How far do i advance crank? T-belt

[4FLATS]

I'm deep into my water pump and tbelt service.

All the videos say check for your year how far to roll the crank forward to align everything up. Anyone have the chart? I'm in a 1999 lx470

My gut says line up the crank Mark's, which is just a little past DTC.

 

[4FLATS]

So I found this thread 1999 LC timing belt settings FSM

Says to go to the plastic nub. But now I am reading about the T and that seems to be where my cams are set? Wouldn't that run like crap?

 

[MJK]

At TDC, the cam marks line up with the cam cover marks and if I recall correctly the reference mark in the crank is at or near the bottom. If you have the lower cover and crank pulley on, they would align with each other too. All of this should be covered in the videos, FSM and other materials you have. OTRAMM has some good stuff on Youtube.

If you don't have the old belt off yet, do it by the book - which is to say disassemble before, after or at TDC as the manual specifies. This location is usually specified so that the neither cam is in a position that it wants to rotate once the belt is removed.

Whether you assemble at TDC, just before or just after the critical thing to get right is the number of teeth on the timing belt between the reference locations on the crank, and both cams. Align belt to Crank first, then D/S cam, then P/S cam and take up the lack by the tensioner. If everything is 20 degrees advanced or retarded from TDC, that is just part of the normal rotation of the engine as long as it all stays in time with each other.

If you already have the belt off and are stressing out about this, I wouldn't sweat it too much. Whether you assemble it at TDC, just before, or after it is their positions relative to each other that is important. If it is disassembled and stable where it is, do it there. If something moves, move it back. Use your brain and a little care and you'll be fine. FWIW, I did my 05 at TDC.

LATE EDIT: Once you have the new belt on, check it by rotating the crank around twice by hand (clockwise) and stopping at TDC. Every 2 rotations of the crank , the crank and both cams should be at TDC at exactly the same time. You can tell this by matching the marks on the cams to the cam covers, and the crank pulley to the marks on the lower cover. The belt marks will no longer match and this is normal. The critical thing is that this all happens at the same time indicating these 3 components are in time with each other, which should happen the same regardless of where you assembled it.

If it is out of time, take it apart and re-time it.

 

[vcheng]

So I found this thread 1999 LC timing belt settings FSM

Says to go to the plastic nub. But now I am reading about the T and that seems to be where my cams are set? Wouldn't that run like crap?

When removing the old T-belt, align the timing marks on both the cam pulleys to the marks on the engine, and the key on the crank is at the mark for the crank pulley.

The new belt will have the crank pulley marks, so you start from there and align the mark on the new belt with the driver side cam sprocket mark, then the passenger side pulley, and down past the tensioner pulley. It can fit only one way without undue slack or tightness. Make sure everything is aligned, then pull the pin on the tensioner itself. Rotate the crankshaft two revolutions and the camshaft pulleys must realign at the respective marks om the engine.

 

[NoVaGator]

I believe it’s 50 deg on a 99

eta: confirmed per the Aisin instruction booklet. 50 degrees forward which lines the mark up with the guide pulley bolt

 

[4FLATS]

Thanks all. I started wondering if my engine was out of time for the last 5 years or so!
So.. I am rolled ahead to the plastic nub and my marks lined up with the T marks. I know those arent the timing marks but they lined up perfectly with the motor rolled to the plastic nub.
Now.. While cleaning the old gasket and goop all over it (thanks to the last guy who did a T-belt) I think in need a crank seal.

 

[4FLATS]

Pics

 

[4FLATS]

Any tips on getting the gear off the crank?

 

[4FLATS]

Also, Do I need this tool? or can I use smack a self taping screw into the seal?

 

[MJK]

Use the old belt to hold the cam, and impact the bolt off. Use a seal puller or self tapping screw to remove the seal. Screw it it in by hand and pry it out by the head like you would with a nail. Hopefully it takes the seal with it.

How to set TDC per the FSM

^^ the cast line in the cam cover is to the left of the "T" marks in your pics.

As far as how you use the marks on the belt to align to the crank and cam pulley marks, see This thread - specifically the pics in post 117. In these photos the belt is located on the crank and cam pulleys correctly, so everything should be in time even though it is all after TDC by ??degrees. You'd still want to check it (every 2 revs of the crank) as the image above shows after you have the lower cover on, and crank pulley on but the crank bolt only snug.

Gear just slides off the crank, or it is stubborn you can use the threaded holes on either side of it. (again, see pics in the thread referenced above)

 

[4FLATS]

Dang it. Trying to wiggle the crank gear off and felt my glove snag on a rough spot... now I think I'm in for a puller and a new crank gear. I was being super gental trying to wiggle a flat blade in there but I think I screwed up.

 

[4FLATS]

So I think this is what I need now.

 

[NoVaGator]

the amount of gunk you have going on there makes me feel a lot better about mine.

 

[4FLATS]

So I rented this puller from O'Reilly and grabbed some M6 bolts and it worked like a bueaty. Gear is rosted from my first prying attempt though.

 

[NoVaGator]

I'd probably file that smooth and call it good

 

[4FLATS]

Brand new OEM is only $47 and I need a crank seal while I'm there. I've had aftermarket seals pop out in a Sabaru so I'm a bit gun shy...

I've been daily driving my Gambler 500 rig so not a big deal.

 

[NoVaGator]

Brand new OEM is only $47 and I need a crank seal while I'm there. I've had aftermarket seals pop out in a Sabaru so I'm a bit gun shy...

I've been daily driving my Gambler 500 rig so not a big deal.

Do you know that the crank seal is leaking? I think the consensus at this point is that if they're not leaking, don't replace them. I had intended to do my crank and cam seals when I did my timing belt job last week but there was no sign of oil around any of them.

Now you're clearly leaking *something* north of the crank, but do you know what it is? I had a bunch of gunk like that but it was PS fluid.

 

[4FLATS]

I was seeing oil on my fingers under that sprocket, so I figured I'd pull the seal and replace. My power steering pump is gunky and I've been loosing water for about 10 months. In that photo I just cleaned the pump mounting surface. The last T-belt job somone smeared sealant all over the block under the water pump so I had to put in time cleaning that up.

 

[4FLATS]

Any one know what Otramm smears on the outside of the seal before installing it? Looks like grease? but that sounds strange..