So I've got some time off to finish my project and it's time to tension the belts. So I did that yesterday and was ready to button up the front when I read that your not suppose tension unless it's 69 degrees F. Well it was only 51 when I did it.

How much should I be worried? Also I'd like to double check my arnworx tool with the trying to turn the WP pulley test.

I know that if you can turn it with one hand it's too loose and if you can't turn it with two hands it's too tight. But when do you do this test? After you turn the engine over twice or after you back it off a tooth and a half?

 

I wouldn't be concerned about the temp... However, I do think the temp will cause a much different feel if you "try to turn the water pump pulley" - warm rubber sticks better than cold rubber.

I have no idea what you're talking about with "after you back it off a tooth and a half?"... If the teeth of the timing belt are engaged properly, the flywheel mark, camshaft mark and both balance shaft marks will be pointing in the correct places. If you start moving the belt around, you're going to lose that time position... and I have no idea how you'd set it to be "half a tooth off" - that's like a woman being half-pregnant!

 

Van, when tensioning the belts the manuals say turn the motor through and stop at TDC. Then, back it up 1.5 teeth and take the tension. Repeat until you get the same reading consistently. I think that is what he is referring to.

 

Oh, gotcha. Right, when you use the factory tensioning tool (I don't know about the arnworks tool) you turn the crank backwards to put slack in the belt is on the long run between the camshaft and crank. I didn't realize the FSM specified to turn it backwards 1.5 teeth - I've always just turned it back "a little bit".

 

Yes this is what I am referring to.

 

If you're concerned about the temp, I'd run the engine, assuming the belts are tensioned close to start with, until they're real pliable, then do the tension test when the motor has cooled off.

 

Actually, you will want to re-tension after a night of cooling off. IIRC. Then again it was quite easy while living in Hawaii with 60-70 temps year round.