Timing belt/Water pump replacement questions

[PHaT MR30]

Well my water pump was leakin for a while, got pretty bad at one stage so i decided id replace the seal. Anyway taken everything off, undone all the bolts i 'THOUGHT' were holding the water pump on and tried to take it off. Wouldn't budge! I took more of the cam belt covers off and realised that the water pump goes right across the block and was like shit im gonna have to take the cam belt off.

I haven't taken the cam belt off yet as i am too scared of putting the timing out, can anyone give me some hints as to the best ways of keeping it all set?

and whats the best method to find piston #1's TDC on the compression stroke, without taking the rocker cover off and literally looking?

and can some body suggest a method of removing the crank pulleys?

please help... i need to get the car back on the road

[dominik]

Having taken your cambelt covers off you will now see that there are three markers on the backing plates, two on the top and one down the bottom. The top two will line up with the two cam gears, which also have a marker on them, and the bottom one lines up with the crank timing pulley. Now your belt should also have three markers on it…all these marks should line up!!

Just stick a socket on the crank pulley and turn it until all these line up…. might take a few turns. Once this is done and all then markers line up you should be set.

To undo the crank pulley I used an impact wrench and then a pulley puller to get it off. Then just undo the belt tensioner and the belt will come off.

Hope this helps

[PHaT MR30]

thanks that makes a bit more sense, i have noticed the marks on the pulleys, not on the backing plates, however i will check, have not got bottom pulley cover off yet but will try your method

i noticed on my belt that the markings on it are not lined up with the markings on the belt, i imagine that if the belt was put on correctly this wouldn't matter though.

thanks

[dominik]

The markings on the backing plates are there just give it a bit of a clean.

You will need to take the bottom cover off, as you wont be able to get the belt off.

Do you mean that the markings on the belt aren’t lined up with the marking on the gears and the other marks?? To get these to line up its takes quite a lot of turns of the crank pulley.

If you don’t want to go through the whole process of adjusting everything so the markers meet up, just make your own markers on the belt the pulleys and the backing plates and then put in back on using your marks, but the first way would be the better way off doing it.

[walkoau]

if u do a search u will find i have posted all this info up before, step by step guides

[Guest MFX_R33]

if u do a search u will find i have  posted all this info up before, step by step guides

You will also need a Harmonic balance puller, to get it off, as from memory a couple of the water pump bolts are behind it (it is a pain in the ass job .

Also be careful with just replacing the seal, as I did that and after putting it all back together, it was still leaking. I found the water was actually coming from a hole in the bottom of the water pump, which meant the pump was stuffed.

While you are doing it you mat as well just buy another water pump (a standard RB30 one is the same), for $90 it is better than having to pull it apart again when you are finished.

Jeff.

[PHaT MR30]

Thanks guys, i have taken everything off except the belt and pump now, thanks to your advice. i have ordered a new pump and belt, and await their arrival, hopefully they get here by the weekend.

Last question? where is the markings on the crank?

[wrxhoon]

once u take the bottom pulley off u'll see the marl on the gear , make sure u line that up with the mark on the housing there and the cam pulley marks should line up .

tensioner bolt shoulb be done with a torque rench as well and make sure u put the sping bake the way it was there before

[PHaT MR30]

How tight is the belt on there even after you loosen the tensioners?

[wrxhoon]

there is only 1 tensioner and 1 idler pulley , u have to take the tensioner off ( its easier to remove the belt ) . when u put back together ( tensioner and spring ) make sure u put everything back the way they were in there before . if u do a search u'll find an old post ( i put up a while ago )on how they go back .

[PHaT MR30]

hey my parts finally arrived today, the blet i got is a Gates, it doesn't appear to have any markings on it to help with lining it up with cam gears?

any suggestions??

[walkoau]

just make sure the marks on ur cam gears and the crank are in line with the marks on the backing plate. make sure the marks a perfectly inline then slip the belt on without disrupting the marks.

then mark the belt in three places to match up with the marks on the gears, just to be sure double check the marks again match up with the backing plate.

[walkoau]

just out of curiosity how much did the belt cost u?(i used to work for a company that supplied gates belts)

have u also purchased the rest of the belts? a/c, p/s, alt belts? how much and are they gates too?

[PHaT MR30]

well i got sent a gates belt from Unique autosport, it was too wide and too long invoice said RB25DET, that was $95 plus postage plus week to get here(overnight my ass) i ended up going to PABs 10min drive and getting a gates one for $135 (expensive, but worked out the same as the one from unique with postage) and it actually fitted

sadly my block is crack and unrepairable, so i am going to have to source one and rebuild it, weighing up my options for an RB30DET conversion