Hey guys, installed the cam gears today but now my timing belt looks as if something is wearing through the smooth side of the belt??? Any ideas? I did not use the mitsu tool, I used threaded rod to relieve the tension in the arm. FWIW the belt really didn't get all that loose, but enough for me to get the new cams on. I took the car for a drive afterwards and it drives fine and is in time, just don't want to snap the belt and need to find whatever is rubbing.

Any ideas? I think it might be the tensioner. Either that or the idler directly opposite as those are the only two that make contact with the outer surface of the belt. Please help, daily driver, need to go back to work Monday!

 

it's probably rubbing the inside of the plastic cam gear cover. do a search and you'll find someone posted pics... but the ribbing on the inside of the camgear cover has plastic ribs you gotta grind off w/a dremell tool. check it and see, there should me marks on the inside of the cover where it's rubbing.

 

No, it's not. The cam gear cover is OFF, it's rubbing somehwere under the bottom cover!

 

damn... something drop down into the lower cover...
hope it's something simple.

 

Park it and change the belt, don't to risk it. Good luck

 

Well I just figured it out and removed the offending part. It seems that as I was finishing the cam gear install and backing my $2 piece of threaded rod off the tensioner arm that about 1/2 in. of the threaded rod broke off and fell into the bottom timing belt cover. The tension was back on the belt and since the rod was 3 feet long to begin with I didn't notice the little bit missing from the end. The install was fine but that piece of threaded rod sitting in the bottom belt cover wore my timing belt down a little in the middle of the belt.

So, what was a 30 minute install just took me 3 hours to troubleshoot and fix (getting to that bottom cover is a *****) and now I have to change the timing belt too!

Don't be a cheap bastard like me and go spend the $9 or whatever it is on the tensioner tool, that way you won't go through what I just did. All things being equal I'm lucky I caught it before it wore through the belt and things got really ugly.

Oh, has anyone had their timing belt replaced by a dealer before (4g63), just wondering what they charge as I don't have the tool to get the tensioner pulley off and sometimes dealerships run specials on timing belts that end up being pretty cheap.

Hope this helps anyone doing this install in the future.

 

I had a similar nightmare with my cam gear install. But the mechanic had to fish out a little ratched head that dropped down inside the lower pulley.

What did you set your gears at? I think they make a big positive difference.

 

Daaaaaaaaang. I'm sorry you had to go through that. Certainly not fun. If you still need the tensioner tool for the cam gear job, I would be willing to let you borrow mine, as I'm only 1-2 days away from you via UPS Ground.

 

Glad you got it sorted and happy to hear you are going to replace the belt. Has anyone tried the upgraded JDM belts? They LOOK cool...

 

At this point I think I might actually have to take it to the dealer to get the belt replaced since I am working all week and have plans for the next few weekends. I normally don't like letting dealer mechanics touch anything on my car but at this point my time is worth more than the cost to change it.

Noize, thanks for the offer. I'd normally take it if I had some time on my hands over the next couple days but unfortunately I don't see that happening. I'm on temporary duty and the post I'm at has a ****ty auto-crafts bay compared to my home station. I just put the gears in and pulled that bottom cover off without a lift or impact tools and using my fiance's parents tools (limited to say the least). Call me MacGuyver after this weekend.

Smog, gears ar at -5 each until I get cams. I don't have an Xede but am waiting for Xflash tuner to come out. Since Shiv unlocked the boost control feature using the ECU reflash I'm interested to see some stage 1 and 1+ plots WITHOUT the Xede and using only the flash. Shiv basically implied he can do all that the Xede can do with the Xflash under near stock boost levels (albeit without some of the resolution)

 

I talked to Shiv a couple of days ago. I too, wanted to try cams with just the XFlash, but I think he talked me into the XEDE. I'm waiting until there is a Vishnu dyno day somewhere in the SE, because I'd love to have him tune my car (Like everyone else wants, eh?). At any rate, I think I'm going XEDEFlash, then look into cams later on. If I can post mid 12s at 111-112mph like Smogrunner has, that will certainly hold me over for awhile.

I love the XFlash, don't get me wrong, but I think there is a lot more power to be made with an XEDE and Shiv's tuning.

 

There is a reason why Mitsu makes a forged tool for this job.

 

I'm sure that's the last thing he needs to hear right now, Captain Obvious.

 

I'm pretty sure it's made by Miller Tools for Mitsubishi and is sold by OTC and some other OEM companies. I posted this thread as a warning to others to BUY the tool even though several other people on this board have had success using 8x1.25 threaded rod. I don't even know if it is forged or not, but just from looks it is a lot beefier than a flimsy piece of cheap threaded rod.