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View Full Version : Ok... do I need to be worried about this?



Plays_with_Toys
06-01-2006, 11:44 PM
I just got done with 4 days of working on the car. Starting with an oil leak on my EJ22 SOHC, and, progressively, I needed to change out more and more. So, I found some oil just beneath the cam seals, nothing below the crank seal. So I replaced the two cam seals. This involved removing the timing belt. Which i replaced, to be on the safe side of things (even though its only 16k mi old). When working on getting the belt on, the driver side cam pulley snapped forward a setting (a 90* turn). I turned it back to where it should be, and it snapped back (roughly another 90*), so I needed to have it between two lobes it felt like. Anyway, wrestling with the belt, and getting my markings to line up, both of my cam pulleys ended up being maybe a .5-1 tooth clockwise off the markings. When I got it all started up (which it did with no problems) it smelled rich, like it normally does after start up, but the exhaust note was considerably raspier, not as much of a low note drone. Driving the car, I no longer have the really loud drown as I engine brake down the RPM's. I also no longer get alot of the backfire burble letting off the gas. ( you can especially hear the drone/burble as I downshift midway through, and when I round the last corner in this video: http://media.putfile.com/legacy-exhaust-42)

While I love this fact, and the fact the car seems as peppy as ever, I can't help but think I screwed up the timing, and either advanced it or retarded it a hair. So, did I advance the timing, or retard it? And second, what kind of short time (next 20k miles) and long term (next 60k+ miles?) problems will this cause? Or am I, as usual, being a hypochondriac?

A little note, the oil leak is still there. Though, nothing has seeped from the front, so it looks like a rear seal bit the dust (oh joy, I'll tackle that one when I do the clutch me thinks)

supra90turbo
06-02-2006, 04:44 PM
The timing gear issue is nothing but a simple guide. As long as the marks on the belt line up with their corresponding points, the timing is correct. The gears more often than not are a little off concerning the places on the belt. Get them as close to the marks as possible, but don't sweat it.
If you are, however a full tooth off, then you need to match them up, but .5 isnt a big deal. Again, as long as the belt meets it's points of interest along its route, everything should be fine.

All cars run rich at startup, notably so if you have no cats.

If you're pulling the engine soon to replace the clutch and rear cam seals, then address this situation then.
It's much easier with the engine out of the car.