whiteninja1 wrote:
I am using those videos also. the timing belt is not playing nice though. it is a hell of a tight fit.
I advise some caution with those 5 youtube videos. There are at least 2 errors in them (that I have caught). First, the person indicates that the flywheel (timing hole) aligns with the camshaft (timing holes) only every second rotation. Its actually the opposite because the cams rotate at half the speed of the crank. Second, and most critically, the belt reinstallation procedure shown is not correct. It does not match the SM nor does it enable the level of 'fine tuning' the non-keyed cam gears were designed for. The author indicates that he pins the crank & cams, re-aligns his paint marks (on the cam gears), torques the cams gears and then reinstalls the belt. That is not correct. The cam gear bolts should stay 'finger tight' until AFTER the belt is installed. This insures proper and even tension of the belt around the entire perimeter. By torquing the cam gears first you are asking for trouble by potentially (maybe almost certainly) having uneven tension which will even itself out after a few rotations - but then you've thrown your timing off.
Regarding the super tight belt and inability to get it back over the tensioner, here's what I did to make things easy. I found that with a new/tight belt it is nearly impossible to get it over the tensioner without being tempted to wedge it on with a screwdriver or equivalent - not a good idea. Instead try this. Take the retaining bolt out of the tensioner, install the belt over the tensioner, then push/wedge the tensioner back into position (with the belt already on it) so the retaining bolt lines up. Works like a charm. The reason this work is that the belt is so wide and perfectly sized (when new) to just fit the engine there is simply not enough slack to allow for bringing it over/onto the tensioner pulley from the off angle required. It will fit, but only when it sits squarely on all of the pulleys.