PLEASE HELP. Another dreaded Timing Belt question...

[rickyjulianandbubbles]

Dear All,I am new and I am sure this question may have been answered on another thread. Please excuse me for not searching diligently if so. Please help asap!!Details:Nissan 1993 D21 4x4 VG30E ENGINE- TIMING BELT REPLACEMENTOk, so I decided to attempt this myself to save some of the $1400+ I was quoted at dealers and such. All went well getting all of the stuff off (radiator etc). I couldnt get the Crank bolt off so I called a "mechanic" to come to my house with an impact gun. We got it off in seconds. The guy offered to help me with getting the belt off. We could not find the timing mark on the oil pump housing. So the "mechaninc" said, dont worry about it, just make marks on the cams and cover and crank and oil pump housing and take the belt off. I said "but dont you have to set up to #1 TDC? " He said no, if the engine was in time before I took everything apart, it wont matter. I scratched my head while he then he marked the current positions of everything and then he took the belt off. He said all I have to do now is make sure I dont move the crank or cams independently, put the belt on and ignore the timing marks on the belt , tighten her up and put everything back together.Why do I have this sick feeling this guy was on crack? So, here I sit terrified and I need this truck back on the raod before Sunday. What do I do? I want to follow the manual, but Im not at TDC #1 now and YES the belt is off. Do I put the old belt on, tighten it up and them rotate the crank until everything lines up to as close to TDC#1 as I can get? (keep in mind I cant see the mark on the oil housing)All help is most welcome at this point. And if there are any real mechanics out there who are willing to hold my hand-come on over - I will buy beer.

[rickyjulianandbubbles]

Update.I couldnt wait any longer so I got hold of my bro who has done this before. I put the old belt back on, snugged it up and then rotated the crank until I was sure I was at #1 TDC. Since I had no oil housing ref mark, I had my wife gently hold a chopstick in the #1 spark plug hole. We watched it go up and down a few times and my wife said she could feel a puff of air each time the chopstick went to highest point. So we went around another time and I stopped turning the crank at that exact point. I then checked the two reference points on the cams. The left cam (driver side) and belt cover mark were dead on. The right cam and cover mark (passenger side) were off, and of course I had no reference for the crank and oild housing, but from all of the pics I have seen, it looked right. The right cam mark had passed the belt cover mark by about 2.5 inches. So if the cover mark was 12 o'clock, the cam mark was at 2 o'clock. I again asked my bro for advice and he said take the belt off and gently rotate the cam back to in line with the cover mark, but STOP if there is too much resistance. I moved the cam (sweating bullets and frogs for fear of effing up my engine) and it moved easily into place in line with the cover mark.I remember that when the belt came off the first time, that cam jumped a little, which would account for the difference in line up. So, now I am lined up. I am removing the old gasket crap now and will put the new belt on later today and continue the re-assembly. If all goes well, I should be back up and running this weekend.

I hope this will help anyone else who runs into a similar problem. And if I have effed up my engine, I will of course post an update. I will also post a happier update if my engines sounds like Purrmonster the cat.

Later.

[vancouverbc]

sounds like the guy typing is Julian

[rickyjulianandbubbles]

sounds like the guy typing is Julian

Bubbles actually. Thick hubbabubble telescope eyes and all.

Update,All went well. She purrs like s***rock the cat.