sgregory Posted September 18, 2006 Share Posted September 18, 2006 Hello all, I have an 87 GL sedan with the 1.8 spfi engine. Driving down I-5 and the engine died, I checked the fuel pump and it kicks on when you turn the key also just replace fuel filter, I have power to the coil but no power to the plugs. I poped the distributor cap and cranked the motor, the rotor does not spin, any ideas I am not to terribly knowledgable on the whole distributor unit, and I have been looking both on here and in my manuals. This just added, I checked the code and it flashes 7 times with a pause in between just flashing the 7 flashes over and over. Thanks for any help, Shawn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgd73 Posted September 18, 2006 Share Posted September 18, 2006 Hello all, I have an 87 GL sedan with the 1.8 spfi engine. Driving down I-5 and the engine died, I checked the fuel pump and it kicks on when you turn the key also just replace fuel filter, I have power to the coil but no power to the plugs. I poped the distributor cap and cranked the motor, the rotor does not spin, any ideas I am not to terribly knowledgable on the whole distributor unit, and I have been looking both on here and in my manuals. This just added, I checked the code and it flashes 7 times with a pause in between just flashing the 7 flashes over and over. Thanks for any help, Shawn possible timing belt. the driver side is a common first belt to go fail. The 7 flashes, from what I can find show it as a spec indicating "AT,Federal and Canada" Auto trans, non-calif. emmissions. Correct? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgregory Posted September 18, 2006 Author Share Posted September 18, 2006 possible timing belt. the driver side is a common first belt to go fail. The 7 flashes, from what I can find show it as a spec indicating "AT,Federal and Canada" Auto trans, non-calif. emmissions. Correct? The code info would be correct, would the timing belt prohibit the rotor on the distributor to not rotate? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Syonyk Posted September 18, 2006 Share Posted September 18, 2006 If the rotor does not spin when you crank the motor, the driver's side timing belt is broken. The good news is that these are non-interferance engines, so you can just replace the timing belts & go - the internals are fine. Do a search for timing belt replacement, and look in the USRM - it's an easy job for anyone moderately mechanically competent. -=Russ=- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgregory Posted September 18, 2006 Author Share Posted September 18, 2006 Thanks, I just got the cover off the timing belt and it's broken, looks pretty easy to replace and I did just download the replacement article from the USRM. Thank you very much for the help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4x4_Welder Posted September 18, 2006 Share Posted September 18, 2006 Do both of them at the same time, just because only one failed doesn't mean the other is ok. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgregory Posted September 18, 2006 Author Share Posted September 18, 2006 Do both of them at the same time, just because only one failed doesn't mean the other is ok. Thanks, I will, In also think I'll leave the cover off. What a pain in the rump. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beataru Posted September 18, 2006 Share Posted September 18, 2006 Hey i am the one who bought russes old wagon and it died on me 2... if you can or even want to take off the distributor and see if the gear is spinning if not pull off the driverside cover and see if the timingbelt is even broken. On mine the tensioner broke so im replacing both tensioners and belts! to test the tensioner you can (highly not recommended) take a screwdriver or somithing have someone crank it and apply pressure to the belt. Be careful though dont wana puncha hole in you! ( i didnt read the posts before sorry for the uneeded info) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgregory Posted September 19, 2006 Author Share Posted September 19, 2006 Well I replaced the timing belts and the other two belts while I was at it, car started right up except now it almost sounds like a leak or knocking. Stange thing is it didn't overheat and I coasted the car of the road as soon as it threw the belt, had it towed. Sounds like its coming from the same side as the belt broke. Car only has 63k mi. on it. Any ideas what might have happened? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beataru Posted September 19, 2006 Share Posted September 19, 2006 Well I replaced the timing belts and the other two belts while I was at it, car started right up except now it almost sounds like a leak or knocking. Stange thing is it didn't overheat and I coasted the car of the road as soon as it threw the belt, had it towed. Sounds like its coming from the same side as the belt broke. Car only has 63k mi. on it. Any ideas what might have happened? Did you inspect the tensioners? becuase that could be it and, bad cookies if they screw you over right after you fixit! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgregory Posted September 19, 2006 Author Share Posted September 19, 2006 The tensioners looked ok as far as they seemed to tension the belts when I tightened them. I'll have to go look at them again tommorow since the car is actually at my brother-in laws, it was a lot closer to tow to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beataru Posted September 19, 2006 Share Posted September 19, 2006 The tensioners looked ok as far as they seemed to tension the belts when I tightened them. I'll have to go look at them again tommorow since the car is actually at my brother-in laws, it was a lot closer to tow to. ok.. my car made a belt squeel noise before my tensioners went out started about a week before all hell broke loose.. it was really wierd i though it was one of the V belts but it not so.. well i dont know.. could be a subie quirk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daeron Posted September 19, 2006 Share Posted September 19, 2006 if your car is running very rough after a timing belt replacement, and it was running fine before hand, chances are about 99 to 1 you set one timing belt (or both) off by a tooth. ill save you some headache tracing down this problem: just re do them. if you left the covers off, thats about 70% of the work right there. alot of people recommend replacing the bearings in the timing belt tensioners too.. but if you can examine the bearing for play and find none, and it seems to roll fine, then just re grease it and be done with it. beataru: thats the alternator/accesory dive belt tensioner. we are talking about the timing belt here, its a toothed belt, so now slipping is possible, hence no squealing. not trying to be a jerk, just sayin but it can be easy to do, i forget exactly but as i recall there was a seam somewhere (i think between head and valvecover) that made you want to set it by the seam, and its a hair off.. i remember looking at it on my own and thinking "gee, that sorta makes me wonder if its a tooth off.. and it could go either way.." anyways, i bet im right :- p and i normally dont put myself out on a limb like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartless Posted September 19, 2006 Share Posted September 19, 2006 just a suggestion, not a necessary - but replacing the oil seals behind the timing pulleys is a "good" idea. prevents oil leakage from saturating a belt, and causing premature failure (ask me how I know this one!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beataru Posted September 19, 2006 Share Posted September 19, 2006 just a suggestion, not a necessary - but replacing the oil seals behind the timing pulleys is a "good" idea. prevents oil leakage from saturating a belt, and causing premature failure (ask me how I know this one!) Hey (cough) i was just wonderin how you know this one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daeron Posted September 19, 2006 Share Posted September 19, 2006 i know it because i went thru four timing belts on my geo (I4 cyl, thank GOD it was a tolerance engine) because i couldnt replace my crankshaft oil seal. the bolt had been loctited on, and it took us until the third belt was on its way out to find an airgun big enough to zap the bugger off. and i tried EVERY other trick in the BOOK... well, EXCEPT the rope-in-the-cylinder trick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgregory Posted September 19, 2006 Author Share Posted September 19, 2006 When I was setting the pullies to put the timing belts back on I was wondering how close to dead on these had to be, appearently dead on. It was a little hard to see the mark on the driver side shaft pully, I could verywell be a notch or two off. I'll have to check all of that out when I get off work. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Syonyk Posted September 19, 2006 Share Posted September 19, 2006 Mark? It's a hole in the pulley. It's not hard to see. In a nutshell: Set the flywheel to the proper position. There are three scribed lines near the timing marks (but not the timing marks). Set the pointer to the middle line. Set one of the camshafts to the proper position - the small hole should be pointing straight up. This lines up with either the mark in the rear timing belt cover, or if you don't have that, with the cam cover/valve cover seam. Put the belt on, make sure the tension side of it is tight and things are lined up. Rotate the engine 360 degrees to line up with the middle mark again. Set the other camshaft with the mark pointing straight up. Make sure the tension side is tight. Tighten the tensioners, fire up, and away you go. -=Russ=- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgregory Posted September 20, 2006 Author Share Posted September 20, 2006 I will redo the belts tommorow, and double check everything, it's just really hard to see that little hole on the cam pully and tell if it's absolutely on top, at least the one on the driver side. Thanks for all the input, from the sound of it that's probably the problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beataru Posted September 20, 2006 Share Posted September 20, 2006 Good luck... i sure hope mines okay... ill find out soon... :-\ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daeron Posted September 20, 2006 Share Posted September 20, 2006 some advice.. take a good look at it before you disassemble. you will probably see whatever line i was talking about.. and see how you have it lined up. chances are, you will see it misaligned before you take it apart and know with confidence youre putting it back together right. thats how these stories usually end up, anyhow. sooner or later :- ) hopefully sooner. if this is your first timing belt job, dont worry. worse mistakes have been made. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beataru Posted September 21, 2006 Share Posted September 21, 2006 Yeah no kidding.. Be thankful that its a non interference!! bigger problems avoided Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgregory Posted September 22, 2006 Author Share Posted September 22, 2006 Hey all, thanks to everyone that helped me out on here, and for the USMR section, re-did the timing belts and the car runs great now. Thanks again, Shawn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sonicfrog Posted September 22, 2006 Share Posted September 22, 2006 Congrats! You are well on your way to becoming a Subitologist, GL class:banana: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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