Failing at timing belt installation. 2005 aveo 1.6L

[Carlodi4]

Sorry if this has been asked.i did search the threads..youtube was not helpful either.

I'm trying to reinstall my timing belt. I had cam and crank pulley marks lined up at TDC before removal. I marked the old belt and the pulleys as well. I transferred marks to new belt. I had to remove right cam pulley to get at the camshaft sensor (crossthreaded).

When I go to put it back together. I line my timing belt marks onto the pulleys. As it is
The crank is lined up at 6 o clock. The dowel pin on the right cam is at 11 o clock. But the mark on left cam is a couple teeth above the mark on the right.

If I try to rotate the left cam down to line up, it rotates the crank. If I take the belt off and just move both pulleys to line up in sync with the crank, the marks on the belt are way off. Like two teeth in each direction.

I double checked my marks on the belts. They do match up.

I'm about ready to give up. Haha. This is my first Timing belt. Anyone run into this before? Thanks for your time.

It's a 2005 automatic LS 1. 6 L

[Eg.h2o]

Lining up the cam gears can be touchy. I use vice grips to lightly hold the belt to the cams while I tighten up the water pump. Then rotate the crank twice. If the cams and crank marks don’t line up, put a clamp on the cam that lines up, and loosen the belt. Then move the offending cam gear and reinstall the belt. Rotate twice again and make sure they all line up. Repeat as needed.

[Carlodi4]

I don't know I feel like I'm doing something wrong if it's this difficult. Been going at it for hours. Everybody on youtube gets it back together in 39 secs with no issues. They don't need a cam gear holder or anything. Wtf.

I tried a vice grips on each pulley where my belt mark lined up with pulley mark. The cams are pointing at each other pretty even.
But then all the slack in the belt is up top inbetween the pulleys. And I can't get it around the crank sprocket, or whatever I try to get it over last.

@_@

[Carlodi4]

It's like my marks on the pulleys are too close together. They would both need to rotate outwards at the same time And then stay then stay there while I got the belt on. But they just want to spring back to where they were. I rented a cam gear holder from autozone it's pretty useless.

Would taking the valve cover off help me at all. Getting desperate

[Eg.h2o]

Vice grip the rear pulley, and if the front pulley clicks back, add a tooth or two to the belt distance between the two. Then make sure to pull the belt tight down the front of the car and slide it over the crank.
good luck.

[Carlodi4]

Yeah vice grips saved the day. Seems obvious now.
I got the cams and crank lined up. Tensioned the water pump and tightened it down.
When I turn the crank by hand, I got to about 7:30 before I felt a hard stop. I didn't try to force it really, I put some pressure on, didn't.put any weight on it. Doesn't want to move.. Ive got my socket on a breaker bar.

??
Wouldn't something have to be pretty far out of time for me to be hitting valves? The cams and crank have only moved like 20 degrees in either direction since I started

Took it all apart I'll try again.

This car hates me haha.

[Eg.h2o]

Make sure you are lining up all three timing marks correctly. I’m sure you can find pdf instructions on line with pics. Also make sure to take the spark plugs out for ease of manual crank rotation (after belt installation to make sure timing marks line back up after two rotations of crank).

just for clarification, you are changing this belt just as preventive maintenance correct? If not, and you are changing it because the motor jumped time, or the belt has missing teeth....you may be just wasting time as you probably have many bent valves that will cause the motor to lock up on rotation.

[Carlodi4]

Hey thx for replying. Yes I bought car used. 109k on it
Was getting rough idle. Weak acceleration. And codes for cam sensor. Got crossthreaded while trying to replace. Had to remove exhaust pulley to get a tap in there, so decided to replace belt. Old one looked fine. Starting to fray some on the side.

Spark plugs are out. Marks looked good. Intake at 3:00 exhaust at 9:00. Pin on exhaust looks like 11:00. Crank lined up. Marked the old belt and transferred those marks, they were lined up

I'm getting more resistance when I turn intake CCW to line up. It wants to spring back hard. Which is what I did, used vice grips.

I can try to do exhaust CCW. No resistance but the marks look like 4:00 and 8:00. And the marks on belt don't line up. They are 16 teeth apart..they'd have to be like 12 teeth apart this way.

[Carlodi4]

I also did a compression test before all this so idk
170 / 175 / 170 / 180

[Eg.h2o]

Personally I don’t do marks on the belt. They won’t line up after turning the crank. The only things you have to pay attention to are the markings on the cams and crank. After two (or four, or six..) revolutions those should line up again.

yeah, the cams like to spring back....

just don't use the starter to spin it over. Do it by hand, and then put everything back together before using the starter. Bad things can happen otherwise.