this question has probaly been asked a million times but i couldent find anything when i searched for it. well here goes. I was wondering if it would be a risk to drive my car without the timing belt cover? could **** get in there or do i not really have to worrie? thanks for your time. guys

 

I've been driving for over two years with it off. As long as your not driving over sticks and debris you shoud not have a problem. If the cover is still on don't take it off.

 

Thanks

 

I just took off the top portion for the cam gear and what not. That is a good question though...if you didn't have it on, how would you look at the ignition timing?

 

just be careful ;a few times while working on my car, i've dropped a couple of screws down there and they were a bitch to get out

 

The timing marks are on the lower half of the cover. I don't see why you would want to take that part off. I have the top half off and I haven't had any problems yet.

 

saw a rock eat a belt, and my friend got a rat stuck in the belt once.
left the cover off started car, rat rode belt up to timing gear then had to split....get it? it was pretty gross i think we have the digital pics somewhere still.

 

id like to see those if you got em. hehehe! thats ****

 

You can set the timing by the cam gear.

 

i have my top portion off because i am tuning my stage 2 cam and i brokethe plastic where it bolts together

 

I know, that's what I said. I have the top off, and I dont see how you would set the ignition timing w/out the lower cover.

 

ignition timing? please explain.

 

I never had my cover over my timing belt on my ZC (2 years total). Never had a problem. Snow/rocks/dirt never affected it...

 

I beleive there is a mark on the engine block by the tensoiner for the timing belt. The cam gears shoud have arrows or if its a SOHC a dot that points up. Also the #1 cylinder needs to be at TDC (top dead center)


[Modified by ZC_CRX, 10:55 PM 1/21/2003]

 

I've had no cover on mine and it's been fine.

 

there is an arrow on the water pump, but it would be kinda hard to see with a timing light

 

Yes, removing the top t-belt cover is more of a risk than its worth IMO. I have herd of rocks and other things (blots) finding there way in there and shreading the T-belt. Several hundered dollar repair unless you DIY. Its impossible to set the timing by the cam gears. The 3 notches on the crank pully are for adjsting the timing accurately. There is no way to tell the exact degree BTC with out lining up the pointer on the lower t-belt cover with the crank pully.

 

You could go this route, it's a little more protected that way

 

Ver nice setup.

 

thanks, the underdrive pulley is accually for sale, I decided to stick with the stock harmonic balancer.

 

I had the top part of my turbo b16a before.A bolt founds its way in there and shredded the belt leaving me to push my car uphill to my girlsfriends house.My new motor has no timing belt covers cause i never had them,no problems yet,but i dont know how to time it with the covers.

So is it settled,you need the lower half of the t-belt cover to time the car properly?