Well done. Take it step by step and you'll be fine. Panic is your worst enemy when tackling jobs like this and you're right to take a break from it and return with a fresh head.
I was the same the first few times I did cam belt changes and then one day ended up building an engine with no timing marks anywhere and just a few timing specs that came with the cams. Once you're comfortable with it and you know it's just a matter of time and graft before it's back together it makes a big difference.
Kevin
It was the missus to be honest well she was part of the mindsetting fix. Good old SWMBO!!!! (Gotta be careful here as I know she reads this to see if I've been slating her !!! As if I'd do that!!! 
) Also, after discussing the complexities of the job and the unhelpul conversations with the VX techs on the phone and also some of the mechanics I've spoken too tonight - came to the conclusion that the belt was put on by someone of possibly equal capabilities to myself (maybe less if it was VX 
) and that they followed the exact same procedure I have been mindlessly staring at for the the last three days but not actually reading it - if you see what I mean :-? But the penny has finally dropped in the know how and the recovery of Nickbats predicament gave me a huge confidance boost and a thorough boot up the arse. So all I've got to do now is go get a Gates "marked" belt and do the job 8-) Hopefully wont be back under stressed circumstances when I do the job in September 
Lee
Tafty,
Sorry I replied in haste to your other thread about mobile mechanics without reading this thread first. I had a torrid time with my cambelt, but I can honestly say that many of my problems were due to a lack of confidence following the initial crisis of an unmarked belt and the discovery of a non-adjustable lower pulley (which few had heard of). What made it worse was the fact that, like you, I felt under time pressure. I got to the stage where I was afraid to do anything. Having Kevin Wood come down and "hold my hand" (metaphorically-speaking!!
) was a huge help. No, it was more than that, it was an automotive life-saver.
The problem with cambelts is that you can seriously damage your engine but, having said that, people like Ronnie McBurger are a godsend in that they will tell you time and again that it IS do-able by us amateurs, if we listen to their advice and take our time.
There are a number of important points with regard to my cambelt that I have learned this past week:
1. Use only belts with markings (or paint them on yourself using the old belt for a pattern)
2. If you have the non-adjustable roller setup, you must have an extra tooth of slack between the crank and No. 4 cam to enable the roller to be inserted.
3. Ideally, the locking tool should be set at 10 degrees BTDC (so that it looks vertical) before you insert the roller. The act of then setting it to TDC gives the belt the required tension.
4. For this engine, the Allen key distance on the adjustable pulley should be set at 10mm before crank rotation (NOT the 3-4mm as specified in Haynes for the 2.5)
5. If you get the timing out, do not panic. Take the belt off and then set the crank to about 4 o'clock. This sets the pistons in a configuration so that you can move the cams back to the proper TDC marks without any danger of the valves striking the pistons.
6. Have an extra helper on hand, especially if moving the cams about.
7. Keep your fingers well away from the cams when they are not locked. They have the power to take a digit off no problem.
8. Keep plugging away until everything lines up and stays that way when the engine is cranked round.
At the end of the day, as Kevin pointed out, if the everything lines up at TDC after rotation, the job's a good 'un. How you get there may be a bit hit and miss on these engines but as long as you don't damage the valves (see 3 above), just keep trying until it comes good.
I don't wish to sound like some super cambelt sage. I'm not. All I have learned has come directly from Ronnie and Kevin.
Good luck, mate.
Nick
Author
Topic: Burning Rubber Smell? (Read 4134 times)