Timing Belt Tales

[robm]

Changed the timing belts on my Loyale this weekend.

 

So, what's up with those covers? I hope the committee who came up with those things was sent back to school to retake their materials and metallurgy courses. Steel/Brass bond better that brass/plastic, then the rubber gaskets are sensitive to oil, and blow up like balloons with a miniscule front seal leak! And it seems like the 10 mm bolts are just a hair uindersize, as they have to be hammered out of the socket (Craftsman, not junk!) if they do unscrew. It had to be a committee that came up with this fustercluck, one guy on his own couldn't have screwed it up this badly.

 

I am now running without covers, by default, as the right one came out in about 4 pieces.

 

A drawback to this is making sure that there is nothing likely to get caught in them. I didn't do that, and the wiring for the fan went through the timing belt. Now the fan doesn't work, so it looks like a trip to the wrecker.

 

Is 66 -79 ft. lbs correct for the front pulley bolt? It seems like very little, compared to how hard it was to crack it off.

 

Also, the 4WD went away. I suspect it may have something do do with the vacuum system. Any idea how much vacuum should be present at the solenoids at idle? It doesn't feel like very much.

 

At least it started up first try. Cam timing is right on.

[idosubaru]

good job on the t-belts and the covers definititely suck real bad. i run without covers with no ill effects.

 

i would get that crank bolt tighter than that, sounds a little light to me even if it's the recommended value. it's a iron crank and iron bolt so you are unlikely to strip that big 22mm bolt. i crank it pretty dang tight with my 1/2" craftsman and a long pipe on the end. it's not aluminum like the other things on the motor, so no worries on stripping it.

[Snowman]

Stock spec is like 75 ft-lbs. I do all mine to that and have not had trouble (unless you count the time I left out the little locking pin...).

[operose]

Stock spec is like 75 ft-lbs. I do all mine to that and have not had trouble (unless you count the time I left out the little locking pin...).

 

better to forget the key, then to forget to torque the bolt down like the PO of my legacy... hello buggered key, crank, and crank pulley... hello pissed off derrick!

[robm]

I pulled the switch connector and shorted it out. The fan turns! Yayy!! Trip to the wrecker not required.

 

Then I looked at the 4WD solenoids. Turns out the 3 inch piece of hose between the solenoids and the last check valve in the system was bad, so now I have 4WD again.

 

And just for reference, there was 19" Hg of vacuum at the solenoids, with the engine running at 2000 RPM (cold/high idle).

 

So, a fairly successful little project. And next time I do it, in about 3 years, it will be that much faster and easier, as there are no longer any stupid covers on the belts, and I already have the belt tensioner tool.