Bit of cambelt-related help, please (photos inside)

[AdamR]

Thanks a lot for the help guys, massively appreciated!

Found that guide earlier on and have been 'digesting' it while reading through a few times. Does seem pretty straightforward once the PAS and Aux belts are off (already pulled them both off this morning before work along with the airbox out). Got my tippex ready but will defo use the flywheel marker now I know where it is ('green cover plug on the trans axle' didn't mean much to me...).

Thanks again 

[rubjonny]

+1 on using flywheel mark, the last MK3 i worked on the crank pulley mark was 90degrees out!

[AdamR]

Jesus, that would have really fooked me up...

[rubjonny]

yeah it thew me off for a bit, i was lining engine up before taking the belt off and nothing matched up top to bottom. after checking fly and piston # 1 by shining a torch down the bore i confirmed it was the crank pulley that was out, very odd!

[AdamR]

You actually sound like you know what you were doing, so that would defo have thrown me off  haha

One last quick one...

My car has an aftermarket cam fitted, I assume it *should* have been fitted so the marker on the new pulley lines up with where the original one was?



Also, the dizzy head on my car seems to be quite different to shown in the photos of the guide... But I'll cross that bridge when I come to it!

I'll be back if/when I get stuff - thanks again

[rubjonny]

car in linky is an ABA which is crossflow 8v, it all still applies to you just looks a bit funky compared to your engine

yeah most aftermarket cams use the OT mark to line up, but trouble is you have a vernier sprocket which may not have an outside OT timing mark, mine didnt. there will be a mark on the inside face which lines up to the top of the head with the rocker cover removed.  turn the bottom end to TDC and check if any marks line up, if not spin it round again and check again, the bottom end spins twice for every single rotation of the cam see

oh and pop the dizzy cap off and check the rotor arm too, once the belt is off the dizzy will spin free. the rotor arm needs to line up with a notch in the dizzy housing, once engine is at tdc hopefully you should spot it. if it helps the notch is visible thru a square cut out of the plastic dust cover over the hall sensor, again when you look hopefully all should become clear!

[AdamR]

Invaluable tips once again - cheers! I'll get stuck in now...

[AdamR]

Ok, going well so far... Found the little bugger that was causing the problem, as I thought!




Now - pretty sure I have everything lined up - except the top pulley and dizzy don't seem to be quite right?









Does it look like the timing's been 'off' for a while? (Car drove fine and revved to the red line no problem.) Or is it set like that on purpose? (Has 'fast road' cams fitted)

Should I time it back to how it is now, or line the dot on the sprocket up with the marker on the cambelt cover? Looks like if I 'retarded' (tee hee) the timing a tooth or two on the top sprocket (to make that line up with the marks) the dizzy would be even more out of time?

Sorry for all the questions, just want to make sure I don't munch the engine!! Guess I am pretty close now though, just one tooth out, maybe...

Thanks again,
Adam

[rubjonny]

doh just noticed its a 16v 

the dizzy dont worry about it cant be moved anyway locked into place on them.  does look like the cam timing is off by half a tooth or so, but i can see the vernier sprocket has been slightly tweaked round a bit so does look like its been done for a reason anyway

the TDC mark on the sprocket is the punch mark on the tooth, not sure what the tipex mark is for, see piccy here of std ABF OT mark:

[AdamR]

Thanks for that!

Yeah, I'm kinda ignoring the white marks, they are all over the place from previous changes it seems..!

Also noticed the sprocket is moved round a bit, yeah, wondering if it may have slipped (white marks around the bases of where the washer heads used to be?)...

So, crunch question! Retard the cam a tooth or leave it as is?

Thanks again!

Edit: Ok, so apparently it's meant to be 1 tooth out because of the cams Will crack on and report back!