Hello there, i just recently tore this truck down to change the oil pump, i now see why the dealer wanted 7 or 800 dollars to do it. well im back to putting timing belt back in. The book im using states the marks on camshaft sprockets should be lined up with the marks on the rear timing belt housing or cover. It also says the white lines on the timing belt should also line up with these marks. My belt is a factory replacement. I have two solid white lines and one dotted white line. i was trying to line up the two solid white lines on the camshaft sprockects, with sprockects on marks these lines do not line up. so i lined up one mark on the belt. i tightened the belt, both cam shaft sprockects were on the marks after i finished tightning the belt. i rotated the crank shaft two times by hand and it seems okay, the book says if you feel excessive force, that the pistons are hittng the valves. im not sure that theres to much resistance but at two times while rotating the crankshaft two reveloutions, its like i hear a valve falling? is this maybe because lack of oil there sticking then falling? how do you know if theres to much force requred to turn crankshaft? The book also states that there is a mark on the oil pump housing for the crankshaft sprocket but i couldnt find one. i marked the old one before i took it off, the new pump didnt have a mark either. it was a factory replacement pump also. Are there any tips or suggestions you can give me to be certain im in time?? Thaks for your help in advance??
Gerald Rouse
Rouse5369@yahoo.com
478-893-6604 Cell
229-268-9295 home

 

Hi Gerald,
I'm no expert. I was here looking for answers myself when I saw your post. We just finished replacing my oil pump and timing belt on my 2000 Nissan this weekend. We had a hard time doing the same thing. There IS NO mark on the oil pump housing! Anyway, here is how we got around it. We made sure the camshaft sprockets were lined up because these did have an alignment mark. We removed #1 sparkplug. Turned the crankshaft until the piston was "top dead center". You can make sure of this by having someone hold a long screw driver or something against the top of the piston, when it's all the way up, stop. Once you have that done. Check your rotar button and make sure it is pointing to the #1 plug wire. If not, adjust accordingly. Once you have all these aligned you then put the belt on. Make sure it is seated properly on all sprockets. The vehicle should start now, but don't let it run long because of the disconnected transmission lines!
All that is left now is pain-stakingly replacing the entire front of the motor! lol Then fine tune the timing using a timing light and setting to 15 degrees.
Hope that helps,
Angela

 

Thanks for reply Angela, i was sure it was in time untill i turned the crankshaft over twice by hand and heard that noise. That got me questioning myself. Well i went out the next day, to make sure i was in time, i put in 3 1/2 synthetic oil went to pull dipstick to see if level was okay and dang i pulled a dipstick. when i went back with oil pan i didnt take dipstick out or guide in its place, the crankshaft was twisting the dipstick untill it fell that was the noise i was hearing , so i had to drain the 20.00 worth of oil and go back at it. i put it all back together and cranked her up today, drove it to the store and put some gas and transmission fluid back in it. seems ok except for the fine tuning. it seemed like alot more of a job than it really is. id do it agian if i had to. Let me ask you angela what did you do to hold the crankshaft pulley while you broke the bolt on the front?? you dont wanna know what i finally ended up using.