Timing Problems? (detailed/long)

[Black '93]

I just replaced my timing belt about 3 days ago and since then I have seen a slight loss of power. I lined up the crank and cams correctly and the motor runs fine. However, when I really romp on the motor ('93 ATX), I seem to have a bit of lost power and torque at about 5,100 RPMs on up. My shift points are still at the same RPM and I still am achieving normal MPH when shifting occurs, but it takes longer for RPMs to climb. Basically it feels as if I have lost about 15-20 horsepower, yet the motor runs fine and fires smoothly. It is almost as if everything from 5,100 RPMs on up is in slow motion. I wasn't sure if it was just me (sometimes it just feels like your car isn't as quick if your driving it all day) or if I had lost some power, so I raced my brother in his '96 SHO. Usually we are pretty even up to about 75 MPH, But he pulled ******* me the whole time and I couldn't keep up with him at all. I was ******, and I know this is not how my car should run. Don't get me wrong, the car still moves, it's just not like it should be. Could this have something to do with the timing tensioner? Please do not give me that link to the phoenix project, because it cannot help me with this. If anyone else has experienced this since replacing a timing belt, please let me know. I have no vacuum leaks and my intake and everything else is tight and leak free. Also, if it helps, I seem to hear an airy sound coming from my exhaust and it is not an exhaust leak. It sounds like tons of air being rushed out my exhaust when I romp on the motor. Could my timing have ******** or advanced some how? When i was adjusting the crank to the correct position was I supposed to find the correct crank position with just one rotation? Is this normal for a new timing belt? Do they have a break in period? I know this is a long thread but there are many possibilities I need to explore. Whoever has the expertise to help me with this; I greatly appreciate it.

 

[justin mccluske]

i had this same problem on one of my carsand it ended up being the cams were one tooth ******** i fixed that and it was a world of difference .When you instaled the timming belt did you turn the motor over a few times and check timming again ? you should always do that because after a few rotations of the motor your timming could be different due to timming belt stretch or thing just settling in

 

[Black '93]

No, I didn't check to see whether it had moved after a I ran the motor, but judging by what you're saying, it must have skipped ahead. I do know that I had everything lined up before and after I put the belt on though. My one buddy told me that if the belt is to tight it could possibly pull it out of timing. When you had the same problem did you just do the whole process again the same way you did, or did you misalign the cam on the first try and have to redo it? I'm not sure if this could be related to a new belt or not, so before I redo the belt I'm going to wait to see if anyone else has any input for me.. Thanks a lot

 

[sdpatt]

Check the accuracy of the timing between the crankshaft and the camshafts. A reprint from a long ago post of mine:

You can remove just the upper timing belt cover to check the timing belt installation. Remove the upper cover and rotate the crankshaft clockwise until the second, white notch on the damper aligns with the "0" mark on the timing tab on the lower timing belt cover (0 degrees BTDC on the #1 cylinder). The index marks on both camshaft pulleys should be aligned with the index marks on the rear timing belt cover at the 12 o'clock position. If the camshaft pulley index marks are at the 6 o'clock position, just rotate the crankshaft one revolution in the clockwise direction and check again.

Ignore the white marks on the timing belt during this check - they are applicable only during installation of the belt.

 

[Black '93]

Allright, I'll have to check that later tonight or tommorow. When you said the second white notch on the damper, are the notches a different length? Also, how would that tell me if it is out of timing since I never lined up any notch on the pulley to the timing cover when I installed it? Was this something I was supposed to do? The only things that I lined up were the cam sprockets and crank sprocket with the marks on the rear timing cover and the white marks on the belt itself..