Hi all made a big mistake had a mechanic change the belt took him all the info about job and tools to do it I.E. fly wheel lock / kemph tool .Went to see how job was going on while I was there the belt was removed and the cams flicked 3/5 teeth will they have any damage, was told it will be ok as long as the belt is replaced were the tipex marks on the cam wheel and rear shield line up all will be ok . The fly wheel was locked were the engine had stopped and not locked at the correct place. there is now a miss fire and the belt tension light comes on after 3.4 min. It turns out the Kemph tool was not used a different tool was used where the belt width and size off teeth and then a preload is set to get the belt tension .

 

potdog, if the crank is set to 0 TDC, where are the Cam marks on the back of the cam gears, do they both line up as they should?

The Right bank is the one that typically moves when the belt is removed at 45 deg before TDC, but as you stated the crank wasn't locked in the correct position so ????

I would suggest you start from scratch and redo as per the recommended methods.

 

Tension light will come on after 2-3 min if problem....you have a problem. Shop needs to re-tension (actually since you have the tool you should do it) Cams will turn when belt off, not a problem ane gear will rotate back. Not sure what they used (porsche tool?) Retensioning should be done after 1000-1500 mile.

 

Get a different mechanic. Don't run the car anymore before everything is done right.

 

This sounds bad to me. If the car was not lock at TDC like it was supposed to be, who knows what is wrong. Back-fire sounds like the cam is off by a few teeth and the belt tension is low. You can also get a backfire if 2 or 4 of the ignition coil wires was put back wrong. If the mechanic didn't put the tension sensor wire back on the belt tension sensor, you will also get a belt warning, even it it's correctly tightened.

 

what tool was used?.... "size of belt, preload, etc". what was it. either way, check for the position of the cams via the peek holes on top of the covers and do it at TDC. also keep in mind, that the alignment is once every other revolution, so dont get scared if they dont line up on the first shot of TDC.
next...... sometimes the belt doesnt show the position because the belt is over the edge of the cam pulley. you can use a flat head screwdriver to push the belt back a little on the pulley so you can see the timing notch.

tension is not that critical on how it runs. if its backfiring, sounds like 2 teeth. 3 and it barely runs. 4 and it doesnt run.

pull the cover off and do a tension test with the easy to use Kempf tool

 

The tension must be set properly and at TDC to determine any timing issue. Also, if the belt is off track on the gear loosen it and move it back on the right spot with your fingers.

 

Potdog,
Do you really have enough money to pay a mechanic to learn how to work on your car? Just asking.

Sorry. I see that you already acknowledged the mistake. I didn't mean to rub your nose in it. My apologies.

 

tension is really for how it will run under tension, adjusting the cam timing can be done well after its been timed. timing of the cam teeth is a pretty crude measurement. doing valve timing, and then you might have a point.

I hope you got at least 1/4 of your money back.. that would be only fair. you have about 1.5 hour work to undo what has been done on an 5-6 hour job .

 

Belt tension light means something on the belt path is wrong.

If you're doing it yourself..

You need to remove all covers and check the belt is routed correctly around the different rollers (yes, seriously, some people actually get it wrong). Then turn the engine by hand to TDC (on the dampener - which should have the numbers the right way up to read when you're standing in front of the engine bay), and check the cam gear marks line up.

If they all line up, great! If the marks don't line up, you'll need to put the engine at 45 degrees BTDC, lock the flywheel, and remove the belt to put the cams in the correct place (3 teeth off from the TDC mark when the engines at 45 degrees BTDC on cyl. 1 - you can find pictures here on rennlist for guidance).

Then adjust the belt tension to the correct tension, turn it a couple of times more and check/adjust it again. Then you can worry about a leakdown or compression test to see whether the mechanic bent your valves.

If a mechanic is doing the diagnosis, you might want to be present and watching, with a camera in hand. You'll need as much evidence as possible in your dispute against the mechanic should there turn out to be damage which requires a claim on his insurance. Then get him to follow the above steps.

With a properly tensioned new belt, the tension light shouldn't come on for 300-1500 miles (depending on brand of belt used - for me with the Conti belt the tension light came on at 300miles, Gates at 1500). And as noted above, the light has a 3 minute delay before it comes on after the engine is started - if its on at 3 minutes, it doesn't mean it suddenly got loose then.