What I used was a couple large clips to hold the belt on the cam gears, then had the crank gear set back a few degrees (2 teeth at most I don't remember if it was 1 or 2 it's been a few months since I did this) before putting the belt on it so that when you tighten the water pump it turns the crank into the correct position. Also the intake cam gear needed to be turned counter clockwise about 1/2 tooth to get the belt to line up correctly, there will be slack in the belt between the cam gears until you tighten the water pump. Sorry to ramble, I just remember how much of a pain this job was to get right.
i like rambling!! i learn by hearing every detail..
ok now heres the problem with what your saying,, my belt came off and everything moved with the belt being off so im basically starting from scratch with the timing.. i had to replace the crankshaft gear also so im not 100% sure of the timing marks.. my brother is actually the one who as done the timing only because i gave up.. is there a book out there for this car?? i cant find one any ware in columbus ohio,, come to think of it i havent been able to find it online either..
i did the computer reset and the car sounds a LOT quieter,, but its still got the puttering sound and chokes out,, so im thinking it might be in the timing.. i dont understand how they could make a car so complex!!
im going to try to upload a video of the engine running..
There are books out there, I got the CHILTON manual from my local library, and it has everything you will need with illustrations showing the timing marks. The belt coming off is not that bad, what you'll need to do is rotate the crank until #1 cyl is at top dead center (easy way to do this is remove #1 spark plug, put a straw in the spark plug hole and rotate the crank until the straw is at its highest point), then turn the cam gears until the marks face each other (intake at approx 3 o'clock, exhaust at 9 o'clock). All these rotations being done with the belt off.
I just tackled the full R&R on my daughters 05 today with 97, 650 mi and wasnt sure what had been done to it since it was purchased over 2 yrs ago with 75K. Plastic thermostag housing had been leaking a little while also. Was lucky enough to have belt still on so I could mark crap out of everyhing. I did notice the marks on the cam gears were a little confusing, as there are little arrows on inner part too. One of my hashmarks was almost between teen so it was small and hard to see. It was a little tricky too, playing with the pump, having a helper putting tension on rear cam to keep marks close, felt like a one legged cowboy at an ass kicking contest The forums and the awesome write ups on this saved my bacon, I hope you figure out your deal hope it is just timing
these are a few of the write ups with pics I found helpful with pics and the how to stuff. Oh my idler was also split, not sure how much longer it would have held on to the center bearing area !!
Chevy Aveo Timing Belt
Chevy AVEO Timing Belt Service: Underhood Service
http://www.zubinchandran.com/timing_belt_change.html
well fellas!! i got some horrible news today,, turns out i rebulit the top half of the engine insted of the bottom half.. to top of my pistons looked fine so i didnt think about the bottom of them,, the guy i talked to ssaid the piston rings busted and thats why the gas is mixing with the oil.. so with the 1400 i have in the top half of the engine i now have to find the bottom.........anyone know ware i can get a block at a fair price?? cheepest i found so far is 1550.. :/
That sucks Reva, sorry to hear the bad news
Very tough news after putting so much into it. I don't know where you can do better on the block price, but if you're at that amount anyway, how about getting a rebuilt motor instead? I've read about other guys who start on something like this, and keep on digging a deeper hole for themselves. I know it's (really) hard to have to eat what you've already spent, and then fork over an even bigger pile of $$. But unless you have lots of rebuilding experience, getting a rebuilt with a warranty might be your best option at this point. Good luck with it, regardless of which way you go!