Timing Marks Okay? 94 850 turbo Topic is solved

wyoben · Post by **wyoben** » 02 Apr 2021, 00:54

I will try to be brief and to the point,Doing timing belt on 94 850 turbo . I got the cam gears marked as close as possible to notches in upper cover, They are lined up as best as can be,but crank mark is still 1 tooth off .I replaced everything H2o pump, idler , tensioner , belt etc . It doesnt seem that anything moved when removing or installing all new parts .I'm wondering if I should pull pin on tensioner and turn crank by hand 2 revolutions and see if all is well , and if i can get crank mark dead on and re read to see if cam gears will line upbetter when crank mark is dead on etc ?

Post by **misha** » 02 Apr 2021, 01:50

It's not ok.
Crank is one tooth off.
Turn in back on the mark and install the belt.
Pull the pin from tensioner,rotate the crank for few revolutions by hand and recheck again.

If everything is on marks,you are done.

Post by **abscate** » 02 Apr 2021, 03:01

Thanks Misha

You are close enough that you can turn that crank without worrying about valve contact

Post by **erikv11** » 04 Apr 2021, 09:10

\In your case I would not pull the pin yet. I first would take the belt off, move the crank the one tooth so the crank is perfectly on the mark. You can move the crank a small amount like this and it is totally ok.

Then install the belt with the cams on their marks, going over intake cam first and water pump last. If you can't get it right and the setup is always off by one tooth like in your original post, one thing you can do is cheat the crank like 1/2 tooth counterclockwise, so it is easier to guide the belt up and tight over the intake cam.

wyoben · Post by **wyoben** » 04 Apr 2021, 11:10

Thanks to everyone who has replied,sometimes i don't see the notifications . What i'm wondering is... if I turn the crank 1.] can I turn it back C.C.W., or should I make a revolution and turn it C.W., and 2.] I'm wondering if it [cam/crank ] did move ,or the cams moved when I removed old belt ? 3.] As per the cam pictures , can I , or should I slightly move the cams to obtain better? alignment , on the cheesy plastic cover, in conjunction with the crank move ?

Post by **foggydogg** » 04 Apr 2021, 11:53

+1 on the earlier posts; with all the marks CLOSE to where they should be, it is OK to move things a bit to juggle the indices to their proper place in the world. When I got my JunkYard Rescue R, it was off two (2) teeth on the crank, and they were driving it around that way. When I pulled it apart, all I did was match marks and 'installation is the reverse..."
As a side note, I don't have a fancy store-bought cam capture tool, I just found a piece of stiff 1" foam insulation board, cut a piece a bit bigger than the gap between the gears, lined up the marks, and jammed it in place. I did that before I pulled the old belt. Works every time for me.

wyoben · Post by **wyoben** » 04 Apr 2021, 13:23

What does that mean " +1 ' on the earlier posts , that the timing is + 1 versus -1 ... This sideways shenanigans makes me look forward to working on my 740 Turbo ' Tweaked " RWD dream mobile, the car is a crude beast with a 3'' downpipe, LAO chippy , real ram air , diesel intercooler , and Mitsibishi 13 ? turbo ...but after workin on this twin bumpstick unit ...well ! But I wont give up , this one just popped my cherry , next its on to the T5 V70 ...

Post by **erikv11** » 04 Apr 2021, 13:31

"+1 on earlier posts" just means "I agree with earlier posts."

The key to the whole thing is having the crank on the mark, and keeping it there. With the belt, off, it is fine to move the crank back and forth within a small margin (1-2 teeth max) of error. Definitely not good to try to spin the crank a revolution unless the timing belt is on also, and timing is within a couple teeth or correct.

When the crank is on the mark you can do whatever you want with the cams actually, spin them around if you want. Just get them where they need to be by turning clock, counter-clock, whatever it takes. Just keep the crank on the mark at all times.

Based on your pics I would:
1 - take (keep) timing belt off
2 - move crank counterclockwise just a smidge to perfect, or half a tooth beyond perfect if you need a little slack to help get the timing belt on in step 4
3 - put the cams on the marks. the cam marks are less exact than the crank mark.
4 - install the timing belt in this order: wrapped under the crank, pulled up tight and over the intake cam sprocket, tight over exhaust cam sprocket, then fiddle to get over the water pump and tensioner roller.
5 - check the three marks, crank MUST be perfect, cam sprockets should look pretty darn good.
6 - pull the pin, look at the marks, if they all look good then do the two full rotations and check the marks again. If perfect you are don, if not perfect then go back to step 1, recompress the tensioner (SLOWLY), etc.

Post by **foggydogg** » 04 Apr 2021, 15:14

As mentioned, I used the shorthand method of agreeing with the sage advice offered by others.
Here is the cam lock tool I use.

wyoben · Post by **wyoben** » 05 Apr 2021, 11:09

I'm having a difficult time getting the belt back on...I'm wondering now if I should remove tensioner piston , lace the belt on the pulley's , then re-install tensioner ? .I put the belt on previously ,and it didnt give me near as much resistance ...Oh well ,Onward thru the fog ,and Damn the Torpedoes ,it's just a SMALL iceberg ?