Hi there. I would like to remove my timing belt. I am not going to be doing timing right away, but I do want to remove the belt.
My question is very simple, but I am struggling to find a good answer.

I know first I will remove the serpentine belt.

Everything I can find online and on here shows how to either "zip tie" the belt to the gears for reuse, or how to actually perform a timing job. I simply want to remove the belt for now, NOT doing timing right now, so that the head is free of the belt for removal.

What is the process here?

Do I have to put in the timing belt tensioner and leave it in for the next few weeks, or once the belt is off it can be removed?

I am sorry if this is a silly question, but I want to make sure I don't damage something. The timing components WILL be changed in a few weeks, but I want to let the car sit with no Tbelt for a bit.

Thanks for any input.

 

Use the hydraulic tensioner tool (long threaded rod) to compress the hydraulic tensioner (puts pressure on the pulley arm) then unbolt or loosen the bolt on the tensioner pulley to make slack. Watching a timing install video will help you understand this.

 

Put the car at TDC on the compression stroke where the cam gear marks line up with the marks on the valve cover and the crank mark lines up at TDC as well. You would then lock the cam gears using the special cam lock tool. You would then screw in the "tensioner tool" to compress the hydraulic tensioner and this will create slack for the belt so it can be removed or in your case, pulled off the cam gears.

Search around because you can buy these two tools as a kit and I purchased this one.
https://www.extremepsi.com/store/Ext...O-1-9-NEW.html

 

Yeah but do I need to leave the tool in when the belt is removed, or can it be safely removed when I leave the belt off for the next few weeks? I have watched a bunch of videos and more or less feel comfortable with the DOING the timing, but since I am not doing it RIGHT now, I wasn't sure that I needed to leave it in. Also I realized that I can just pop the engine mount back on haha.
I have all the timing tools and whatnot already.

I'm assuming that then the serpentine belt, pulley, harmonic balancer all need to be removed before inserting the tensioner tool, and removing the Tbelt?

 

Perhaps state what it is your are actually trying to achieve by removing the timing belt from the cam gears. Do you plan on removing the head to have it serviced?

 

Sorry, that was really poorly written, I was at work.

I am removing the head to send it out for service, to get rebuilt. I am actually sending the head with the cams and cam gears still attached.
Once it is back, will be doing a full timing service as well.

So my thinking is that I can: Jack up car. Place crank and cam gears to TDC for Cylinder #1 (all timing marks lined up on valve cover and crank).
Once that is done, loosen and remove serpentine belt and remove serpentine pulley. After that is done, insert the timing belt tensioner tool (slowly turning) into the head. With the tool inserted, should be able to just remove the timing belt and leave it off.

Am I missing anything? The other part of that question is that once the belt is removed, do I leave the tool in for the next 3/4 weeks, or can it be removed?

I apologize for lack of clear questions; I have the factory service manual and it's unclear on this, since it assumes you will either just be replacing cams or doing timing right away.

 

If you want to just remove the head and worry about everything else later than do the following.

• Remove upper timing belt cover
• Rotate crank to TDC on compression stroke to where the cam gears marks align with the marks on the valve cover.
• Locking the cam gears is not necessary
• Screw in the tensioner tool to release the tension on the belt
• Remove the belt from the cam gears (I think the exhaust cam will rotate forward from memory, which is ok)
• Remove the valve cover and remove the cams per the service manual

Not a good idea to ship the head with cams installed because this will force valves to be open and you can bend a valve so remove the cams and ship with just the cam caps in place. Obviously you will need to remove the intake and exhaust manifolds and everything else on the head to get it off the block. Eventually, you will need to remove the serpentine belt and the lower timing belt cover to do a full timing belt service.

 

THANK YOU that is the info I needed!
Yeah the manifolds and injectors and everything else are already off, knocked that out in about an hour.
Thanks for the tip about the cams/valves; I am actually getting all new valves so shipping there I don't really care if they bend, but it's interesting you say that as the MAP rep told me to send in my head with cams and cam gears attached..... They are going to install new springs, retainers, valves and guides, and seals, as well as new cams. If there is a risk of valves breaking, I don't know why they would charge me to do that... I might have to call them tomorrow and figure out what's going on.

 

remember... slow and easy with the tool.
the tensioner needs time to retract.

 

Yup I remember that from when I did my cams.

 

just start the teardown process as if you're doing the timing belt anyways...jack up car, d/c motor mount, serp belt, upper cover, etc. it will be fine to leave while you're head is out being rebuilt. I would recommend getting all 3 tools (tensioner tool, cam lock, rod)....it's like $50 from jnztuning.com for all 3. they make the job goes so much smoother