Timing Markings

[katsi]

I am preparring to replace my timing belt for the first time and flush out the cooling system. I read past post about cooling system flushings and have to say that I learned a lot from "Fiasco's" mistakes - Bummer but thanks for sharing your expieriences with others so that we may learn by YOUR mistakes. Really man, I read everything and walked away with a lot of info. Anyway, I was wondering about the timing markings as I understand that they are on the timing belt cover - Yellow thing? Are they anywhere else? I know about the ones on the upper timing gears but, I have been looking for some markes on the block and I can't find any. And, sadly, I don't have a cover. Well, I have one from an 81 that does not fit properly as the bolt hole in the lower portion does not match up with the corrosponding hole in the block to bolt to it and I had to remove some of it so that the timing tensioner berring would fit. Anyway, I guess I could match up the timing markes on the upper gears while turning the motor over manually untill the #4 piston (front one right) is at it's zenith - Right ?

Thoughts!

[narfire]

What year is your car? The 79 and later have a pointer that was attatched to the front crank seal carrier. The pointer has 3 distinct "points" on it,the first/longest being tdc and then 5 btdc and 10 btdc. The fanbelt wheel on the crank has a small indent front and back that will line up with tdc. If you can, take a bit of white paint and dab a bit on these indents, helps with seeing with the strobe. The inside of each cam wheels have a small hole, line these up with the raised line on the cam box. Got that done? Get that blessed belt on,without moving any of the cams or crank,and you thought your brakes were an issue
# 1 is first/closest to rad #4 last
Make sure your rotor in the dist. is ready to hit #4 and give er a go. Timing light is set using #4, move the thermostat if you can or as a member mentioned try a mirror, and have a look at where the nice white paint is in relation to your pointer, move dist. untill white mark is around the 10 deg. mark on the pointer.
After doing this a few times it becomes easy and the confidence is up there as well.
Good thing about this... no brake fluid involved, just a hot manifold if you try and tighten the 17mm nut under the dist. without being carefull.
Chris

[baltobernie]

Hey Katsi,

Can you borrow a "dial-back" timing light from somebody? You could set TDC on #1 manually by removing all the spark plugs and turning the engine until a pencil or something placed in the #1 spark plug hole "reached its zenith" (as you put it). You'd then set the intake and exhaust cams using the pointers-to-holes alignment, and the aux shaft to 2 o'clock. CAUTION: don't take the old timing belt off until you are very close to TDC; you don't want to move any of the items listed above more than a few degrees independently, lest you bend a valve.

After you've installed the new belt and roughly timed the distributor, you could use the dial-back light to set the dizzy to 10° BTDC. If you don't have pointers either, you could sight along the cam boxes, looking forward. There is a casting mark that also aligns with the cam wheel holes at TDC.