Head removal: removing cam gears to get timing belt off?

[soldave]

Was working yesterday on getting my engine beheaded, so to speak, and reached a bit of a wall on the timing belt side. Everything else I think is good to go but the timing belt is still on which has obviously got to come off. I'm not going to be changing the timing belt as it's only done about 3000 miles so far and was looking for the easiest way to get the head off without messing with the belt.

Someone said I could take a breaker bar and the strength of Thor to get the camshaft pulleys off with the timing belt still on it. As long as the cams didn't move and everything was put back aligned in the right place it would be fine, and would mean the head could come off relatively simply. Am I missing something here (very possible as I always shy away from timing belts) or is it a possible way of going about it?

 

[SkylinesSuck]

That was just a general statement so everybody giving advise knows where we are coming from. Very easy to say what your saying, and if we get everything lined up to #1 TDC before hand, even if we did have to move things around, we would know exactly how to put it back.

 

[Strm Trpr]

Exactly!
You must get everything aligned to TDC with all timing marks aligned, and make sure the Cam Dowel Pins (marked as green dots on my diagram in post #7) are pointing up at 12 o'clock.

 

[Turbocharged]

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/problem-diagnosis/332724-engine-bay-covered-oil-now-low-vacuum-lean-idle.html[/url]

No compression in one cylinder is indicative of a bent valve. Your rings need to catostrophically fail to experience zero compression. Have you removed the valve cover? You likely lost a rocker arm if a valve got stuck and made contact with the cylinder. Either way I suggest taking the head to a machine shop for inspection prior to any block work.

If you do need to replace a piston you will also need to hone the cylinder (at least it's highly suggested if you want to rings to wear correctly). In situ honing is possible however taking the block to a machine shop is the preferred method. Depending on the cylinder wall condition you may be able to you use a flex hone for deglazing. If the walls are badly scored I would suggest a 3-stone hone. Do your homework before doing any in situ honing.

Keep us up to date. I'm interested in this.

 

[soldave]

No compression in one cylinder is indicative of a bent valve. Your rings need to catostrophically fail to experience zero compression. Have you removed the valve cover? You likely lost a rocker arm if a valve got stuck and made contact with the cylinder. Either way I suggest taking the head to a machine shop for inspection prior to any block work.

If you do need to replace a piston you will also need to hone the cylinder (at least it's highly suggested if you want to rings to wear correctly). In situ honing is possible however taking the block to a machine shop is the preferred method. Depending on the cylinder wall condition you may be able to you use a flex hone for deglazing. If the walls are badly scored I would suggest a 3-stone hone. Do your homework before doing any in situ honing.

Keep us up to date. I'm interested in this.

This is only going to be a ghetto build to get me back on the road so definitely no machine work planned unless absolutely necessary. Main reason being that any machine work would have to be done either in mainland Japan or the States, neither of which I really want to be sending my engine head off to (Okinawa has only one real machine shop and it's scary as hell if you see the work they do). Do have access to a honing tool and someone who can do a good job for honing so that's not a problem. Removed valve cover and didn't see anything amiss but will take a real close look after work today as I wasn't really looking for anything out of place.

 

[brownfinger]

The timing belt should be removed at this point, and turning the crank with the head off is no longer an issue!

Since you're re-using your t-belt, first set it to #1TDC. Make white-out/paint marks on the belt teeth AND the gear teeth at all timing marks on ALL gears; all three belts, one tooth per gear, two teeth on the belt, per each timing mark on the case. Use the VFAQ Site - Visual Frequently Answered Questions timing belt v-faq. There are three of them, use the one which tells you how to modify the battery hold-down into a t-belt tensioner tool. When you get it right, the belt will finally get loose. Then it just slips off.
Once the head is off, you can turn the crank all you want, just make sure every single mark is lined back up before you put the head back on, and then the belt.
When you re-install the belt, use some strong clothes-pin type spring-clamps on the belt where it gooes over the cam gears. They're very helpful to have around. They counter-act the tendency of the valve-springs to pull the exhaust cam out of position.
Good luck.

 

[soldave]

Well, the timing belt is off, although I have other problems now. Did as stated and timing belt came loose so removed it. Took tensioner out as it didn't seem compressed and found the hole that goes through the rod was at right angles to the hole on the tensioner housing, so it would have never lined up. Then I came to take out threaded rod. And that's as far as my day got. The rod seems like it's stuck in there. I took off the center bolt and the arm that hits the auto-tensioner but couldn't get it free. Am hoping it is just a case of me having a lack of strength and leverage using my crappy tools rather than it really being stuck in there. I cut my losses for the day when my hand slipped on the wrench and I think I may have broken my little finger.

So the head can come out but got knows how this bolt is gonna come off. Will hopefully be able to get some leverage on it with the head off.

 

[El_Wood]

Updates?

 

[soldave]

Car back on the road as of last night. Just in the process of writing an update for my site and will update here later accordingly.

 

[SkylinesSuck]

Dav'es motor coming back together this weekend......................

 

[soldave]

It lives!!!

After a huge effort this weekend and some help by one of the most knowledgeable engine-builders in Okinawa, I finally turned the key on the Evo and got it running again. Putting it together wasn't without incident though, including having the motor locked up solid when we tried to turn the crank by hand! But we sorted it out in the end and I'm feeling pretty good about it to be honest. It's taken and age and has been difficult, but I've doe a good proportion of the work on it myself and it's more than I ever thought I'd be able to do.

Have written a full write-up of the final stages of my rebuild on my site. I would copy and put it on here but would need to change some of the wording so it fits in here which I really am too tired to do! So if you have any interest at all then have a look here: The Evo Lives!!! | Big in Japan

Thanks to all those who have helped me with advice in the rebuild. Has been much appreciated