Take Of Cam Cover ?

[Wacky Dee]

I was wondering if the timing belt cover (near the top of the engine) can come off to expose the cam gears or is it a one piece cover that goes all the way down ??

I want to take the cover off so I can better inspect where I'm getting noise from on cold starts ... anything that I should be aware of ? in regards to cover ? or cas ? how do I make sure the cas goes back in exact same position when I've take the cover off? cheers

[t_revz]

r33 has 2 piece cover not sure with yours. to get the cas back in the exact spot you will have to reset timing when your done. think the tensioner pully may be hidden by the lower cover but not sure. this is the car with ticking noises yeah? wasnt lifters? changing to different oil didnt stop it?

[Wacky Dee]

yeah ... I'm almost certain the noise is just the idler bearing and its been gettin louder so I'm worried it might snap soon ... I've seen 3 youtube vids (2 of them from sau members) with the EXACT same noise from same area, that went away completely after they changed their idler bearings. So i'm hoping that's the problem with mine too.

Only weird thing is .. when i listen to the noise using a stathoscope I get the most noise from the cas bolts ie. just behind the (exhaust?) cam near the top of the engine and the idler bearing sits a bit lower than that (I think) but obviously I can't get to the idler bearing area to listen to because of the plastic cover

[Moodles2]

Without a timing light you could use a permanent texta and just outline the screws on the CAS, putting back on should be as simple as using those lining marks.

It could be the CAS itself making the noise too, when taken off the stalk should freely spin with no resistance, if there is resistance then it's dying (if it's a mitsubishi type Ive been told they are repairable).

[JonnoHR31]

i used a screw driver to scratch a mark for the cas. unbolt cas, unbolt cover and you should be able to slide it up without taking the fan and shroud off. if your going to run the motor without the cover on to find your noise, make sure you use some sort of packer/washer the same thickness of the timing cover between the cas and its bracket. and for testing with the cover off the cas doesnt have to be in the perfect spot, just set it as close as you can to where it was before and it should run fine

[Wacky Dee]

cheers guys I'll give this a go as soon as I can find some suitable washers