Timing Issue's (LONG)

[Boostin21]

Im having some n00b issues with getting my timing marks to line up. I feel like Im 16 again. Lol.

No matter how many times I try to get the marks to line up Im off a tooth or a half it seems like. All timing components are brand new. HKS belt, BLE tensioner, tensioner pulley, idler pulley, crank sprocket and timing plate, front cover and oil pump sprocket.
The motor is a 6 bolt. The balance shafts are eliminated. I have stock gears from a 2g 7 bolt bolted up to GSC 280's.

The process/order I set timing is as follows. I position the crank sprocket/plate to line up with the timing mark. The belt then goes around the crank and oil pump gear tightly and gets routed up towards the tensioner/idler pullies. The cam gears timing marks are then set parallel with the top surface of the head, dowel pins up. I place the belt around the intake cam gear and clamp it with a bull clip. I then make sure the exhaust cam is positioned where it needs to be as it likes to snap back clockwise. Then i turn it over by hand and double check the marks.

Well no matter how i do it, Im always a tooth or a half off... It usually takes no time at all to set the marks on my motors ESPECIALLY with the motor out.

Is there something else going on or what am I missing here?

Any help/tips will be greatly appreciated. But damn do I feel stupid right now.

Cullen

 

[DynastyLCD]

is the timing plate thats in between the balance shaft pulley and the crank pulley on backwards? verify it isnt, by checking that cylinders 1 and 4 are at TDC when that arrow is pointed towards the notch in that timing plate.

 

[Defiant]

Are you releasing the tensioner after the tensioner is pushed snug against the belt?

 

[Defiant]

Are you releasing the tensioner after the tensioner pulley is pushed snug against the belt?

 

[5OF2k]

Quoting Defiant:
Are you releasing the tensioner after the tensioner is pushed snug against the belt?



this.

Also, be sure you only have 2mm(I think thats the spec, or similar to that, it's very small space)between the tensioner pulley arm and the tensioner body. In a nutshell, you really shouldnt see much of the tensioner plunger/shaft when properly setup, and when you pull the pin to release the tensioner, you shouldnt see it move hardly at all with the guide bearing peoperly adjusted against the belt.

Hope that helps!

-Jake

 

[mitsuturbo]

When working for mitsubishi, i found out that the BEST way to set your tensioner, is to make it so that after you crank the engine a couple of times all the way round, by hand, you should be able to spin the retaining pin (or small allen wrench) in the bore freely. You should be able to basically take it out, and slide it right back in. If you can do that, your tensioner is set PERFECTLY. This is how i've done it ever since, and never had a single issue.

 

[Boostin21]

I have a BLE tensioner!
click

I use the SST to snug the tensioner pulley up against the belt and then i tighten the pulley. The BLE tensioner bolt then gets threaded into place and the jam nut gets snugged up. The whole time the belt stays tight, it doesnt loosen up. I have tried every trick in the book (to my knowledge) to line these up and still cant get it. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/dunno.gif

 

[iceman69510]

Quoting mitsuturbo:
When working for mitsubishi, i found out that the BEST way to set your tensioner, is to make it so that after you crank the engine a couple of times all the way round, by hand, you should be able to spin the retaining pin (or small allen wrench) in the bore freely. You should be able to basically take it out, and slide it right back in. If you can do that, your tensioner is set PERFECTLY. This is how i've done it ever since, and never had a single issue.



I realize Colin has responded he has a different tensioner, but this is the method I use, and it was learned directly from a Mitsu technical trainer. It has proven more accurate for me than trying to measure the gap.

 

[Boostin21]

Its actually Cullen not Colin. Thats ok though, I get that a lot. Anyways, I set cam gear marks first last night. Then worked my way down doing the crank/oil pump sprocket last. Now Im a tooth advanced on the crank sprocket. Ugh...
Mitsuturbo and iceman, I will try your guys method tonight. It would be a big deal to get this heap of junk into the car tonight, I could really use it as motivation these days.

 

[MellowVR4]

I always use the cnc machined camgear sprocket tool that someone made on the widsm forums. or something like that. camgears are always lined up and i just have the bottom crank mark a hair off then put tension on it and it all lines up.

 

[DynastyLCD]

hey Cullen, did you verify that you have the timing plate on correctly?

 

[iceman69510]

Quoting Boostin21:
Its actually Cullen not Colin.



Sorry man! Now I'm going to associate you with Cullen Jenkins. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif (Imagining big football player trying to remove timing belt in a GVR4 engine bay...)

 

[Boostin21]

A couple guys have correlated the 2 before especially when he was a Packer. Lol! but Im 5'11" white and 180 lbs.

Anywho, marks are lined up. The BLE tensioner made it diffcult. My valves are hitting the reliefs again. For those of you on dsmlink forums you may have saw that thread. Some thought I needed to bleed my lifters down. I did that all over again along with switching back to a 1g head.

Looks like I will need adjustable gears and a degree wheel. I think thats the only remedy here.