Gearing up for my first T-belt/waterpump change, any suggestions!

[coloradotuner]

Hey fellow dsm fans! I am getting ready to do my very first T- belt on my beloved eclipse! scroll down If your not into reading juicy stories.
The story
Driving up Kebler Pass (Aka gnarley Mtn road in Colorado) I was in 3rd gear right around 4.5k -5k rpms blasting through and slightly drifting the corners hah! All of a sudden I glance down and and my cold hot gauge is wayy past the point and my oil pressure was dropping steadily, I pulled over immediately and turned off the car. The top radiator hose was blown off and there was white smoke billowing out of the car I tried to pinpoint exactly where but It was everywhere around the block, the coolant looked as if it had sprayed all over the engine. I had a full extra coolant bottle in the back, so I sat by the car for a couple hours (god these cars run so hot) and waited for the temp to cool, I used the whole container of coolant, and Cranked the car over. It ran very rough and all the coolant I just put in it was dumping out the right side of the engine! Probably the water pump.. I checked my oil and the oil was reading very low. I got a tow back to my house and put 1.5 quarts of oil in the car and cranked it over again, This time the idle seemed healthy except for rough noise coming from the right side of the engine(maybe water pump?), I let the car idle for 5 mins (watching underneath for drips of oil) then turned it off. I pulled the spark plugs no foul.

Recap
white smoke
coolant leaking
missing 1.5 quarts of oil
still cranked over though
ran okay minus rough noise coming from right side of engine
spark plugs are not fouled

I am not a mechanic and I still am new to Dsm cars, I am in college and I am on a budget right now. I have slowly been restoring this Car the past four years (tranny, suspension work, misc items). So I am going to try to fix it myself, and just go ahead and do a timing belt change/ water pump change, and heck while I'm at it replace the alternator belt and see if it fixes it. That being said I wanted to double check with you dudes If i am missing anything or misdiagnosing anything here, or ya think something else might be the problem.

I ordered a Chilton Repair manual, and I found a Gates timing Kit on rock auto for cheap, that doesn't include a cam tension-er hydraulic assembly. BUT they do sell it separately.. Also Gates sells the the alternator belt too!
There is also a Cloyes timing kit for 10$ cheaper, Never heard of them before...that doesn't include a cam tension-er hydraulic assem. either.
O-reily has a knock off water pump for cheap including the gasket, Part # CP7148.

In your personal exp. has OEM components worked better over the GATES and CLOYES? Should I replace the Cam tension-er hydraulic assembly? Should I Go GATES kit with OEM water Pump? Just looking for opinions from your personal experience. Any tools I will need to get the job done right?

Sorry for the long read, but that's just how I roll, do it right the first time is my motto. And if I can do it right while saving my money then that's good too!

 

[Mauispyder]

Don't go cheaper than Gates. Most seem to use oem only, but there seems to be a consensus that Gates is ok for belts. You should/must get an oem tensioner and new pullies related to the timing belt. You should/must get a new balance shaft belt. You don't necessarily need OEM for water pump, but when you're half way through this job you'll wish you were putting in a pump that you know will last a long long time. Look over the VFAQ on timing belt changes and accumulate any tools you'll need. I spent more updating my tool chest than I did on the oem timing parts. Don't forget your new coolant hoses and look carefully at all your small hoses as well. The oil loss is a little concerning. Maybe a few wiseguys will chime in.

 

[luv2rallye]

Definitely stay only with OEM for the water pump (worth extra $) - after market ones don't last. Gates is ok for belts.
TB tips: http://www.dsmtuners.com/threads/timing-belt-tensioning-tips-for-4g63-turbo.214625/

 

[guseclipse]

Get this.
http://www.jayracing.com/mobile/tim...9/jay-racing-timing-belt-tools-kit-p-214.html
Worth every penny. Cause if you tensione the belt wrong you will be doing a head job instead.

 

[Dsmkauai]

^^ exactly every dsmer should own this!

 

[Archer Fabrications]

Personally. Oem, or hks kevlar. (Not that you need kevlar) for the timing belt, oem everything else.

