Timing Belt DIY

[zooyork155]

In writing this DIY I am making the following assumptions
You have the Bentley Manual
You have the proper tools
You're doing this at your own risk

Begin by properly lifting and supporting the front of the vehicle.

Remove the front passenger side wheel and fender liner.

Remove lower intercooler pipe (pancake pipe).

Remove the engine cover and timing belt cover (2 spring clips). I’ve circled where you can find the timing mark on the head.

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Remove the spark plugs if you want an easy time turning over the engine by hand.

Remove the aluminum lower intercooler pipe. Stock hose clamp screws are 7mm.

Remove the plastic fender liner.

Remove the plastic belly pan you remove when you change your oil with 4 torx screws.

Remove the remaining plastic shield covering the crank pulley. I just pried those weird steel “finger” clips straight down and they popped off the 2 studs.

Remove the timing plug on your manual or automatic transmission so you can see the TDC markings. You'll more than likely need a light to see it well. Crank the engine to TDC for Cyl #1. You can find this by lining up the marks on the harmonic balancer and the flywheel. I used a 19mm socket on the crank pulley to do this.

Pull back the accessory belt tensioner with a 15mm wrench and stick an allen key through the retaining holes to keep the tensioner from springing back. Remove the accessory belt. Or have a friend crank the tensioner back while you remove the belt. Relax the accessory belt tensioner and remove it. Trust me, you want this out of the way, and the three bolts are easy to get to. Note the black steel bracket under the two top bolts IS NOT supposed to go between the accessory belt tensioner and the block. Remember this for putting things back together. http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/10/web/766000-766999/766353_83_full.jpg

Remove the crank pulley.
Support the engine with a jack and 2x4 under the oil pan.
Unscrew and move the coolant reservoir, or at least have it moveable. I drained my coolant so I could totally remove the reservoir but you don't HAVE to do this.

Remove the bolt holding the power steering reservoir to the top of the engine mount.

Remove the intake pipe from the throttle body.

I didn’t remove any power steering, coolant, or evap hoses from their connections. I just jockeyed the parts around if they were in the way.

Remove the expansion bolts holding the engine mount to the frame and from the block bracket. You may have to lift the engine a few inches. The engine is now supported fully by the jack under the oil pan.
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Engine mount bracket: This part is the biggest PITA!
Unbolt the engine mount bracket from the block. The bolts are not easy to find and there isn't enough clearance to remove the bolts from the bracket. You have to loosen all three bolts and remove the entire assembly. The only advice I can lend is BE PATIENT. With enough wriggling and lifting/lowering of the engine you will be able to slide the assembly toward the firewall and down past the steering rack. It helps to remove the retaining brackets from the charge pipe so you can slide it out of the way to create more room.
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Remove the middle and lower timing belt covers. The middle cover is SO much easier to get out now that you have removed the accessory belt tensioner.
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Pay attention to the positions of the cam and crank pulleys. The cam gear has a notch in it that lines up with a notch on the block. You can mark it with chalk or a marker (white-out is also good) to make it easier to see. It should still be at TDC, or a little off. You want to preserve the positions of the crank and cam EXACTLY for putting the belt back on.
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I didn’t have the 5x55mm threaded rod to release the tension on the old belt and since I was replacing the tensioner and damper, I just removed the old ones without releasing the tension. The damper is secured by 2 10mm bolts and the tensioner pulley by an 8mm allen. At this point the timing belt came off easily. I DO NOT RECCOMMEND RE-USING THE OLD DAMPER!
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Remove the water pump bolts (3 10mm bolts), and wiggle it straight out (I had to pry mine out). Coolant will come spilling out everywhere and there's nothing you can do about it so be prepared. If you didn't drain all the coolant out prior you should only lose about 2 quarts.

I chose not to replace the thermostat because it's not easily accessible without either removing the alternator or the intake manifold. I'll do that another time (probably not until the original F's up).

Now start the re-assembly.

Replace the water pump with a new one.

Replace the timing belt tensioner pulley.

Install the new T-belt on the CRANK PULLEY AND WATERPUMP ONLY!

[zooyork155]

Ensure that the marks on the flywheel and cam gear are still lined up.

Install the belt on the cam gear (be sure not to turn either the crank or cam gears!)

Now comes the tricky part: installing the new damper. I did this by installing the upper 10mm bolt then swinging the damper in place and threading the lower 10mm. Be certain that the damper is contacting the tensioner pulley properly.

Double, then triple check the timing marks on the cam and flywheel. I cannot stress this enough. Especially if you don't have the 5X55mm stud/nut combo to release the tension.

Once, you're satisfied with the position of the belt in respect to the timing marks etc., pull the retaining pin on the damper.
Now turn the crank two full rotations and pray the timing marks still line up (this is best done with a helper monkey watching the flywheel marks). If after the two rotations the marks are off you'll have to release the belt tension and realigning the cam gear. Repeat this process until the timing marks are copacetic.

Replace the lower and middle timing belt covers.

Replace the crank pulley.

Replace the accessory belt tensioner. Ensure that the black metal bracket goes over the tensioner and not between the tensioner and the head.

Replace the accessory belt. I used a new one.


Return of the engine mount bracket!!!
Remember how removing this big chunk of aluminum felt like a donkey kick to the scrotum. Well putting it back on isn't any better. Might as well grab a beer (or six) before diving back into this.

The procedure is similar to removing it. Make sure you've got all three bolts in their respective positions (the longest one is upper right). Wiggle, lift the engine, wiggle, lower the engine, and repeat until its in position. Again, patience is the best tool here.

Re-install the engine mount using the new expansion bolts you should have bought. It's rather difficult to turn the bolts a full 90* after they've been torqued (esp. after 100N*m) but do your best to He-Man them tight.
Replace the coolant reservoir and power steering reservoir.

Check your coolant level.
Replace the lower IC pipe and connect the upper pipe to the TB.

Before putting everything else back together start the car and let it warm up. Check for leaks around the water pump and make sure the belts are riding properly.
After you've inspected your work and replaced all the various covers and sound absorbers, take the car for a drive and check your DTCs. I recommend doing a TBA as well.

[8------D]

Rob you rock