fed up.

[JohnnyUhlar]

i just replaced my timing belt. did everything i was supposed to. followed all the instructions. now my truck wont start. im about to freak out.

 

[Gotta_gofast]

Dude, you shouldn't be working on vehicles if you don't have any patience. Step back, calm down, and then proceed from the beginning. Check for something that never got hooked up. Make sure your cam gear is timed relative to TDC. You have two options.

1. Go through the process again to figure out what went wrong.

2. Freak out and pay for it to be towed/fixed at a reputable shop.

 

[doorgunner]

I only did 1 timing belt years ago....did you make sure the correct cylinder was on TDC (or something like that--)before you aligned the cam gear mark?

 

[Ozwynn]

yep..... this happens with a 14 y/o vehicle. learn patience or buy new. I got a 10 y/o blazer out here with only 72,xxx miles and it still has issues that I am either too tired to deal with or don't want to be bothered with it so I pay the $50 an hour labor to get it done.

 

[Gotta_gofast]

DG, this is usually one of the first steps. Make sure the front cylinder (cylinder 1) is at TDC of the compression stroke. There is a timing mark on the camshaft sprocket that should be aligned with the keyway in the crank sprocket (keyway at 12 o clock). This is the first area I would look into.

 

[kunar]

first check for simple/stupid stuff. plug wires all there, connectors all plugged in, etc.

if this is the distributor driven 2.3, check your ignition timing. the aux shaft that runs the distributor is driven by the timing belt.

cam timing could be wrong, pretty simple to mess that up. double check all of your timing marks.

 

[91xlt]

simple rule of thumb when checking problems: start with the simple to find easy to fix cheap possible causes then work your way up. i agree with the other posts check cam timing then all other connections first

 

[scotts90ranger]

did the belt break prompting the change? If so, sometimes that will damage the crank sensor but I think that's more on the '89-95 engines, also like mentioned the aux shaft has to be aligned too but it should start just not run well

actually, while the belt is off all that matters is the #1 cylinder is at TDC, the cam is what determines what stroke it's on and you're lining that up also...

I'd check for something unplugged

 

[JohnnyUhlar]

alright everyone ill see what i can do. thank you for the suggestions.

 

[Captain Ledd]

You didn't say, but this is for a 1997 2.3L, and my personal experience.

I had issues for EVER until I figured out what it was. The cam position sensor is driven off the oil pump, and is critical to align properly, and there are no less than THREE marks on the main cam gear and oil pump gear. I couldn't see the diamond on mine and aligned it to the arrow.

Crankshaft keyway vertical, and straight up. Do not worry about compression stroke and all that jazz, that's all determined by the camshaft, this just puts things at TDC.

Camshaft sproket is aligned using the ARROW. Lower left, about 4 to 5 o' clock if I recall correctly.

The oil pump gear is aligned using the DIAMOND. This is somewhat straight up and down if I recall correctly.

Ignore the stamped notches in the sprokets. Ignore the pressed in "dot" on the crankshaft gear.

Mine never threw a code whatsoever due to the cam position sensor being off.

Hope that helps. My condolences on the non starting, it's a real pain in the ass to take that all apart again. I did it 3 times.

 

[Will]

paint marks on the belt teeth and sprockets. Count the marks and make them on the new belt as well. Put the new belt on with the marks lined up. Then you don't have to confuse yourself with getting it on TDC and worrying about whether the dots are lined up exactly.

 

[Captain Ledd]

paint marks on the belt teeth and sprockets. Count the marks and make them on the new belt as well. Put the new belt on with the marks lined up. Then you don't have to confuse yourself with getting it on TDC and worrying about whether the dots are lined up exactly.

A good idea, but that only works on a belt that's still good. Mine straight up broke in two.

However I did paint a mark on my oil pump gear where it needed lined up at for future reference, if it lasts.

 

[JohnnyUhlar]

mine snapped. still no luck though. ive tried everything i can think of and gone through the tech library also. this is a sad day.