 

[pauleyman]

http://www.dsmtuners.com/threads/why-do-people-still-screw-up-timing-belt-jobs.429897/
http://www.dsmtuners.com/threads/timing-belts-and-tdc-long-writeup.437761/
http://www.dsmtuners.com/threads/ar...t-you-shouldnt-be-after-you-read-this.450253/

 

[pauleyman]

I will say this again. If the tension isnt right you do it again until it is.

 

[Pacey]

Just go slow and take notes/pictures. I just completed my first timing belt removal and if you go slow, you can work through it. I used VFAQ on a laptop in my garage so that I could follow along with the directions. Remember you have a little room to move the engine up and down once you have the engine mount removed. This will make some of the lower bolts easier to reach. The tool kit that guseclipse mentioned is well worth it. I bought all of my timing belt goodies from Exteremepsi.com. Good prices and fast shipping. For what its worth I think I paid $283 for the belt kit, tool kit, and oil filter. I shopped around a while and was piecing the kit together from various vendors including local auto parts stores but in the end, it was easier to just buy everything from ExtremePSI.

 

[the_dsmg_abides]

First drain what's left of your coolant into a clean container inspect for oil, you need to investigate where the oil went. If oil in coolant suspect head gasket. Check the oil as well for coolant it will be a milky brown color if coolant made it in. Its very possible one of the ffont case seals went bad causing coolant oil mixing.

Make sure you do not skip the balance shaft belt. A lot of times this is looked over or skipped just because you can. You don't have to take out the crank bolt either to get the belt off .
Once at TDC you can rotate the crank slowly far enough to slide the balance shaft belt around the low point on crank position sensor plate. You will not bump pistons or valves. This prevents taking that crank bolt off.

Make sure that the balance shaft on the bottom right (when facing the front case) falls back towards the timing mark on the block. If it falls away from center when you place it on timing mark it's 180 out of time. If you start the car you will know immediately if it's 180 out. There will be a terrible vibration. Do not drive it!!!

Gates will be fine as long as you don't redline the car everyday. You HAVE to do the hydraulic tensioner.

Don't pull the pin on the hydraulic tensioner until you put proper tension on the belt with the eccentric tensioner. When you pull the pin you don't want it to expand all the way. The gates kit comes with a super handy torque spec sheet too. This is one of those things you need to follow torque specs on by the way.

You mentioned o'reilly, their import direct brand is oe part. They sell imported parts under that name because most people don't recognize the actual import manufacturer. I got my water pump from there and it had identical cast marks to the dealership parts I had previously put on.

Loosen the drive pulleys before you take alternator and pws belts off. Just makes it easier than trying to brace the free wheeling pulley . Like five 10mm bolts.
To get the pulleys out, because they won't clear the frame, remove the engine mount and Jack the engine up high to get enough clearance to drop them. It's a trip to do the first few times.

If the timing cover seal isn't in to many pieces, soak it in tranny fluid to soften it back up.

Clean everything while down there inspect for leaks and bad seals. Make sure e the crank position sensor isn't worn on the inside from the plate. if it is suspect crankshaft play. Verify and try not to cry.
Sometimes the balance bolts will leak oil on high mileage 4g63 motors. Inspect under pressure

Before you put the mount on and alternator the and pws beltson start the car for a few seconds with the covers off inspect for leaks under pressure don't run for more than minute.
Good luck man.

 

[Spoolingaround]

I'm going to chime in too and say the 1.5 quart of oil loss is concerning. Especially since it was related to an overheating issue. If the car was overheating for too long you may have warped the head or blown the head gasket. Any mixing of oil and coolant?

 

[HallerDSM]

Yes, the oil lose is concerning hopefully its nothing. Go with what the_dsmg says check your coolant to make sure it didn't warp anything on the head. I have done countless timing belts/water pumps this is one of the easier ones to do. Just have patients and be sure like previously said to torque everything including pulleys down. Don't want one coming off while your driving. Have had this happen on a new car I never worked on a couple years ago, it will scare the sh*t out of you.

 

[coloradotuner]

Once at TDC you can rotate the crank slowly far enough to slide the balance shaft belt around the low point on crank position sensor plate. You will not bump pistons or valves. This prevents taking that crank bolt off.

Getting the balance belt off was difficult. I rotated the crank to get the belt off, I am confused now. How Do i Know without a doubt that the crank is back at TDC, anyone please chime in. I am halfway through, I rotated the crank counter clockwise a little bit as well am I okay?

Don't forget your new coolant hoses and look carefully at all your small hoses as well.

where are these said small coolant hoses located?

Any mixing of oil and coolant?

Thus far no. I haven't seen any oil leaks either, just some seepage, but you gotta expect that with a high mileage motor right?

 

[OGDSM1989]

Not jacking this thread but I also am getting ready for a headgasket / timing belt job and here is my list if anyone see something I am missing please feel free to chime in (90k on the clock )
1. factory 92 service manual
2. Jay Racing tools kit
3. Composite head gasket/Gates Racing High performance T-Belt
4. OEM tensioner/related pulleys and idler
5. Gates water pump related gaskets,o-rings
6. Valve cover gasket kit
7. Intake/exhaust ,turbo gaskets and copper exhaust bolts
8. extra items , TB gaskets, Evo half circle plug, CAS o-ring, copper spray, Black RTV
scour pads , sand paper , mineral spirits, brass wire brush

was also wondering if this is a good time to replace HLA w/ 3g revised HLA, they are cheap and since the head is off , maybe pull valves give it a mild port and runner clean up , but I really dont want to hot tank it and replace all the viton seals etc .... but re-seating the valves and the HLA shouldnt be to bad.... IDK at this point just want to get this running, havent drove it since I bought it with a popped head gasket

 

[coloradotuner]

Getting the balance belt off was difficult. I rotated the crank twice around to get the belt off, I am confused now. How Do i Know without a doubt that the crank is back at TDC, anyone please chime in. I am halfway through, I rotated the crank counter clockwise a little bit as well am I okay?

 

[luv2rallye]

How Do i Know without a doubt that the crank is back at TDC,

http://www.dsmtuners.com/threads/i-think-my-timing-is-off-a-tooth.500744/#post-153571025

 

[coloradotuner]

http://www.dsmtuners.com/threads/i-think-my-timing-is-off-a-tooth.500744/#post-153571025

I saw the picture, I can't believe I didn't notice that notch on the crank sprocket plate! When I took the T belt off I just made sure that the counter balance sprocket, oil pump sprocket and cam sprockets were aligned with their respective tick marks. So that mark on the crank lets you know your at TDC? I have the Cam sprockets locked and in line with a tool from Jay racing and the balance shafts are aligned to there respective ticks.

Question, Is there a trick for getting the counter balance shaft sprocket lined up with its mark while tensioning the B belt?

Is it okay that I spun the crank around a couple times to remove and place the new B belt on? Next I have have to tension the B belt and make sure the Crank is at It's tick mark. correct?

 

[luv2rallye]

I'm assuming this is a 2g turbo.
No trick for front counter balance sprocket. However the rear counter balance shaft (which is also the oil pump sprocket) must be in phase with the crank. This shaft must be on the correct revolution (of 2 revolutions). Since you spun the crank it may now be out of phase. See step 24 here: http://www.vfaq.com/mods/timingbelt-2G.html. In fact follow this entire timing belt install procedure exactly. Also be aware of step 33 red note. And be aware that all shafts are only aligned (their ticks all line up) once every 6 revolutions of the crank (http://vfaq.com/proj-pics/Tbelt/96-004.gif).

 

[coloradotuner]

I'm assuming this is a 2g turbo.
No trick for front counter balance sprocket. However the rear counter balance shaft (which is also the oil pump sprocket) must be in phase with the crank. This shaft must be on the correct revolution (of 2 revolutions). Since you spun the crank it may now be out of phase. See step 24 here: http://www.vfaq.com/mods/timingbelt-2G.html. In fact follow this entire timing belt install procedure exactly. Also be aware of step 33 red note. And be aware that all shafts are only aligned (their ticks all line up) once every 6 revolutions of the crank (http://vfaq.com/proj-pics/Tbelt/96-004.gif).

Thanks for all the help luv2rally, The operation was a success. Shes running great!