Camshaft nut???

[derelica]

Anyone out there ever had to crack their camshaft nut? Im deep into my timing belt and balancer belt change and I cannot for the life of me crack the nut. I probably need an impact wrench but dont know if there is a way of stopping the cam pulleys from spinning while I crack it. Any advice would be sweet.

[mdrive]

my honest advice, if you don't know what you are doing, don't do it. seek pro help.

[bae146]

Anyone out there ever had to crack their camshaft nut? Im deep into my timing belt and balancer belt change and I cannot for the life of me crack the nut. I probably need an impact wrench but dont know if there is a way of stopping the cam pulleys from spinning while I crack it. Any advice would be sweet.

I assume you are removing it to change the oil seal behind? Yes it is much easier with an impact gun. Make sure you have a good torque wrench to tighten everything when you are done. A little blue locktite would be good too.

[derelica]

Iam changing the oil seal aswell. More importantly I need to change the balancer belt and the timing belt. Seems to me that the crank pulleys have to come off to get at the lower end of the belts. Ya and to the other guy... i cant stand skeptics. Ive never changed a timing belt, but come on wheres the love???

[jessef]

i cant stand skeptics. Ive never changed a timing belt, but come on wheres the love???

To be honest I have to agree with Mdrive on this one.

If you've never changed a timing belt and are diving into it thinking I'm following instructions a -> b and everything is perfect, then you cannot be farther from reality.

Having a competent mechanic or mechanically inclined person do the work or at the very least oversee what you are doing is the best route.

The likelyhood of blowing your engine or something seriously going wrong can be very high if this would be your first/unattended timing change.

I'm not pissing around either. I always show much love but in this case he's right.

This happens often. A customer comes in and is surprised by $ x amount of dollars for a certain job and thinking that it's not that difficult with internet instructions, they set out to do it themselves. In the end the majority of them end up back at the same mechanic now facing more problems because of the money saving they were trying to do in the first place. Obviously causing extra headaches, more cash and loss of time to be happy.

I'm not a shop but I practically lived in one for half my lifetime and am telling you how it is.

Making an unintentional mistake internally can be devastating to the engine, especially if you're driving.

Don't mean to be a downer but be realistic.

Doing a full timing job is not the same as changing brakes/fluids.

With the silly lecture aside, you may be one of the .00009% people who are good with their hands mechanically and think mechanically on their feet.

Do you have the service manual ? The specs/procedures are pretty clear in there including removing/re-torquing the cam nut.

Good luck and let us know how you make out

Jesse

[EricN]

It's not a hard job, but the stakes are high. If you are willing to roll the dice and gamble, be sure you are willing to pay up.
Remove Valve cover, and front accessories.
Crank bolt- Stick a breaker bar on the crank pulley, rest on the frame, crank the engine for 1/4 turn.
To tighten it, pull the TC cover off, wedge a screw driver against the ring gear and bellhousing while your buddy torques it.
Cam bolt- Impact gun or you might have luck with putting a wrench on it then smacking the wrench with a hammer.
From there it is just a matter of a few 10mm bolts and off comes the cover, then swap the belts and tensioners, line up the balancer and timing belts, tension them properly, reassemble, enjoy.
Screw up any one of the steps even slightly- Go buy a motor, learn how to do a motor re and re.

[derelica]

booya! Done and done! Runs like a gem! Mind you the balancer belt was actually already blown, glad I did it when I did. It wasnt easy but it was basic. Had my girlfriend sinching the cam pulleys with a leather belt and i pounded on it with an extension, then torqued it up with a good t. wrench.

[derelica]

just to add. I live in a remote place and sometimes doing it yourself is the only option. Every mechanic here doesnt have the time or just laughs when they see my van.

[mararmeisto]

Excellent - and the tenacious will triumph! Almost Mad-Max-like: adrift in a wilderness of self-sufficient mechanics.

BTW, is your online name a play on the 'Derelique' fashion line from the movie "Zoolander"?