timing belt job gone bad

[94legacyturboawd]

well my so called "mechanic" screwed up my car after replacing the cam/ crank seals an timing belt she wont fire up. I would appreciate any help on this one. How would I go about the timing, say if I were building the motor from scratch, I'm ready to put the belt on so what is the proper prcedure for lining up the timing marks, I know I have to find top dead center, but what else do I need to know about linig up the cam pulleys? and wich cylinder/ cylinders need to be at top dead center.

[TheSubaruJunkie]

Look at the timing belt. It should have 3 lines in it. These lines need to match the marks on your cam sprocket and your crank sprocket.

There are arrows on all 3 sprokets. Make sure you do not use the arrows. There are rectangular marks on the cam sprockets you will use, and there is a line on the BACK side of the crank sprocket you use. Just line up these 3 marks with the lines on the belt and you are golden.

I made a mistake while doing my t-belts for the first time and it wouldnt start. Its a common mistake. There's a in depth PDF somewhere, hopefully someone will chime in with the link. I got too many things goin on right now or else I'd find it for you.

-Brian

[TheSubaruJunkie]

Ok i found a couple pictures that will help you out.

These are courtesy of Legacy777.



Notice how the lines on the belt are aligned with the mark on the backside of the crank sprocket.

Do not get that line mixed up with the arrow on the front of the sprocket... that is what I did and your car will not start. Here's a pic of the sprocket, you can see the arrow is 90 degree's off from the correct mark:


Again, thanks Legacy777 for the pix.

[94legacyturboawd]

thank you so much! that was his mistake. he lined the crank up with that arrow instead of the backside of the sprocket. what a dumbass. the only reason I say that is because he's been a mechanic for like 15 years. I want my money back ha! much props to you and legacy 777 and everyone else.

[evolutionmovement]

The cams are the same deal, so look at those as well.

[TheSubaruJunkie]

thank you so much! that was his mistake. he lined the crank up with that arrow instead of the backside of the sprocket. what a dumbass. the only reason I say that is because he's been a mechanic for like 15 years. I want my money back ha! much props to you and legacy 777 and everyone else.

Its an extremly common mistake. Unless he's had prior experience with Subaru Motors, its easy to use the wrong mark.

Dumbass, naw probably not.

Refund, yes! I would definatly try to get a refund.

-Brian

[94legacyturboawd]

well thanks again everyone! I just got it all back together and she started right up. I put all the marks right on lined up the belt properly and shazzam. Is it possible that there may have been some damage caused by trying to start the car with the timing way off like that? because the motor sounds different to me now and feels like she's lacking power. I know it needs a knock sensor would that cause a loss of power?

[evolutionmovement]

No and yes respectively. This is a non-interference engine. A bad knock sensor should put the car in safe mode - retarded timing and rich mix.

[94legacyturboawd]

well I got the knock sensor in, and I really can feel improvement in acceleration, but she's still skipping and hesitating a little bit. Is it possible that the timing is off enough to make it stumble and hesitate during acceleration? I lined up all of the marks perfectly on the block/ pulleys/ belt. do I need to reset the computer or something?

[evolutionmovement]

I'm assuming you accounted for the movement of the belt once the tensioner is released and that the marks are all lined up right now. My guess would be plugs and wires. When were the wires done last? I've found cheap sets to last about a year. Magnecors will last indefinitely.

[Richard]

What about resetting the computer after changing the sensor? Is that required, suggested, or does it not matter? Sounds like p's and w's to me though. Possibly the coil?

[94legacyturboawd]

well I got it all back together myaelf no thanks to 2 different mechanics, one lined up the timing with the wrong mark, and the other told me I had a bent valve and tried to get me to buy a motor. She now runs like a champ even better than ever. The problem was that when I was finishing up and filling the coolant system, some antifreeze had spilled and made its way down inside of the spark plug and wire directly beneath the resivior, essentially it was submerged. I changed the plug and dried out the wire and she was all good. knock sensor made a huge difference. Thanks to all for the good info, I would not of been able to do this without yall.