Timing belt question!

[ohmygahitsjosh]

So Im not sure if this is a ridiculous question to ask or not but I havent been able to find an answer to it anywhere yet...

Essentially I tore the head off my engine to make sure things were still alright inside after my turbo blew really badly, and things seemed like they were alright so I replaced the HG with a oem composite and arp head studs and called it a day in there.

My problem is that I had a friend with me the day I was removing things from the engine bay to check things over and he managed to just work the timing belt off the cam gears and had it off before I realized what he was even doing.

So basically where Im at right now I have already got the head installed and torque'd down and the valve cover on and I ended up just ordering the auto tensioner rod thing from Miller Tools.

The timing belt hasnt ever come off the crank or the oil pump or anything its only just off the cam gears. With the tensioner rod thing inserted and screwed in Im able to have enough belt to get the belt back on just fine.

So now for my actual question.
After having been reviewing all the vfaqs on changing the timing belt, Im wondering if theres any way to line up the timing without removing pulleys and the other belts (where its already on the gears down below) and just get the cams set then get the bottom end set and slide the belt onto the cams and remove the tensioner rod thing and call it a day...

I was looking to see if I could find a vfaq or other detailed writeup taking you thru the process of changing the HG and see what it had you do with the timing belt but I couldnt find one...

Anyways hopefully someone has had some experience with this and can help clear that up for me


Thanks!


ps id have just changed the timing belt but it literally was done about 3 or 4 months ago now... and the last almost 2 months the car has been sitting in the garage

 

[VETTE_50_TH]

No. You will not be able to slide the belt over the cams if the tensioner is in place. Even that is kind of unrealistic. Do it the proper way and learn how its done. Then you can charge all your friends. I recommend buying the JAy Racing Timing belt kit he sells. MAkes life VERY easy.

 

[LiquidX]

You'll need to reset your timing the proper way. Might as well spend some more money and get new parts as well.

 

[1gdsmftw]

how in the world did you get the belt to slide onto the cams?...ive always had to lay the belt on the cams and then run it through and then adjust the tensioners to make my belts fit 0.o

 

[9!'clipseDOHC]

Just like the others have said, no. Take the belt all the way off and start from scratch. Do it all right the first time. Do you know when the last time a full timing job was done? If not then It would be a good idea to get new components like Liquidx mentioned, new tensioner, tensioner pulley, idler pulley, bs idler, bs belt, etc. All OEM Mitsubishi. Please don't skimp on your timing components.

Hope this helps!

 

[ohmygahitsjosh]

well I have the auto tensioner rod tool thing from miller tools, you just twist it in and it pushes the tensioner bracket thing back so then you have the slack you would normally have when putting it on any other way I assume... and where the belt was just worked off the cams in the first place so we could get the head off the belt is still on the crank and oil pump and tensioner like before...

And the timing belt was done about 2 months before I bought the car probably has anywhere from 6k to 2k miles on it. I bought the car in July. 5 days and 600 miles later the car was horribly broke down and has been in the garage tore apart ever since ;]

I guess im just going to have to take all the crap off and do it like I was changing the belt... was just kinda hoping that was only necessity for completely removing and reinstalling the belt...
I mean finding TDC on cylinder one wouldnt be hard... and I can obviously line up the cams easy enough... anddd the timing belt hasnt been taken off the oil pump or the crank so id assume the oil pump was still in time with the crank...

but anyways, I would rather be safe then sorry, I guess I was just looking forward to having my car running by my bday (tomorrow ;] ) but that of course is now impossible because I am stillllllllllllllllllllllll trying to get things settled with my order from SBR oh well whats another week or two without my DD right? Id hate to think they actually cared that Im stuck car-less while they take their time getting back to me.

 

[RLPerformance]

ALWAYS make sure you properly time the belt with the crank and cam gears! ALWAYS make sure to crank it over BY HAND before ever turning the key over to double/triple check the marks are right. Ive replaced multiple heads from people ''guessing" with the timing belt or thinking they were right the first time. It doesnt matter when you had it done last, once the timing belt has been taken off any gear, it needs to be properly timed again. Bent valves aren't worth it.

 

[DSM1G90]

..sides, with a "pry job" on that belt to get it off the pulleys, it could have done a bit of stretching in areas to create weak spots hidden within the belt.

But the big thing why everyone recommends a full belt replacement is that you have a very slightly different head height now with new gaskets and along with a reworked head .. and all of this has drastically disturbed the original settings.

Thus, you need to start over for this new work on the top end of your motor to get things back to square one.

Good luck-DSM