Timing Belt: Service and Repair
EXC. 16 VALVE ENGINE
1. Disconnect battery ground cable.
2. Drain cooling system.
3. Loosen water pump pulley bolts.
4. Remove alternator drive belt.
5. Remove power steering pump belt, if equipped.
6. Remove water pump pulley.
7. Loosen A/C idler pulley mount nut and adjusting bolt, then remove drive belt, if applicable.
8. Remove A/C idler pulley and adjusting bolt, if applicable.
9. Raise and support vehicle.
10. Remove righthand under cover.
11. Remove flywheel cover and crankshaft pulley.
12. Remove No. 2 timing belt cover with gasket.
13. Disconnect engine mounting center member.
14. Lower vehicle.
15. Disconnect upper radiator hose at outlet.
16. Disconnect all necessary vacuum hoses.
17. Remove No. 1 timing belt cover and gasket.
18. Remove alternator and position aside.
19. Remove No. 3 timing belt cover.
20. Support engine with a suitable jack.
21. Position No. 1 cylinder at TDC of compression stroke by turning crankshaft until the timing mark is aligned with the TDC mark. The rocker arms on the No. 1 cylinder should be loose. If not, turn crankshaft one complete turn.
22. Disconnect righthand engine mount.
23. Loosen idler pulley to relieve belt tension.
16 VALVE ENGINE
Removal
1. Disconnect battery ground cable, then remove right front wheel and engine under cover.
2. Drain radiator coolant, then disconnect cruise control cable (if equipped), accelerator cable and link.
3. Remove cruise control actuator (if equipped), then the ignition coil and coolant outlet hose.
4. Remove accessory drive belts, then the spark plugs.
5. Turn crankshaft pulley and align groove with ``0'' mark on the No. 1 timing belt cover, then remove oil filler cap and ensure cavity in camshaft is visible indicating TDC compression. If camshaft cavity is not visible, rotate crankshaft an additional 360° to set engine at TDC compression.
6. Raise engine with suitable jack, then remove right side engine mount through bolt and the mount. Insert suitable piece of wood between jack and engine to prevent damage.
7. Remove crankshaft pulley using suitable tools.
8. Remove timing belt covers and gaskets, then the timing belt guide from crankshaft sprocket.
8. Loosen idler pulley bolt, then push idler pulley as far left as possible and temporarily tighten idler pulley bolt.
9. Remove timing belt, idler pulley bolt, pulley and tension spring. If timing belt is to reused, mark direction and belt-to-sprocket reference marks to ensure correct position during installation.
10. Remove cylinder head covers, then using suitable wrench positioned on camshaft flats, remove camshaft sprocket attaching bolts and sprockets.
Fig. 17 Camshaft timing pulley alignment. 16 valve engine:
Fig. 18 Belt & pulley alignment. 16 valve engine:
Fig. 19 Measuring belt deflection. 16 valve engine:
Installation
1. Install camshaft sprockets, aligning marks as shown in Fig. 17. Install sprocket attaching bolts and torque to 34 ft. lbs.
2. Install cylinder head covers, then the crankshaft sprocket, idler pulley and tension spring. Pry idler pulley towards the left as far as possible and temporarily tighten attaching bolt.
3. Install timing belt. If belt is being reused, ensure it is installed in the same position as removed.
4. Slowly loosen timing belt idler bolt, then temporarily install crankshaft pulley bolt.
5. Turn crankshaft two complete revolutions clockwise from TDC of compression stroke to TDC of compression stroke.
6. Check valve timing. Ensure each sprocket is aligned as shown in Fig. 18.
7. Tighten timing belt idler pulley bolt to 27 ft. lbs.
8. Measure timing belt deflection as shown in Fig. 19. If deflection is not .16 inch with 4.4 lbs. of pressure, readjust as necessary with idler pulley.
9. Remove crankshaft pulley bolt, then install timing belt guide. Ensure guide cup side is facing outward.
10. Install timing belt covers and gaskets.
11. Reverse steps 1 through 5 of removal procedure to complete installation. When installing crankshaft pulley torque pulley bolt to 105 ft. lbs.