mkriete

I finally have the timing belt installed on my 1980 US, but the belt is tracking off the front of the tensioner roller as I rotate the engine by hand. Twice I have loosened the belt and reset the belt in the middle of the roller, but it continues to track off the front of the roller. The belt is staying relatively center on the cam pulleys. The first time I reset the belt, the pin on the tensioner had shifted out of line. Belt tracks further off the tensioner with each engine rotation.
I replaced the WP, pulleys, arm bushings, rebuilt the tensioner, but I did not replace the bolt at the roller/tensioner arm (pivot pin). The tensioner arm has a lot of play (it is able to rock, but does not move laterally).
What could be causing the belt to track off the tensioner? Should the arm be able to rock on the pivot pin? First trial, belt tracked to the back. Note the arm at the pivot.
Current setup, reset in center of tensioner. I have not tensioned the belt.
Current setup...arm looks offset at pivot.

syoo8

Matt-- I'm returning today from my trip-- let's get together!

Scott

Mrmerlin

usually it is a combination of a bent pivot bolt and the worn bushings,
also not fitting the snap ring to the tensioner roller ,
and having the wrong tensioner arm fitted,
or a waterpump .
I have seen different water pumps put the tensioner arm in different locations,
do you have a new Laso pump installed?
Posting pictures of what your doing will provide much more info to us

mkriete

I edited the first post with pictures. You can see where the belt tracked to the back of the tensioner the first time. At this point, the tensioner pin had slipped out of place. I removed the pivot bolt and arm to reset the pin in the tensioner. The next couple trials the belt tracked to the front. I don't have pictures of these trials.

Mrmerlin

you need another hands on experienced person that has done this before examine all of the parts you have,
something has not been properly assembled.

In the first picture the roller will hit the back of the damper.

GlenL

Looking at it, I was thinking something Stan just posted: the problem is the installation of the tensioner roller, or the roller P/N itself. Is the tensioner arm seated? (looks like it) A third guess is that there's on thrust washer behind the crank gear. It's really odd to have the belt track that far off right after the crank as that's holding it firmly.

How does it look at the 1-4 cam?

mkriete

I'll contact you. Thanks!

mkriete

Thanks for the help! Hopefully Scott can stop by and look at it.

mkriete

I must say that I am amazed at the wealth of knowledge on this forum . I researched more about the tensioner arm and pivot bolt and found that the early bolt are NLA. My bolt did not look original, so I pulled the bolt...again. It does not look like I have the original bolt or tensioner arm (see the pictures below). The tensioner arm appears to be from an 83-84, but the bushings are for an early bolt. Does this analysis look correct? Thanks again




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M. Requin

In the 3 pics in your first post, it almost looks like there are no bushings in the arm on the shoulder bolt. Am I seeing things or do you need to double check your assembly? In the final two pics you show a measurement of the bore of the arm for the pivot (shoulder) bolt, and of the bolt itself, but the critical measurement is of the bore with the bushings in place.

mkriete

Here are pictures of the bushings. Is it normal to be stretched like this? Also note the wear pattern from the washer on the bolt vs the bushing position. The bolt seems really loose in the arm. -
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Guy

not normal. You have early bushings on a late pivot bolt. That's your issue. Need new bushings and might as well replace bolt

ROG100

Those bushes look like the early bushes 999 924 002 40.
You probably need 999 924 002 40.

M. Requin

That's what I suspected, glad it looks to be that simple.

mkriete

Thanks. No way I would have ever known where to look if it wasn't for all the help and knowledge on this forum.

Roger, please send me a new pivot bolt and bushings.

Scott, I still welcome your expertise.