Timing belt???

Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.

SHO GoDz 89

True Sleeper
Joined
Aug 22, 2007
Messages
467
Reaction score
134
Location
Monroe Twp, NJ
I just got done with my water pump and I put everything back together, checked the grounds, and started it up.

It was idling weird and when sitting, it seems fine, but when I put load on it, there is a -pop- sound coming from the intake. Also, it can't pull for crap. It smells like gas coming through the exhaust, so I'm assuming my timing is waaayyy off.

The car was sitting for a week, and one day I decided to clean the engine when the timing covers were off...probably a dumb idea. I think I might have gotten something in the belt and caused it to skip a tooth or two.

I asked Nick and he said check the tensioner. I can't fit my hand in there, but I made a cut out on my timing cover and the belt sorta seems loose. I've never done anything timing related so I have no idea what the tension on the belt is supposed to feel like.
 

rubydist

SHO Master
Staff member
Super Moderators
Joined
Jun 25, 2007
Messages
7,521
Reaction score
3,399
Location
Denver
The belt should not feel loose at all - it should be tight.
 

SHO GoDz 89

True Sleeper
Joined
Aug 22, 2007
Messages
467
Reaction score
134
Location
Monroe Twp, NJ
At this point, it doesn't matter if the tensioner is bad, my timing is screwed up right now.
I have to take it somewhere to get this fixed as I have no clue what I'm doing.
 

Brett

SHOs before HOs
Joined
Apr 15, 2006
Messages
1,323
Reaction score
159
Location
Minnesnowta
I had the same problem except the gas stink. But ran like crap, pops through intake, i immediately though my timing was off as well. Turned out i just had a vacuum leak and the intake was not seated properly. I only mention it because your symptoms are very close to my own, worth a look see.
 

sdpatt

Sr. SHO Engr.
Joined
Dec 6, 2000
Messages
9,670
Reaction score
383
Location
Dallas, TX
Two questions.

1. What did you "clean" the engine with?
2. How did you align the timing belt when you reinstalled it?
 

SHO GoDz 89

True Sleeper
Joined
Aug 22, 2007
Messages
467
Reaction score
134
Location
Monroe Twp, NJ
Two questions.

1. What did you "clean" the engine with?
2. How did you align the timing belt when you reinstalled it?

Engine degreaser, let it sit, then rinsed with water as the instructions tell me to do.
The car sat for a few days afterwards as I was waiting for new belts to come.

I never took the timing belt off. I just did the water pump...
 

itwonder

SHO Member
Joined
Dec 17, 2005
Messages
1,909
Reaction score
556
Location
VA
Are you aware of the maintenance guides at www.shophoenixproject.com?

Since you did not remove the timing belt, I venture a guess that you just changed the center piece of the water pump. There is a good chance you'll have a leak at the housing to block o-ring because it should be changed with the wp; there are actually 3 o-rings behind the housing that should be changed with the wp.
 
Last edited:

SHO GoDz 89

True Sleeper
Joined
Aug 22, 2007
Messages
467
Reaction score
134
Location
Monroe Twp, NJ
Are you aware of the maintenance guides at www.shophoenixproject.com?

Since you did not remove the timing belt, I venture a guess that you just changed the center piece of the water pump. There is a good chance you'll have a leak at the housing to block o-ring because it should be changed with the wp; there are actually 3 o-rings behind the housing that should be changed with the wp.

I changed the front half of the water pump, not the entire thing.
 

sho_sc

New Member
Joined
Jan 8, 2004
Messages
754
Reaction score
69
Location
Georgetown, KY
Engine degreaser, let it sit, then rinsed with water as the instructions tell me to do.
The car sat for a few days afterwards as I was waiting for new belts to come.

I never took the timing belt off. I just did the water pump...

AH! You probably have water inside of the plug wells.
 

rubydist

SHO Master
Staff member
Super Moderators
Joined
Jun 25, 2007
Messages
7,521
Reaction score
3,399
Location
Denver
If you have a wet/dry vacuum, you can pull off the plug wires and vacuum out the water.

You will want to carefully examine the plug wires, because they often get ruined when the plug wells are full of water - the spark shorts out through the water to the head, and that destroys the insulation on the plug wire.
 

SHO GoDz 89

True Sleeper
Joined
Aug 22, 2007
Messages
467
Reaction score
134
Location
Monroe Twp, NJ
AH! You probably have water inside of the plug wells.

I checked them already, if there is any water, I couldn't see it. And the plug stems are dry.

Besides that, I just got back for lunch, put the car up on a jack, set it in 5th gear and set it.
The front bank cam sprocket is off by one tooth. Seems like I found my problem.

I'm going to double check my plug wells today and make sure there is absolutely NO water in there. I didn't clean the rear bank, so I don't think I need to worry about that.

By the way, would the cam sensor be causing anything like this? I noticed that my PS tank was leaking onto it when I moved it out of the way. I cleaned the sensor off with sensor cleaner though.
 

Fulgore1018

1992 SHO
Joined
Dec 3, 2008
Messages
6
Reaction score
2
Location
Eastpointe MI
you probally should have used break clean to clean heads where intake goes that if ne gets in intake ports it just dries up and doenst cause any poping noise or any water left behind
 

SHO GoDz 89

True Sleeper
Joined
Aug 22, 2007
Messages
467
Reaction score
134
Location
Monroe Twp, NJ
Bring her back up to me.:sun:

If I can drive it, sure. Aren't you and matt supposed to be coming to my house to pick up the 89 this weekend?

I checked my plug wells, and (lol) there was degreaser filled to the top...go figure it was the one well I didn't check.
I sucked it out (please leave the **** jokes at home) and cleaned it. No good, still giving me issues.

Now I have the timing belt off, the crank pulley is set (yellow mark on zero), and it seems like the cam sprockets were much further off than I thought.

The cam sprockets are aligned with the white line, instead of yellow. No good I suppose.

Question: Where are the two lines on the timing belt SUPPOSED to be?
 

93rev2sev

SHO Member
Joined
Nov 1, 2004
Messages
6,461
Reaction score
1,825
Location
Hockeytown
once the timing belt has been set, running the engine(or even turning it over) will make those marks not line up anymore.

In other words, the only time you can use those marks is when installing the belt. After the belt has been installed and the car has been run, those marks are useless.

Time it right and make sure the wires are plugged into the right holes.
 

yamahaSHO

E85 whore
Joined
Jul 25, 2002
Messages
10,646
Reaction score
2,516
Location
Arkansas
You could keep turning it manually until the marks match up if you'd like.

You can easily check timing by matching up the marks on the cam gears to the marks on the inner timing cover as well as the mark on the crank gear with the mark on the oil pump. If it is timed properly, they willl all line up.
 

SHO GoDz 89

True Sleeper
Joined
Aug 22, 2007
Messages
467
Reaction score
134
Location
Monroe Twp, NJ
You could keep turning it manually until the marks match up if you'd like.

You can easily check timing by matching up the marks on the cam gears to the marks on the inner timing cover as well as the mark on the crank gear with the mark on the oil pump. If it is timed properly, they willl all line up.

Screw the old belt. I'm just going to change it. I gotta get an impact gun tomorrow so I can take the crank pulley off, then I will finish it.
 

itwonder

SHO Member
Joined
Dec 17, 2005
Messages
1,909
Reaction score
556
Location
VA
Might want to get a Felpro WP o-ring kit and do your WP job right while you have it apart. it's quick and easy once you have the timing belt off...or you can just wait for the leak that will come later on.
 

Latest posts

Forum statistics

Threads
107,093
Messages
1,181,338
Members
16,157
Latest member
poffffd

Members online

Back
Top