DIY (J35A4) timing belt replacement

[94eg!]

Yes it's normal. The valves have sprung shut and rolled the cam forward. You MUST roll it BACK ONLY. If you roll it forward, you will begin to open different valves that can/will press into the head of one piston. Best thing is to gently roll it back till the marks line up. You have a bit of room to play, so no worries about that heavy spring pressure. It's going to take some muscle. I went back & forth a couple times cause those stiff springs are very tricky.

[ray_d_eightor]

Happened to me when I changed the belt. The cam is under valve spring tension from one of the cylinders when it's on the mark, doesn't take much to bump it off. I just moved it back to the mark - no problems with mine. Just don't go 'all the way around' and you're probably ok.

[kalina]

Thanks guys. Just got back from work. That's great news. I'm going to garage now to finish it. I'll let you know how i did.
Thanks again.

[KKL]

My understanding is with the crank pulley/cam pulleys set initially to the alignment marks with the TB on, all the pistons are recessed to some extent in the cylinders (that is none of the pistons is at top dead center TDC). After the TB is removed, as long as you don't disturb the crank pulley, the cam shafts can spin without damaging the valves.

[94eg!]

You would be wrong. Lining up the crank pulley mark puts the #1 cylinder at TDC. Making sure the front cam is on the #1 mark through the view hole in the belt cover is how you confirm your on the compression stroke. The rest of the pistons are wherever. BTW: The #1 cylinder is the one on the back closest to the timing belt.

[KKL]

I stand corrected. Just checked the service manual and 94eg! is absolutely right.

I replaced the head gaskets (and the TB in the process) of a Subaru H4 a while back. There the alignment marks are set up so that all 4 pistons are recessed and there is no danger of valve damage should the camshafts spin out of position.

[Steve09]

Yes , Mine did the same thing (jumped over the cam lobe) Just line your marks back up and you will be fine. I was scary, but all went well for me.

[goneb4u]

awesome help from this, many thanks, changed water pump, thermostat and exterior serpentine belts at same time. getting timing belt on and aligned 100% was a ***** for me.

[sjotis]

Great thread - thanks for the help.

As others have said, the crankshaft bolt is a bear. Broke 2 19mm 1/2" drive sockets with a breaker bar and a pipe. We had to step up to a 3/4" drive setup. My impact gun was no use. The 3/4" drive with pipe got it done....

Back together and running nicely.

New water pump, belts, and auto tensioner. Still not sure what the battery bracket step is supposed to do. Oh well

Steve

[94eg!]

^It's supposed to lock the hydraulic tensioner in position. Then you remove the belt by taking off the idler bearing. But since you DEFINITELY want to remove the tensioner and inspect it anyways, there is really no reason to bother at all.

[dsmskyline]

Just as a word of the wise from my personal experience changing MANY timing belts it is always best to move the cams using a box end wrench and not a ratchet. It lessen the chance of the cam moving one way or the other too far.

On some engines once the belt is removed, the cams want to move on their own due to the lobes. I have had to place a wrench on each cam and wire them together in the correct position to keep them from moving.

Using the large black binder clamps available at just about any store that sells office supplies is a huge help to keep the belt from slipping off.

Hope this helps future DIYers.

[meijee]

Great DIY thread, was gonna tackle this myself but traded in the '03 honda before I could. I did buy the parts though...anyone wants a deal here is a link to the classified ad I posted. Timing Belt (J35A4) and lot 03-06?

I still have all the parts sitting in my garage.