Babalouie

So, I think I will have to do this soon, to stop a leak coming from the power steering belt housing.

I'm putting together my laundry list of parts, but I notice that the parts diagram shows this little dowel (#2 in this diagram)


And I found a vendor that sells the belt and the dowel as a set.


But what does the dowel do? Is it a key to locate the belt sprocket onto the camshaft end?

alexjc4

The dowel aligns the housing (part no 1) with the cam carrier/head.

My leak, which I fixed recently, turn out to be from the pump itself and was dripping down the inside of the housing. There is a seal kit you can buy so you don't need a whole new pump.

dlpalumbo

Are you going to try to get pump off with engine in car?? I've got a pump leak, plus others, and was thinking that dropping the engine would make the whole process a bunch easier.

ZG862

Having lived in my wheel wells for the past many weekends, it looks eminently do-able without an engine drop. Removing the RH suspension strut would give a little more working room for little additional effort.

Z

Babalouie

Thanks! So I'll just keep an eye out in case it falls out or something during diassembly.

Is there a woodruff key or something between the cam sprocket and the belt?

I'm thinking it isn't a pump leak. PS fluid's not dropping, and the leaked stuff seems thick like engine oil. Also the belt looks dry, so I think the leak is coming from the o-ring, more than anything else.

I think it is doable without a drop. I'll remove the oil feed pipe that goes in front of the belt housing (gotta change the softhoses anyway), and the muffler and its bracket. Still no way of getting my bulky impact wrench in there, but I think I can use the muffler bracket to brace the cam sprocket for loosening/tightening by drilling a hole in the bracket, and fixing a thick bolt through it, which will jam against the cam sprocket spokes...but I can't see any indication that the sprocket is keyed to the camshaft, so I dunno if that is the right way to go about it.

alexjc4

The sprocket isn't keyed to the camshaft in anyway - just bolted on.

I looked at different ways to bracethe sprocket to undo and do-up the bolt and in the end just stuck a nice big fat flat head screw driver through the spokes and braced against the ribs/bolt heads in the housing backing.

For what its worh the oil coming out of my pump wasn't especially ATF looking, fairly black and gooey, the only way I could be sure was that the pump seal was grotty looking whereas the camshaft seal and o-ring was nice and clean, they were however well baked so I replaced them anyway.

I think the ticky bit doing the job in the car will be aligning the housing to press nice and square into the case carrier without pinching the o ring, you have to be completely square or it won't go.

crg53

You can easily take the pump out with the engine in place, no need to drop it.

crg53

There is no key/keyway just the bolt holds the sprocket in place.

Babalouie

Thanks Alex & Steen, from the diagram, that's what I was thinking.

But in theory...if the sprocket is not keyed to the camshaft, then it shouldn't be necessary to brace it against the case, right?

alexjc4

It will load up the timing chain (other end of the camshaft) and then eventually you will turn the engine over, given the torque involved, so you do need to counter hold in some way. Once there's some friction between the sprocket and the camshaft, and the sprocket itself is braced, everything stays still.

Babalouie

Thanks Alex, makes sense.

Is there any problem when re-tightening and the camshaft moving?

alexjc4

Yeah, same issue doing it up, just wedge the screwdriver on the otherside of the rib.

The friction between end of camshaft and sprocket is quickly enough that you can hold the camshaft still by bracing the sprocket.

Babalouie

Thanks again Alex. What sort of torque for doing up that camshaft bolt? About 40ft-lbs? Or just "nice and tight"

Rocket Rob

The torque for the bolt attaching the drive gear to the cam is 88 ft-lbs.

Babalouie

88! Wow, now that's tight