4 replies to this topic

[Terry Haines]

..OK, as so many have had issue with this and cannot follow the Ford CD..here are a few tips BEFORE you pull of the belt...This works for VCT and non VCT engines...
*Remove the covers to the cam belt,cam top cover and crank pulley.*Set the position of the engine to TDC with the cam 'slots' in the correct position..'by the book, at the end of the head*Pick a spot on each cam gear...clean the gear and the belt and with a white paint marker mark the gear and the tooth of the belt..do this on both gears*Between these marks write a 'T' on the outer part of the belt*Now go down to the crank belt gear,pick a spot on the gear & belt,clean it and mark it on the non tensioner side where it is on the crank gear*Now release the old tensioner etc and remove the belt*DO NOT MOVE THE CRANK OR CAMS*DO NOT RUB OFF ANY OF THE MARKS*

*Get the new belt and from the old belt COUNT the teeth between the two marks between the 'T' and mark the new belt same positions as the old*Now COUNT the teeth from the exhaust cam belt mark to the crank gear mark and mark the new belt in the same position* Change the guide pulleys,tensioner etc*Refit the new belt with the 3 new marks in line with the marks you made on the cam gears and crank gears*HOLD the belt so it does not jump any gears as you set the correct tension..


This assumes your old belt was ..in one piece and had not jumped any gears prior to its removal.

[BrApple]

that works very well. This is what my father and I did a few years ago when we changed the belt on my 95. Set the engine to TDc and then marked everything. The cmas did turn alittle but we lined them back up when we put the belt on. didn't count the teeth in the belt but it was a ford belt ....

[Terry Haines]

...easy eh!

[BrApple]

I had the tensioner pully split into 3 peices after 118k miles back in Feb of last year. Since the first time I changed the timing belt I picked up a tool set that included the TDC pin and bar for the cam gears. Lined everything back up and was back on the road. Still a fan of indexing the timing gears with a grease pen but the tools worked perfectly.

[Terry Haines]

...if you don't have the tools and the belt is in one piece,on any engine,then marking crank and gears works every time...been doing it this way for many years...