Timing belt question
Discussion
When changing the timing belt, why do I see some people making marks with white markers on the camshaft pulleys and on the belt.
And then copying the marks over to the new belt and then lining it up when reinstalling with the old marks.
Surely as long as all the pulleys are lined up correctly then the marking on the old to the new belt is irrelevant?
Just learning up about changing timing belts and just curious as to why some do and don't do this.
And then copying the marks over to the new belt and then lining it up when reinstalling with the old marks.
Surely as long as all the pulleys are lined up correctly then the marking on the old to the new belt is irrelevant?
Just learning up about changing timing belts and just curious as to why some do and don't do this.
I don't mark the belt, I only mark the existing timing marks with a white marker. Basically because the old marks are usualy impossible to see if it's an older car.
I didn't even need marks to do the Ford Zetec SE engine, timing is 99.9% idiot proof on them if you have the right locking tool
I didn't even need marks to do the Ford Zetec SE engine, timing is 99.9% idiot proof on them if you have the right locking tool
barker22 said:
Si_steve said:
Not on engines with a floating crank pulley 
Many independents wreck engines because of those things. They just use tippex on them Every time go by the book,use pins or special tools.Using paint marks is a recipe for disaster.
davepoth said:
Marking the new belt is a diagnostic tool - if it jumps a tooth, you'll be able to see it quite easily just by turning the engine a bit.
Yep. Anybody doing the job properly should crank the engine by hand a couple of times to make sure everything is good, and a couple of tipped marks on the belt will help to see quickly if anything has gone wrong.m0isty said:
I knew a bloke who would change a belt by holding a Stanley knife onto the belt while the engine was running to split it in two, pulling the first half of the belt off, shoving the new one half on before cutting the remaining old bit of belt off.
I thought he was a f
king lunatic!
I think that sounds an astounding short-cut! Excellent tip.I thought he was a f
king lunatic!Old Merc said:
barker22 said:
Si_steve said:
Not on engines with a floating crank pulley
Many independents wreck engines because of those things. They just use tippex on them Every time go by the book,use pins or special tools.Using paint marks is a recipe for disaster.
Sump said:
For some reason the subtitles thing was on when I clicked that and I guess it must be automatically generating the words because at one point he was supposedly talking about Hitler dot com!m0isty said:
I knew a bloke who would change a belt by holding a Stanley knife onto the belt while the engine was running to split it in two, pulling the first half of the belt off, shoving the new one half on before cutting the remaining old bit of belt off.
I thought he was a fking lunatic!
Is it just me but does that not sound a bit..... erm.....genius. I thought he was a f
king lunatic!Obviously not with the engine running but cutting and turning by hand. Can someone tell me why that couldn't actually work? I have never worked on an engines timing area before and don't actually plan to. So go easy.
As an amateur mechanic, I went to college on a part time maintanence course, and one of the topics I asked to cover was cambelt changes. I was expecting tippex and strobe lights, but instead I had a Zetec engine (albeit with the exhasut and inlet cams round the worng way!) where I was told to use a mark on the crank pulley that is lined up with a mark somewhere on the engine, and then use cam lock tool to fix the cams into position. Undo tensioner, and remove belt, then replace, make sure there is no excess slack, and try turning engine manaully via crank pulley and ratchet with socket. No tippex involved.
I'd happy do a cambelt again, but with the correct locking tools and a guide (Haynes or youtube). Although I'd not bother with my Jag TDV6.
I'd happy do a cambelt again, but with the correct locking tools and a guide (Haynes or youtube). Although I'd not bother with my Jag TDV6.
barker22 said:
Is it just me but does that not sound a bit..... erm.....genius.
Obviously not with the engine running but cutting and turning by hand. Can someone tell me why that couldn't actually work? I have never worked on an engines timing area before and don't actually plan to. So go easy.
I will tell you why that is a very bad idea, firstly you need to change the guides and tensioner pulleys the water pump if that is run off the belt and most importantly the belt needs to be tensioned correctly you cant do that right without undoing the tensioner, also if you scratch or mark the pulley with the blade it can damage the belt over time. I have done 100's of belts over the years some mind boggling in complexity, so have some idea what i'm on about.Obviously not with the engine running but cutting and turning by hand. Can someone tell me why that couldn't actually work? I have never worked on an engines timing area before and don't actually plan to. So go easy.
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