How F'd am I now?

[katsi]

OK, I got the new 78 intake and carb hooked up and went for a try and it just kinda sounded funny turning over. I could see that I had no fuel so I kept cranking but it just did not sound right. This happened to another guy on the freeway a while back. I cranked it and looked to see if the cams were turning. They were not. The timing belt is slack. What am I looking at now? F me man! I am so pissed.

[pope]

If your engine is a 78, it should be an interference free engine. Just line the marks up on the engine and install a new belt. Once you have a new belt on, remove the plugs and hand crank it to check for problems. Dont think there should be any though,

[mbouse]

wow... that sucks. belt is intact but slack? does that mean that you did not thread it correctly across all those pulleys? or does it mean that the tensioner spring is not properly installed or broken?

i don't mean to chastise, but proper belt replacement should always include manually turning the crank over at least two (some recommend four) full revolutions before torching off that key.

umm... we are talking a new belt, right? and... it isn't a two litre belt, it is an 1800 belt. those are different sizes!!!

[katsi]

Well, I have a 79 2000. The only thing I did was swap out the intake manifold and carb and installed the 78 versions. I was not having any timing belt issues. I did not mess with the timing belt at all so I don't think it's anything I did. Although, I do have a suspision of what caused it. During this downtime, I disconnected the battery and had it on a trickle charge. It was good and charged up when I hooked it back in. Could the starter just had too much juice running to it and spun the crank gear on the timing belt? The belt is not BROKEN, just slack and slipping on the crank gear.

I really think the reason this happened is that while I was swapping parts out, I went ahead and put in that new altinator I had purchased for my other car. I was just getting old sitting on the shelf so I thought "WHY NOT" put her in. In order to get the old one out, I had to remove the top tension bar that bolts to the engine block. I used a little penetrating fluid on that bolt because it was really on there. I think some of that overspray must have got on the timing belt and just soaked in for a couple of days and when I went to fire her up she just slipped. Other than those two scenarios, I don't know what went on. I did not touch the timimg belt at all.

[mbouse]

i'm confused. sorry. are we talking a belt that came off and went back on, or what? are we talking about an 1800 engine or a 2000 engine?

timing belts properly installed are a B.I.T.CH. to get enough slack to line everything up and install. then, tension is added with the bearing and spring. if you gotta nuff slack to not turn the cams when the crank is moving... the belt is too big or the belt is not properly threaded through all the pulleys and gears.

no, the starter is not going to torque the crank enough to strip the belt. getting that starter to turn that engine above 1000 rpms would be a feat, think about driving at 60 mph... the same belt is still chugging away!

grab your manual and look at the diagrams on installing the belt. i am betting lunch that the belt is not threaded corectly.

[pope]

katsi

Do I remember correctly that you installed a gear reduction starter in your Spider?

[katsi]

Do I remember correctly that you installed a gear reduction starter in your Spider?

Nope, totally stock. I think the guy who got left on the side of the road a while back installed the gear reduction starter.

Just to clarify.
1) I did not install a new timing belt
2) I did not take off the old timing belt
3) I did not mess with the timing belt
4) I did not touch the timing belt
5) I have a stock starter
6) I have a 1979 2000CC motor
7) I DID switch out the intake and carburator
the bottom of the belt seems to have come off the crank gear. Or, pulled and streatched a bit.
9) the timing belt was not loose prior to this.
10) the car was running fine last week.
11) I DID put in a new altinator - the belt is tensioned with the appropriate 1/2 inch flex when pushed on.

The belt is still tight o the passinger's side of the motor and gears.
The slack is comming from the bottom of the motor from the driver's side.
I think it started to turn and then broke underneith where it goes through the crank gear somewhere.

[katsi]

Some more clarification;
You can hear the belt slipping on the gear. That was what sounded so funny when I went to crank her up. I thought it was a strange sound but I initally chalked it up to the new intake and carb as the air cleaner was off. By the time I realized it was not the sound of the motor but a belt problem. Only about 30 seconds elspsed since my inital turn of the key. NO, the key was not on the whole 30 seconds. Maybe 2 - 8 second bursts.

The belt may or may not be broken. It does not come off when you pull on it. It is slack in only one place.

Obviously it needs to be replaced. I was just wondering if anyone else has had this problem. Was it something I did or is it just a fluke.

What are the damages?

[mdrburchette]

Your tensioner bearing may have come apart. You need to pull the timing cover off so you can see what's going on. If you had a problem with interference, I would think you would have heard a clank or something similar. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you!

[katsi]

Well quite a busy weekend. I really learned a lot about my motor. Thanks to Bob, John and Jason for helping me out so much. Anyway, my timing belt just broke. Nothing special. Just broke. