We should know in a couple of days then.
We should know in a couple of days then.
yeah it is good practice to have the heads crack tested and skimmed esp. if they have been hot
Is it possible to correctly set the timing belts tension pulley without the special tool?
yes you can. i used circlip pliers and turned the tension pully with those
I considered this, but wondered how you'd measure the torque?
Some bad news from todays efforts. My 'mate' managed to break the cast section of the distributor while putting it on. So I now need a replacement for that. #$!?@
err i just use my guess - o - meter when i do them... not too tight but not too lose!
isn't there some kind of rule of thumb.
you find the longest section of belt between 2 pulleys and with correct tention you should be able to twist the belt through 90 degrees but no more than that.
i could be wrong, but i seem to remember someone telling me this, but that could have been for an alternator belt.
so i am not to sure now.
Bye for Now!
Thanks for the help guys, it's greatly appreciated. I'll be waiting on a distributor for a few days now, so I don't need to rush the timing belt just now.
i just usually grab it and check the flex in the belt. no real science to it.. when you have done lots of cambelts you can just tell lol...sorry that isnt much help dude!
I've just about got everything back together now. Just a few questions to double check some things.
Firstly, which spark plug lead connects to where on the distributor. I know the where each lead goes to from the distributor, I just don't know how the cylinders are numbered.
Do you need any sort of gasket on the join between the oil feed and the block? I'm meaning the S bend pipe with the meshed nose on it that sits in the very bottom of the sump. Do I need to use any sort of sealant on it?
When I was putting the power steering pump back on, one of the bolts reached its limit and popped back a turn. I.E, if you continue to tighten it, it repeatedly tightens then pops a turn loose. Should I use some sort of liquid bolt lock on that, or will it be ok? This also happened to the engine mount bolt that goes in from the top.
Almost there guys!
Turned it over last night, fired up first try and was running smooth as! The only problems I've encountered are:
* Downpipe bolts need tightening, exhaust gas spewing out of the join when you put your foot on the gas.
* Lifters need bleeding, the tapping is clearly audible. Before I started all this they made no noise at all, so I guess its due to the heads sitting with no oil for a week or so. The sound decreased a lot after running the engine for around 30 minutes.
* It idles ok, but after about 10 minutes of sitting idling, it'll struggle now and then, sometimes (rarely) stalling. At this stage, I'm putting it down to one of: no air filter and exhaust gases spewing out right next to the intake, old fuel, or the engine needs a bit of running in etc.
Over all I'm stoked with the results. It's been a long road, but it seems to be close to a close now.
Just one more thing, it seems like the timing belt has lost some tension since I tightened it up and the engine has been running. Is this normal? Should I be worried? I can push the belt in 2 or 3 mms next to the cam sprockets.
If you've disconnected the battery during all your work, then this is normal. The car takes a while to "self learn" its idle speed again.Originally Posted by smohekey
Martin Yates
97 Legnum VR-4 , 02 Mazda 6 (wifey's)
Ah, that'll be it then. Phew, that's a relief.
Yeah and its normal that it will stall a few times during this process.
the tappets do sometimes get nosiey after doing the cambelt aswell - turning the engine with no oil pumping through.
as for the belt i dont want to say its ok without seeing it!
The lifters are completely quiet now. I'm getting a mechanic mate to look at the cam belt tomorrow. And I suspect the smoke from the exhaust will come right once all the water is boiled off.
The saga continues!
The engine is now not running very smoothly. I can smell rubber, and there is a high pitched squeal coming from the engine bay. There's also a little bit of smoke coming from the exhaust headers.
When I had the car sitting on saturday morning, the timing belt had a bit of give in it, then after a short drive, it was a lot tighter. It was about then that the engine started to run less smooth, and shortly after then that the high pitch squeal started.
I THINK that maybe one of the heads is out of sync by a tooth. But I could be horribly wrong.
Sounds like it's overtightened and been pulled over by a tooth. Unfortunately, if this is the case it will probably need replacing.
To be honest, if that's all it is, I'll be happy. I think the block and heads are all good now, so if it IS just a timing issue I can rest easy once the belt is replaced. I should really have done it anyway, considering I did the water pump.