Timing belt help

[canadian booster]

Ok got the new belt on, turned the crank a couple times 720 degrees by hand, seems ok, then my roommate asks if the engine was at tdc.. Umm s*** I don't remember, the woodruff key was facing up and I turned the engine by hand before removing the old belt so all four cam marks were facing up.. Am I screwed? He says to start over and pop spark plug #1 to see the piston..

[canadian booster]

I know the exact position of the crank when I took the belt off, woodruff key straight up, so from that I can tell maybe where the timing mark was pointing at.

Otherwise I'll do over but I think I'm ok

[boost creep]

well you dont want piston to meet valves.....so just to be safe.
id pull the #1cyl plug, find tdc of the compression stroke using a decent drinking straw(make sure its the comp stroke), then align the cams accordingly(all 4 valves currently closed and ready to open the exhaust valves as their next movement on #1cyl).
at that point if everything is correctly in sync, you should be good to go. a firing and check of the timing should be the last things to do before a testdrive to see how it reacts under a load situation.

the Nissan fsm should have a timing guide in the engine mech section, that would have the exact alignment of both cam marks in relation to the crank mark.

[nissanfreak12]

On the crank sprocket, there is a dot on the front and a notch on the oil pump. When those are aligned, it is TDC. One way to actually make sure the belt is on correctly, count the cogs. As stated above, the FSM will have all that info. The marks on the cam pullies and the back plate are for reference. They will be close but not be dead on, FYI.

I have done a few timing changes, all with good results, so if you have any questions feel free to ask.

[canadian booster]

I have to take off the top/bottom belt covers again and check.. the belt was lined up perfect on all 4 lines/marks up top,.. is there another line on the belt that lines up on the crank? I don't recall seeing one

[nissanfreak12]

There should be, what kind of belt did you get?

If you have rotated the belt a lot or ran the engine, the lines will not line back up. If you can turn the crank 2 or 3 revolutions without it hitting anything, the tensioner is at about 4mm, the only thing left to really do id count the cogs on the belt. That is the definite way to make sure the belt is on correctly.

[canadian booster]

Oem belt.. damnit i'll just do it over again, blah

[nissanfreak12]

Here's a question, when the mark on the balancer is on 0, do all 4 marks on the cams line up close to the markings on the backing plate?

[ThisIsSparTTa]

Only before the first rotation, after that I think it takes them a while to all meet back up. Pro-tip. COUNT THE TEETH! Don't go on the marks alone. Save yourself time and headaches that I went through.

[nissanfreak12]

Only before the first rotation, after that I think it takes them a while to all meet back up. Pro-tip. COUNT THE TEETH! Don't go on the marks alone. Save yourself time and headaches that I went through.

That is only true for the white lines on the belt. The marks on the cam gears and the dimples on the backing plate should always come close to lining up. That is what is actually kept in time.

I completely agree on counting the cogs on the belt. This is the only true way to find out if the timing is set up correctly.

[canadian booster]

re did the belt. the OEM belt had lines on it that match up with the marks on the teeth, i didn't see the marks on the crank gear the first time doing it, and was off by 2 teeth. This time it's bang on all 5 gears line up with the oem marks on the belt.

PS belt just came in last night so i'm going to try to whip it together this weekend and see how it goes, assuming i can get the PS Pump to move at all, damn thing is solid and won't budge.. i may just cheat and put the belt on the crank pulley before i put the harmonic balancer back on and see if that works

[canadian booster]

and yes, this is the LONGEST timing belt change EVER in history. i have no garage and the weather has been crap with snow and rain for the past couple months .. so.. yea..