Thank You....

 

Hello again, I am still in the process of doing a timing belt/water pump change. My first attempt was foiled because I couldn't remove the bolt on the harmonic balancer. I bought a good electric impact wrench last weekend and got it off. This is when I made a big mistake. I put the crank bolt back in and was going to line up the timing marks and I didn't notice that the woodruff key had come out. When I went to line up the marks my crank sprocket moved but the other 2 did not. By the time I realized this the pistons had moved. I was in a panic and with a neighbors help I got the crank sprocket back in line and put the woodruff key back in. I however did not know if this would have misaligned my timing or if it would create a major problem in an interference engine. To be safe I used a ratchet and turned the crank bolt through about a half a dozen revolutions. I felt the compression of the pistons but never at any point did I encounter any major resistance. Still leary of the outcome I put everything back together and cranked the engine. Everything was fine. A sigh of relieve but job still not done. So I have been driving the Vue all week and it seems to be running well altho, and this may be my imagination, I sometimes feel as if is running just a hair rough at idle. My question for you guys is this: could I have upset the timing and still have the Vue running pretty good and if so could I be doing any damage running it so? I am going to do my 3rd attempt this weekend so I will have everything apart once again. If I do have anything askew I would like to correct it then if it is possible. Any comments will be GREATLY appreciated including calling my a dumb ###.

 

As long as you had the camshaft timing marks lined up and didn't turn them, you should be okay. The crankshaft makes two turns for every one turn of the cams. So, every time you rotate the crankshaft back around to the timing mark, #1 SHOULD be at top dead center, (TDC). An easy way to find out is to use a 1/4" wooden dowel in the # 1 piston spark plug hole. Remove the plug, insert the dowel and rotate the crankshaft. As the piston drops, the dowel will too. After 180 degrees of rotation, the piston will be at the lowest point. After a complete rotation, it will be at TDC and the dowel will be as high as it will travel. If you go too far, you will notice the dowel dropping again. I just reverse the ratchet and rotate the crank counter clock wise until I get it back to TDC. You could be off a degree or two, based on what you did. I'd just remove the covers and check the marks again before tearing it all apart and starting over. But I'm old and disabled and want things to be easy.

 

Hello again..I finally did my timing belt and water pump. I wouldn't say it went smooth but I did get it done and the Vue runs great. I do have a question about my results though. I originally did the job because I had heard a growling noise at start up that disappeared after a minute or so but I also had a strange vibration at all speeds but only at 1400 rpms. I just thought that it was something that was completely unrelated. Since the job has been completed the growling noise as well as that vibration at 1400 rpms has completely vanished. Can anyone tell me what that vibration may have been and why doing the timing belt/tensioner and water pump made the difference. Thanks for all the help and advice you guys have given.

 

I can only speculate, but MAYBE it was because of the water pump bearing beginning to wallow out. IDK, just guessing.

 

Mine too!

 

Crazy but I found the problem by accident. It was a bad motor mount. Replaced it and all is well..

 

Thank you for coming back 3 years later and posting the solution. Wish there were more people like you.

 

I'm sorry I must have replied to the wrong post. I thought I was replying to a recent transmission issue. My apologies.

 

Way to shatter my world, dude...

Jk
No harm no foul