blu3fan

so my timing belt is loose on the front side. while the engine idles i can phsically see it wobbling whats the easiest way to tighten it ?
and how do i know if the tensioner is bad ?
b18b1

blu3fan

okay heres a video of the timing belt since im not 100% sure and a video is worth more than anything.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Siaa3Fr4tHc

Former User

blu3fan

okay so now im really confused.
did the belt tightening as specified above.
belt gets tight.
as i turn the crank pulley after re-torquing everything the belt gets tighter then looser.
when i start up the car the belt runs solid for about 5-8 seconds.
then it starts flapping around.
i am running the wrong ecu atm until i find a p75. but i dont think ecu could cause this. just putting that out there.
sounds like i have a valve tap when the belts flapping. if i put a rag against it to put tension on it while running the valve noise goes away.

could the tensioner be bad ?
thanks for any info. i will post a video of what it does when i have the time.

instructor74

What you need to understand is that the belt will only have tension on the side that it does in your video. The side that has all the play in it is normal you may have a little more play than it should esp if you didnt tension the belt correctly, but it will still have play in it. Follow what RonJ@HT posted to adj the tensioner

blu3fan

i did.
followed it exactly.
the belt flaps around. A lot at idle.
its more than normal ive seen these engines running perfect before and mine isnt even close to tight enough

blu3fan

still been screwing with it.
ok heres what i have found.
applying pressure to the belt to tighten it while running stops the noise i have.
somone said my cam sprocket bolts may be loose ?
im just utterly confused here.

was reading on another thread that tightening it while the engine at a point where the slack is by the tensioner vs. tdc works better
would tensioning it away from tdc be bad ? if the belt doesnt move at all ? just double checking before i try that since the factory specs say to do it at tdc

blu3fan

Anyone got an idea ?

fonkernuckle

iTrader: (5)

Ok since no one is providing alternatives This is how I do timing belts sometimes get the crank at tdc mark get the cams at timing marks, insert 5mm allen wrench or punch to keep cams from turning,place timing belt on, loosen the tensiioner and pull up with all your might and tighten tensioner at same time, remove punch/allen wrench, check timing if still on turn crank counterclock 4-5 times check timing if still on check slack, if you are not happy with the slack (as you turn the crank the slack will go to one side-this is another opportunity to remove the slack by carefully loosening tensioner and pulling up on it and tightened it)then repeat if the timing is off by a tooth set it up at tdc marks (use punch/allen to hold cams)push/shimmy belt off (do not loosen tensioner unless the belt will not shimmy off and if it does'nt barely loosen tensioner and retighten it) move crank gear to line up with oil pump arrow shimmy belt on recheck. Obviously if your tensioner will not hold then its bad, replace-now to keep all the flamers from saying that you will not have the proper tension(they r prolly correct) but I have not had a single issue with any of my engines done this way. Just want to provide you with help

bellinoracing

Maybe you mentioned this but I don't see it anywhere but how old is your belt and tensioner? Could be an old wore out belt and tensioner giving you trouble. In my opinion adjusting it away from TDC would be bad because the pressure of your valve springs on the cam can try and turn the cam one direction or the other which would throw you tension adjustment off. I would suggest getting a new belt and tensioner and following the service manuals instructions. And yes a little slop in the front side of the belt is normal. I dont see how having a lose cam sprocket bolt could cause you problems but throw a torgue wrench on it just to be sure.

blu3fan

Okay so I pulled the tensioner off and examined it, looks ok, I'm starting to think it may be my valve clearances but it still seems odd to me that when I put pressure on the belt the valve tap stops. I'll get back to u guys on Tuesday when I pull the valve cover off and re-clearance it,
also I'm gonna go ahead and throw a new belt on it just in case this one is stretched in some way

bellinoracing

Yeah a lose belt wont cause a valve to tap so check your clearances. I thought maybe the belt was so lose it was hitting the inside of the cover making a noise. Something that would be a help to you would be a mechanics stethoscope. Its kind of an odd goofy tool but they do work good. Helps to pin point the exact location of a noise. But if the noise you are hearing is a valve tapping then thats an easy fix. But let us know what you find