Well, I have gotton the old belt off and the new water pump on. The new belt goes on tomorrow. It took a 1 inch impact to get the crank pulley off! This thing was a monster!!! I have the camshafts marked and pinned at TDC and the crankshaft marked on both the belt and the pulley. I can't see the marks on the rear cams, but do have them marked at the original TDC with the pins inserted. I have also counted the teeth between the camshafts to be 13. I assume that if the lines on the new belt line up to the marked cam/crankshaft and the pins are still inserted, and there is no slack....the rear cams have to be at TDC. Any advise here? Again, they are marked and pinned at the original TDC when I pulled the crank pulley. If I rotate the crank and am off a tooth, will it damage a valve from hand rotation? Any advise here would be appreciated. I feel pretty certain that I have taken the precautions marking everything to be safe, but the thought of making a dumb mistake on this engine is SCARY!! This is my 1st timing belt...my wife does not understand why I did not experiment 1st on my 94 Nissan Truck!! Thanks Larry and Chris for the great help you have provided so far. Who needs the manual with you guys there!! Last thing....do you feel it is necessary to back the valves off if the cams are pinned?
Timing belt status
- Thread starter Steve
- Start date
Backing off the valve adjustment is a precautionary measure I recommend for a "first time", as was recommended to me by Mark Basch. I do not do this any more, when I perform the job. I undersatnd about the marks on the belt and gears, but I would still need to see ALL marks aligned on all 5 pulleys to convince me that it is ready to go back together(JMO). This will need to be checked AFTER the belt is on and tensioned as perscribed in the service manual (It is a good manual
). Also pay attention to the timing belt installation sequence in the manual. It is the only way to go.
HTH,
LarryB
). Also pay attention to the timing belt installation sequence in the manual. It is the only way to go.HTH,
LarryB
Did you mark the old belt before removal? I do so many timming belts from so many different cars at work I dont use service manuals. I mark the old belt and cam sprokets and crank with white-out remove the old belt, lay it up to the new belt and mark the same teeth on the new belt with white-out. 
You are one brave man to do this as your first timming belt job...
You are one brave man to do this as your first timming belt job...
