lastcall190

iTrader: (1)

So I was doing my TB work, and when I lined up the crank pulley to the mark indicating TDC, the cams weren't even CLOSE. Strange, so I rotated 360*, still not even close. Why would they be so far off, and also, is it possible someone monkeyed with the cam gears in the past and put them back wrong? Orrrr did my TB stretch so bad that this is what I'm left with. Thanks for the help.

-J

lastcall190

iTrader: (1)

OK after pulling the timing cover, it appears the mark is only off by ~15* I can see the belt pull up the slack as I turn it. Should I just pop the belt off, set the cams to TDC to match the crank, and be done with it? When I rotate it 360 more degrees, #1 mark is on the opposite side of the gear, so I'm fairly certain it's just slipping. Thanks.

ez12a

The crankshaft turns 2 revolutions for every 1 revolution of the cam. That is why you need to keep rotating the crank to TDC possibly more than once if the cams dont line up to TDC the first time.

It's not a 1:1 ratio.

Before you did anything was the car running fine? Even slipping one tooth should have done something noticeable to how the car ran. The cams and crankshaft are also keyed so they only go on one way.

Unless you took the tensioner off there's no way the belt would slip turning the crank. Can you take and post pictures of the marks you see? How many miles on your car? I doubt someone went through the trouble of sabotaging the cam gears.

lastcall190

iTrader: (1)

I have a pic, can I email it? I spent about 35 minutes taking a look at the marks and don't see any way they would line up. Odd

Car was running fine, somewhat rough on initial startup, some weird noise some days, nothing some others...

-J

ez12a

use http://imgur.com/

your belt probably hasnt skipped or stretched then. If it did your car would run terribly all the time.

I DIYed my belt a few months ago and didnt have a problem lining up the marks.

there's also a few different marks on the crank pulley, make sure you're lining up the right one.

lastcall190

iTrader: (1)

OK I'm fucking stupid. It pays to line up the crank pulley marks to the CORRECT MARK ON THE TIMING COVER. No issues, all marks are spot on. Good to go, thanks for the responses.

-J

nfnsquared

OP, you are aware there is a detailed DIY for the TB?

https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-2004-2008-93/122-diy-105k-service-timing-belt-water-pump-spark-plugs-thermostat-%2Apics%2A-784622/

lastcall190

iTrader: (1)

Oh yeah! I been using that one, besides the timing mark snafu which was completely my lack of reading comprehension, the job went well. Borrowing a tq wrench from a friend to tighten the crank pulley this morning and that's all she wrote. It is a great writeup and the pics are solid.

-J

sauceja

iTrader: (2)

Yeah and 15 deg sounds right for the other mark. Should be a white or blue mark.

That is where your timing is usually at idle. If you had a timing light you would be able to dial it in and check it.

I had to do that when setting idle with eCtune.

RkymtnMark

Hi guys - changed my own tb and the car now sounds a little funny. Wondering if I might be off by a tooth on rear cam sprocket? How would the car sound if it was off? It seems to run fine and have plenty of good power, but it does have kind of a "throaty" sound. I am digging in, and getting ready to work on a valve judgement, but want to make sure my timing is correct before I start on the valve adjustment. I'll try to get some photos, but I still have the covers on at this point. Any help would be great!

RkymtnMark

A little more info. This is a 2005 TL. If I have to re-adjust, how hard is it to get the tensioner re-compressed with a standard vise? Is it possible? Thx.

RkymtnMark

I now have my top timing belt covers off, and everyhing looks lined up to me. The only question I have is how to check the timing marks on the crank pulley with the lower cover on.

I see the black plastic triangle on the timing cover that points down toward the crank pulley. It looks like it is lined up with a small mark on the pulley rim. There are other marks on the pulley rim about an inch to the right. These marks look like three small lines on the pulley rim, and one of them is red. The mark that I am lined up on (over an inch or so to the left) looks either white or yellow in color.

Is there a picture in the forum somewhere that I can refer to? Thanks for your help.....

nfnsquared

If the engine runs and pulls, it's probably fine. Most people say that being just one tooth off would cause severe, noticeable issues. Here's the TB DIY which has pics:

https://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=784622

There is also a two-part video from Ericthecarguy.com on the valve adjustment. It's linked in a thread in this Problems forum.

RkymtnMark

Went and looked again - the three marks are black red black in color. I am not lined up on these marks. The other mark is yellow/white and I am lined up on this one. It is approx. 1/2 inch to the left of the other three marks. Assuming that this yellow/white mark is this right mark, it looks like I am lined up all the way around. I don't think it is possible for me to be off by a tooth.

I am moving on to the valve adjustment. Hope this helps with the noise I am hearing.

RkymtnMark

Thanks. I'll look for the video on the valve adjustment. I used the DIY write-up in the above link when I changed the belt, waterpump, etc. It probably helped me to do this job correctly, and it gave me the confidence to do it myself in the first place.

If my valve adjust doesn't help with the noise, I may have to start questioning the timing parts I installed - water pump, idler, etc.

nfnsquared

Based on my experience and that of others who've done the valve adjustment, don't expect it to "quiet" the typical J32 "noise".

All of my valves were out of spec by only 0.001" (exhaust tight, intake loose) and that seems to be the trend with our J32s at 105K. I couldn't tell a difference after the adjustment (noise, performance, mileage... nada... Which when you think about it is good). I highly recommend acquiring one of those combo valve adjustment tools. They can be found for $20 IIRC and the time they save is worth every penny.

FYI, about 3 days after I did the TB and valve adjustment, I started to hear a faint whine. It turned out that the serpentine belt just needed to be reset on the pulleys. No more whine

I forgot, there is a DIY for the valve adjustment in the Garage (Service Department), but the videos are much better IMO.

sunofasack

Hello everyone,

I'm in the middle of a timing belt change (2006 MDX). I just put the new belt on per the written instructions provided with the parts, along with a Chilton's manual.

Initially, I rotated the engine before removing the original belt to just past #1 TDC on the crank; what I saw was that the front cam marks were lining up (there are numerous marks on the sprocket), the rear marks. were a 180 degrees out (one set of marks on sprocket).

Afterwards, I removed the belt, pulleys, water pump, etc. Then everything in reverse order (installation).

Problem I have, is that I have no confidence in the position of the cams in relation to the crankshaft as of now. I don't want to continue the rest of the job just to find out that the timing is off, and then my engine is damaged=(

I checked this link for help: https://acurazine.com/forums/second-...g-belt-695821/


Mike

warterdesmanne

Did you get this resolved? Sounds like you were TDC but not on cylinder 1.