Timing belt help ASAP

[Alucards_blood]

Okay, I've started on my timing belt yesterday and now today I'm finally finishing up. Or atleast I hope I was. I've replaced the balance shaft belt, balance shaft pulley, timing belt auto tensioner and tensioner pulley. I have the timing belt and it's not installed yet. Now, here's the problem: I just found out I'm not at TDC during the compression stroke because may cam gears have the dowel pins facing downward. All my timing marks are aligned correctly. I also have a screwdriver in the rear balance shaft plug so I'm good there, too.

What I do need to know is... Is it okay to continue the timing job without f-ing the engine?

Please help me out!!! Thanks to all.

 

[oldman]

Release your cams by removing the cam caps, rotate crank to TDC and CAMs so dowel pins are at 12 o'clock, reinstall cam caps beck to their original position and orientation, torque cam caps to spec in the proper sequence according to FSM, proceed with your timing belt installation.

 

[EZ91Talon]

It's not a good idea to try to turn the crank to TDC now (could collide piston with valve). Perhaps not the easiest, but safest thing to do is:
1. Disconnect the CPS and back off the cam journal caps to ensure all valves are completely closed.
2. Find TDC for the crank (using alignment marks on gear and block)
3. Align the cams and retourque caps and re-connect CPS.
Then continue with the TB install.
Good luck. Hope I didn't overlook anything...

Too slow

 

[oldman]

Slow ass kids.

 

[Alucards_blood]

Release your cams by removing the cam caps, rotate crank to TDC and CAMs so dowel pins are at 12 o'clock, reinstall cam caps beck to their original position and orientation, torque cam caps to spec in the proper sequence according to FSM, proceed with your timing belt installation.

My dowel pins were facing down even before I removed the timing belt. I just didn't realize it until I went to re-install the new belt. I just want to make very clear that they didn't move into that position after I took off the belt. Would it still be okay to use the method you suggested, Oldman??? One more question. Since these are the alignment points that the marks were in when I took off the belt can I just re-install the new belt without anything going wrong?

Thanks for the help guys. I really appreciate it.

 

[oldman]

If this is how you took it off then it was not in TDC. It's best that you put everything back to TDC before you proceed. Once the cams are released, all the valves will return to close position, at which point you can rotate the crank without the possibility of kissing valves. Did you follow the VFAQ article step by step? How did you mess up step #1?

 

[Defiant]

Pull the plugs, use pencils or dowels to get the crank to where the pistons are all halfway down the bores (put one in #1, and one in #2, and rotate the crank until the pencils are equal) and you can turn the cams. You'll then have to be careful turning the crank back to TDC; where you stopped will determine which direction you can go. Keep the pencils in the bores so you can watch them, and remember that #1 and #4, and #2 and #3 are paired.

 

[TALONTRAX]

When he pulled the belt, the crank was at tdc, however the cams were 180 around(2 full turns of the crankshaft = 1 full revolution of the cams). Theoretically, The belt can go back on that way, provided everything stays lined up during installation of the belt (just as if the cams were dowels up at 12 o clock rather than 6 o clock). I realize that this is not the recommended proceedure, however, I`ve done 1 that way by accident, & it worked fine . . .

 

[oldman]

When he pulled the belt, the crank was at tdc, however the cams were 180 around(2 full turns of the crankshaft = 1 full revolution of the cams). Theoretically, The belt can go back on that way, provided everything stays lined up during installation of the belt (just as if the cams were dowels up at 12 o clock rather than 6 o clock). I realize that this is not the recommended proceedure, however, I`ve done 1 that way by accident, & it worked fine . . .

Don't make this kind of recommendation unless you are willing to stand behind it.

 

[TALONTRAX]

Believe me, I DON`T recommend doing it that way . . . I just wanted to offer an alternative that was relatively easier & safer than turning the cam gears with the belt off on one of these interference engines, ONLY because I f###ed up one time & did it that way before, & it just happened to work out well for me. I figured that my mistake, & subsequent realization that I dodged a major headache by luck, could possibly help someone whom had made the same mistake . . .

 

[oldman]

Believe me, I DON`T recommend doing it that way . . . I just wanted to offer an alternative that was relatively easier & safer than turning the cam gears with the belt off on one of these interference engines, ONLY because I f###ed up one time & did it that way before, & it just happened to work out well for me. I figured that my mistake, & subsequent realization that I dodged a major headache by luck, could possibly help someone whom had made the same mistake . . .

It won't work because the outer marks doesn't line up perfectly with the inner marks when the ENGINE (not just the crank) is in TDC, I would recommend that you double check your marks and make sure you're not 1 tooth off.

 

[91talonawdtsi]

One revolution of the camshaft is two revolutions of the crankshaft so why wouldnt that work? wouldnt that be the way it aligns on one revolution of the crank if you do it with the dowel pins on the cams straight up?