transam

A mistaken oversight during my last timing belt replacement led me to a wild goose chase. It all started by me wanting to do my "post op" belt tension check. Usually i would just pull off the right cam sprocket cover right? Well i saw slight fraying on the belt, but the right sprocket was tracking fairly centered.

So i removed the left sprocket and this little gem appeared.......



So i inspected everything. After some head scratching and some of my rennlist buds to give me a direction, i got the old one out of the box (yes, i am a packrat) and set it side by side. WTH?! sure enought the old water pump snout extruded past the pulley by a little over a 1/4". See how they didnt press the pulley on far enough? What BS.


So beware when going the remanufactured water pump route! Set your water pumps side by side before install.

While apart however i did find the idler pulley ABOVE the tensioner pulley was making some noise. But i couldnt get myself to fork over $90.00!

So..........i went this route. First a trip to napa where i found that this assembly is easily pressed together with a bushing pressed in the center.



After getting the bearing i pressed in all apart in a vise using soft jaws. then pressed the new bearing in with the bushing....and voila! less than $30 invested and its perfect.

SeanR

I'd say you were very lucky.

This is another of the long list of reasons I won't use anything but a new Laso pump. Don't go cheap on these cars.

It also looks like your cam gears and oil pump gear are due to be changed.

Ispeed

Those gears need to be changed...

Landseer

Did you change the little plastic spacer / bushing inserts on the pivot bolt?

Leon Speed

Sure hope so! A $60 save can turn into a $3000 mistake pretty quickly.

Bill Ball

Good catch. This was headed for probable disaster. I second the comments about the gears and the tensioner arm plastic bushings. Those should have been done with the belt. The idler bearing was the least of your problems.

James Bailey

Looks like a 16 valve engine so none interference just his time at risk. Same with the gears worn but should run for quite a long time anyway. I have seen gears worn so much that all the tops of the teeth were worn away ! completely gone. Car still ran.

SeanR

James, rotor is attached to the cam gear.

James Bailey

Correct , take back everything I posted ..........

transam

I did replace the plastic piece but did not realize the cam gears/ oil pump drive were that crucial with a little wear. Where do you suggest picking these gears up? And as for the cam gears can i put them on by just marking original location? or do i need to do the dial indicator setup? is there any helpful links?

ROG100

Talk to your favorite parts supplier 8>)

DanielD

And this was how many miles after the belt replacement?

transam

thanks guys!! i will do the gear replacement this winter. it was after 500 miles

Mrmerlin

more than a year to respond, have you been driving the car since the belt/ pump excursion?

Yes you need to use a Porken cam setting tool to set the new cam sprockets from the pictures a new set of gears is in order make sure you also get the oil pump gear,
and if you didnt do this get the new Oil pump O ring and 3 screw O rings to reseal the pump use STP in the pump gears prior to installing the pump,
make sure the dots on the gears point to the block or the pump will seize

Randy V

More like a year and three months.



Classic example of being penny wise and pound (dollar) foolish.