m_dubb

Well I have the timing belt on. And in order to get the camshaft pulleys where I think they look most like what is intended, I had to change how the new belt is installed compared to the old belt's install by one tooth on the pulleys.

I can't say how the truck was running before, because I bought it with a bad head gasket.

My question is this. Can I just hook up the battery and run it without the alternator, P/S pump, A/C or radiator to see how it runs? Of course I wouldn't drive it or let it heat up, but since I am a little uncertain of the timing belt and camshaft alignment there is a chance I'll have to dig back into it once I try to run it, and obviously it will be easier without all those parts...

Thoughts? Ideas?

Thanks.

fdp101452

Did you pull the plugs and turn two complete revs. and check your marks again? If you did and they are where they are supposed to be, just put it together and it should be fine.......regards......Rick

m_dubb

Yes I did that. But the troubling thing is there doesn't seem to be a perfect setup. What I mean is if the left cam pulley is perfectly up, then the right one is either just shy of perfect or just past perfectly up because of the spacing of the belt teeth.

Justinlhc

How are the idler and the tensioner set while you're trying to align the marks?

m_dubb

The tensioner has a spring and it is working as intended.


Well I got it all buttoned up and my worst-fears have been realized. It runs like crap (idle gradually slows until the engine dies).

Mother $#(*% Son of a %#$ Sassafrassa Dagum it

I'm as pissed as I could be. I think I'll try to remove as few as possible items to see if I can get in there and adjust the position of the timing belt to select the second of the two possible setups that I had to choose from.

I hope it isn't just some vacuum issue, but without having confidence in the timing I don't know what else to do.

Justinlhc

Sounds like you're not realeasing the tension before you align the cams. Might want to consult a service manual.

TNRabbit

THE GOSPEL OF TIMING BELT ALIGNMENT ACCORDING TO TNRABBIT:

What you need to do is get ALL the slack out of the belt between the crank pulley & driver side head FIRST (this is with the tension OFF the idler pulley). Get the teeth set right (you may have to SLIGHTLY bump the cam to the right to engage the right tooth), THEN move ALL the slack out to the passenger side pulley. Again, you'll have to bump the cam gear to the right SLIGHTLY to get the right tooth engaged. AFTER you get them both right, ALL the slack should be between the passenger side cam pulley and the crank pulley, where the idler will pull it all out.

m_dubb

Guys, I have a FSM. Also, I am doing it EXACTLY as described above. The thing that was tripping me up is when I get the cams lined up like I think they should be, it is different than the previous owner's alignment. I ended up going with the previous owner's setting (against my instinct) and I think it was wrong. I just set it to where I think is right. I'll reassemble and let you guys know. Thanks for the helpd.

TNRabbit

and Yes, you can run it with the front end open to see if it's running right. Just don't run it over a minute or so.

Justinlhc

Obviously you're NOT doing it exactly how it should be done. When installing a NEW belt you have to start from scratch. It's going to be damn near impossible to tell you what needs to be done over the internet, especially when you don't seem to want to listen to people tell you how it needs to be done. If what you're saying is true and you're doing it EXACTLY how it's supposed to be done than you got the wrong belt. Might want to count the teeth and verify it has the same teeth as the old one.

m_dubb

I'm pretty much gonna disregard your post. It won't hurt my feelings if you don't post again in this thread.

Fact is I am doing it EXACTLY per the FSM. Starting at the crank, walking it up to the driver's pulley (which I rotate slightly cw so I can get good tension between crank and driver's pulley) before I move to the passenger side...and so on.

It looks like the old belt stretched a bit which may be why it appeared to be slightly off.

Stalling when warm:
I've readjusted the timing and it definitely runs smoother and has power, but still the idle slows after about 5 mins of running and then eventually dies. I suspect a vacuum issue but I honestly don't know. I think all my vacuum hoses are right...they match the pic below.

What is weird is the FSM says to hook up the #1 vacuum line to the reed valve, but all the pics I see have the #1 (the one with the inline check valve? hooked up above the reed valve (see pic below).

If anyone would be so kind, could they check their vacuum lines and tell me if the line (#1) with the check valve looking thing is going to the reed valve or to where it is in this pic? Thanks.

Justinlhc

Fine by me. It won't hurt my feelings if you don't fix your problem. When you sign up to a website and ask for help, you have to actually listen to what people say, not just ignore what you don't want to hear. I really don't care to help you anymore so good luck figuring out what you're NOT doing wrong.

m_dubb

Blowhard.

Justinlhc

That's a good way to get people to help you. Piss on them. Good strategy. It's obvious you only signed up to this site to fix this one problem and you won't be contributing anything after you have received help so I don't see why anybody would want to help you anyways. Enjoy your crappy running motor.

m_dubb

Alright dude, you got the last word. Let's put it aside and get on with it.

m_dubb

Ok update. More reason for me to not suspect the timing. The truck actually is running very good and idling. It is only when I pump the brakes that it starts to lose idle and stall.

That sounds like a vacuum issue right? Any suggestions how to address the issue?

Lysmachia

Question. Was this running before you nstalled the new timing belt (because you mentioned a bad HG). Just wondering so we can try and pare down the causes.

m_dubb

I can't speak much to how it ran before the head gasket. I bought it with bad gaskets so didn't run it much.

UPDATE:
I think I found some major vacuum leaks. As I correct them one by one it idles better and the brakes no longer cause a stall. I'm relieved, because I was starting to think ignition timing or something worse. I'm convinced it's vacuum issues. I'm gonna pick up some new hoses to replace the suspect ones. My big clue was I could hear a hissing near the air intake. Not knowing this motor because it's new to me, it didn't stand out. Then when I started looking into potential vacuum leaks it was like "Duh". Sometimes it's staring you in the face !!

I still have one major question though. I found a tiny little plug that was on one of the vacuum lines. Does anyone know what vacuum line it belongs to?? I'm sure it was on there when I began, but there were so damn many parts, it's hard to remember where it was. Reminder, it is a 1992 truck 3VZE from Arizona.

TNRabbit

There's a metal 90 degree bend on top of the throttle body then points toward the cab; it should be capped off.

Use an UNLIT propane or MAPP gas torch to check for vacuum leaks (it will idle up where you have a leak) while the engine is idling.