Would like to know your timing belt experiences

[Ghettoracer]

It's about time to change my timing belt and tensioner on my Grand Bucket. I would like to know if you have had any bad experiences changing your timing belt and how hard you thought it was. Thanks!

[SofaKingWeToddDid]

special tools. if ya dont got em, cant make em cant get em, pay someone else to do it, before ya F up the whole motor.
im scared shitless of mine... but im going to buy the tools for it, its cheaper than paying someone else to do it.
it does take some time, i bet theres a write up on it here somewhere.

[pocket-rocket]

It's not that bad, really. The worst problem I have had doing one was one of the older style that used the lock rings having a cam gear bolt that didn't want to come out no matter what we did. It even tried to round off some. I don't recall what we did (it's been at least 5-6 years since this particular car) but we finally managed to break it loose. That's been my worst experience with one to date.

[RedZMonte]

i think there is a stick or a walkthrew here on the board.. not hard with the right tools.

[Octavarium454]

I've done it both the real way and matching it up with the paint marks. The hard part is really just muscling the belt and when the damn thing tensions it doesn't put itself out of time (or is this just me?).

If you going to just go the paint marks route make sure the flats of the cams are up when the marks are lined up.

[pocket-rocket]

the damn thing tensions it doesn't put itself out of time (or is this just me?).

You're fighting the valve springs at that point in time. It would do it to anyone who didn't remove lock rings/break the pulleys loose.

[Octavarium454]

That explains it. Didn't do it to me when I did it the right way.

[pocket-rocket]

It would have also helped if you made cam flat tools out of some key-stock. That would have held the flats at stock timing, and also kept you from having to hold the pulleys or fight the valve springs.

[Ghettoracer]

Well it looks like I don't need a timing belt for my 3400. Checked out the belt and looks almost new, no cracks or anything on the belt, felt like new belt, no play in the belt and painted timing marks are where they're supposed to be so everything is all good!

[pocket-rocket]

Just a fair little bit of friendly FYI... You don't have a 3400. The 3400 is a pushrod engine where as you have the 3.4 DOHC.

[Ghettoracer]

ah ok...thanks for the advice! heh

[pocket-rocket]

No problem It just tends to confuse people when you say 3400 and timing belt in the same sentence since they don't go together. (like lamb and tuna fish)

[Octavarium454]

Oh I made them rocket, thats when I decided to do it right.

[Schurkey]

I did mine the hillbilly way.

Took off the plastic cover, painted alignment marks on the edge of the belt and each of the pulleys (four camshaft pulleys, one crankshaft pulley)

Remove belt, transfer painted marks to new belt being ABSOLUTELY SURE to count the number of molded rubber teeth between each paint mark. Then install new belt with the transferred paint marks aligned to the paint marks on the pulley.

Biggest problem: I forgot to re-install the rubber plug on the adjuster on my first engine; and I wasn't going to pull it down again just to shove the plug in. So far, so good. (well over ten thousand miles, probably closer to 20K.)

My first time on this job, didn't rush. Five hours.

Since then, I've bought the "kit" of special tools for this engine, so I can pop the pulleys loose from the cams, and do the job properly.

[SofaKingWeToddDid]

where you find tools?? how much?