figuring I had nothing to lose i went for it without any prior experience and rebuilt the head on my 94 lx (original engine). For the most part it went pretty smoothly up until i had to put the timing belt back on. Following the directions in the manual I got it in and when I started her up she sputtered a bit, then ran but wouldn't hold her idle, then she held her idle but when I would step on the gas would die. I don't really know what the deal is but I am guessing it has something to do with my timing being off since I felt the least confident in this part of my assembly.

Would something like this happen if things were misaligned by a tooth on the cam. can someone set things straight on how to set the cam up. I can get the piston at top. I've read that the Cam should have the hash marks live at 90 degrees and the "up" being exactly that. I also heard the hash marks should be even with the head which as it turns out is slightly canted forward. So things aren't perpendicular and parallel to the ground anymore.

I've also noticed that there is a hash mark and some numbers on the cam and a notch under the cam on the timing cover. do these line up in any way, bc if they do then both scenarios up top don't apply.

I'll double check to see if any lines/hoses are not attached but I'd still like some knowledge about setting the timing. I can't imagine it's as difficult as I'm making it.

 

Hash marks should be parallel to the top of the head (where the valve cover meets it), not the ground. The engine is tilted when installed in the car so ignore the angle to the ground. Most SOHC engines also have a third hash mark which should align with the plastic pointer on the inside cover. The UP mark is just to resolve being 180 degrees off (TDC4 instead of TDC1), it is not exactly at the top and should not be used for precise timing.

For setting the crank (with the pulley off) you use the little mark on the timing belt gear, not the key slot in the crankshaft. You can also take the #1 plug out and probe in the hole as you turn the crank to find the piston is truly at TDC.

 

Thanks for confirming. I'll be giving it a look this week and try to get it set up. After I get this set it's on to the valves since the machine shop pulled the entire assemly apart. We'll see how that goes.

Cheers,

Joe

 

okay, so i'm wanting to clarify two things here, first, I would swear that the marks on the cam (to get it level with the head) do not sit level relative to the head if I have the 3rd timing mark aligned with the notch on the timing cover an vice versa. Trying to get the cam marks level with the head seems kindof tough with the engine in the car, it is much easier to align the hash with the timing cover. If I have that aligned am i gaurnteed to have the marks aligned with the head?

Also, when installing the timing belt my manual reads,
"after installing the timing belt, adjust the belt tension by first rotating the crankshaft pulley 1/4 turn cc or 3 teeth on the cam pulley (this will put tension on the belt), then retighten the adjusting bolt......"

It is easy enough to follow this however after I get on the belt and begin to rotate the crank pulley, it picks up the slack in the belt but does not rotate the camshaft pulley until the slack is out. So now the 2 pulleys do not live in the same postions relative to one another like they did before. It seems like the crank will be a little advance of the cams. Is this correct?

 

The marks seldom align perfectly. The best you can do is get within plus or minus one tooth on the belt. After setting the tension and tightening the tensioner bolt, rotate the crank (always counterclockwise, the way it normally turns) to bring the marks around again and double check.

 

GOT IT!!!

In case any first timer comes across this here is how I got things proper.

I set both the Cam and Crank pulleys to there respective TDC positiion and then installed the timimng belt. Next I made a reference mark on both the belt and the cam pulley, removed the belt and the rotated the cam pulley counter clockwise 1 tooth. I verified this when I reinstalled the timing belt and saw the two marks off by 1 tooth. I then rotated the crank shaft counter clockwise, pulling slack out of the belt and far enough to also rotate the cam a little bit. Keeping tension on the crank I then tightended the tensioner pulley, double checked for slack in the belt and then rotated the crank 1 full rotation. When the timing marks aligned on the crank pulley with the belt cover, the marks on the cam also lined up perfectly with the head.

Viola!