOGSX]

if you have help have a freind hold each cam were its has to be while you put the belt on in the order by the vfaq the clips on the belt really do help alot or just use small vice grips to hold the the belt on the cams

 

[LTUDSM]

hah that where the special tool has to do its job.the spec tool,that goes into the block to the tensioner arm,helps to compress the autotensioner check out the V-Faq,they have a write up how to make that spec tool,or you just take out the auto tensioner,put it to the Wise Grips and slowly press it like a half turn at a time
Thats the Pliers that we were talking about

 

[LTUDSM]

if you have help have a freind hold each cam were its has to be while you put the belt on in the order by the vfaq the clips on the belt really do help alot or just use small vice grips to hold the the belt on the cams

i wouldn recommend using wise grips on a timing belt.You could damage the t-belt using a wise grips,Everytime when i do timing,im using ZipTies ,They work best.I tried a lot of stuff to hold the belt on a cam gears,and like i said,ZipTies do the job really good

 

[snowborder714]

What is this 90* plyers everyone is talking about? What's so special about those holes? I can move the tensioner up and down with just the center bolt loosened.. Are the 2 holes on the tensioner pully supposed to be at 12 o clock too???

In the mean time I'm trying to figure out a way to compress this auto tensioner. 4" clamp wasn't big enough..grr

Here is a tech article that shows more about the 90* pliers:
http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/art...5-timing-belt-tensioning-tips-4g63-turbo.html

The holes will probably be around 1 or 2 o'clock when everything is set. This is a guideline, not a fact.

Do you know anyone who has a bench vise? This is the ideal way to do it. Just make sure whichever way you do it, you do it very slowly. Crank a little, wait 20 seconds, repeat.

i wouldn recommend using wise grips on a timing belt.You could damage the t-belt using a wise grips,Everytime when i do timing,im using ZipTies ,They work best.I tried a lot of stuff to hold the belt on a cam gears,and like i said,ZipTies do the job really good

Small vice grips would work fine, as long as you don't put them directly on the timing belt or on too tight. Tom (blcknspo0ln) uses them along with a towel. You can see this in the 3rd picture of post #2:
http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/art...l-installing-timing-timing-belt-6bolt-2g.html

I use large binder clips which work very well

 

[sliver]

Got the timing belt on, gee wiz it was a bi*** the 1st time.. Now I'm just trying to remember if I put the ac pully on first before I put the timing belt cover on or vice versa...

 

[TURBOGSX]

just like to say i do use a shop towel on the belt when using the vise grips