What needs to be aligned when you install timing belt?? If its a mark on the crankshaft sprocket, won’t the take it off TDC? If its set to TDC, will it be aligned already? Please help
Just changed mine yesterday…
With the crank pulley off, and the belt guide (between the sproket and the pulley) off, you’ll see a mark on the sprocket on the crankshaft, and another mark on the oil pump behind it. Those have to be aligned, as well as your cams being at TDC.
Haynes manual says you’re to put the belt on, not leaving any slack on the crank pulley, tensioner, water pump sprocket, exhaust cam, intake cam, in that order.
Once I did that, and put tension back on the belt, i rotated it until i saw a bit of slack, and then loosened the bolt on the tensioner again to pick up that slack.
If you need better wording, I can grab my manual and tell you what it says… not very good at this 
Do you think I could just align it with the marks on the edges of the crank pulley instead of taking the whole crank pulley off?
no
Ok, i got the crank pulley off and sure enough the #1 piston is at TDC when that mark on the crank sprocket is aligned. If those two settings complement each other, why even bother taking off the crank pulley at all? Couldn’t someone just stick a screwdriver in the spark plug hole #1 and set it at its highest point? Am I missing something here?
Wouldn’t the belt turn the cams? so basically all your doing is cranking the motor.
What needs to be aligned when you install timing belt?? If its a mark on the crankshaft sprocket, won’t the take it off TDC? If its set to TDC, will it be aligned already? Please help
uhhhhh…dont do it if u dont know what to do because it has to be lined up perfectly. But if u get enough info you could try it i guess, just use caution:D
Originally posted by 90blackGS
Do you think I could just align it with the marks on the edges of the crank pulley instead of taking the whole crank pulley off?
You can align it using the crank pulley, but it won’t work if you’re doing the timing belt. The white mark on the crank pulley needs to be lined up with the arrow on the lower timing belt cover and that’s TDC. Be sure you don’t line up the red mark on the pulley - that’s for something else which you don’t need to worry about.
my cover doesnt have any marks on it.