Timing belt change on 2006 Aveo LS: My new detailed write-up

[nostromo]

Is it critical to line up the cam gears and crankshaft perfectly before I put the timing belt on? The left and right cam gears have their marks pointing one tooth up and the other one tooth down from the center. Do I need to correct this?

Also, when I attempt to tighten the belt up using the water pump, the notch on the tensioner doesnt budge. I tighten up the belt as much as I could until the water pump won't turn any more, and the notch doesn't move. However, the belt feels very tight.

Advice greatly appreciated.. going out of my mind trying to fix this thing all day. I should also say the I had been rotating individual cam gears independently in complete revolutions to try lining up marks, this doesnt mean I bent any valves, does it? I made sure that the crank shaft was pointing straight down when I did this.

[djmarch]

Yes, the marks need to align perfectly. The tensioner arrow should move as you tighten the belt when rotating the water pump. Turn the crank 360 at least 3 times and visually check your marks to verify everything.

[nostromo]

so nothing should be bent right?

weird how I tightened the water pump until it won't turn anymore and the notch on the tensioner still doesn't budge. any ideas?