Well my saga continues. I bought another motor from a salvage yard. My mechanic was replacing the timing belt, and after having it all lined up removed the old belt. Once tensioner was loose the motor moved out of time. He said it happens from time to time doing these motors. He stated that he took a breaker bar and slowly worked eveything back into their correct positions. I told him I?m concerned that valves could be bent. Has anyone ever had an issue like this or is my bad luck just continuing. He states that if valves were bent there would be little compression when he turned engine over after reassembly, and everything seemed fine. Ugghhh this is nerve racking.
2005 MDX Motor Replacement
1 - 7 of 7 Posts
Joined
·
789 Posts
You are probably fine. When changing the timing belt, pretty common to lock the cam gears together with a tool made for it or even using tie-wraps to loop through the slots in the gear to tie them together. If the gears are turned or bumped a little, the force in any compressed valve springs can turn the cam a quarter turn or so. Another way it could happen if the gears are not locked is when putting the belt on and the mechanic tugs on it during threading and ends up turning the gears. The remedy is usually to turn the gear back into place and start belt install over.
Interesting they told you it went out. IMHO, if this is the same shop that did your heads and didn?t want to diagnose the problem that led to you replace the engine, you might want to find a new shop.
Interesting they told you it went out. IMHO, if this is the same shop that did your heads and didn?t want to diagnose the problem that led to you replace the engine, you might want to find a new shop.
You normally use one of the battery hold-down rods threaded into a handy boss near the timing belt tensioner pulley to hold the tensioner in a near-normal position while you remove the tensioner piston. That said, I wouldn't get too excited about the potential for damage, since whatever moved one or more of your cams would have been a very slight force (this assumes your mechanic wasn't doing something crazy, of course). No reason to think that kind of minor force would jam a valve into a piston with enough force to do anything dramatic.
What I like to do is to get the rear cam line up, slip on the belt, then wrap a zip tie through one of the pulley holes and around the belt (so it can't slip). Then around the front cam, another zip tie, then around the rest of the path, and one more zip tie around both portions of the belt above the crank pulley. Then after I install and release the tensioner piston (and check all the timing marks one more time), I cut off the zip ties. Works like a champ, and will keep you from accidentally bumping the belt out of position.
What I like to do is to get the rear cam line up, slip on the belt, then wrap a zip tie through one of the pulley holes and around the belt (so it can't slip). Then around the front cam, another zip tie, then around the rest of the path, and one more zip tie around both portions of the belt above the crank pulley. Then after I install and release the tensioner piston (and check all the timing marks one more time), I cut off the zip ties. Works like a champ, and will keep you from accidentally bumping the belt out of position.
LOL. Been there. Luckily it was only furniture. My wife has no interest in the car decisions as long as what I get her doesn't leave her stranded.
We replaced it because it had almost 192000 miles, after the timing belt jumped and trashed the last set of heads. So we bought a good used engine with 105,000 miles. Just hoping all is good. I?ve replaced several timing belts and even had a couple key ways fall out and get the crank out of position. Been fortunate enough to slowly put everything back and not bend anything to where it was junk. I?m just a little paranoid not doing my own work, since I no longer have a place to do it inside. Working outside is not a fun in the winter in Ohio. Lol
1 - 7 of 7 Posts
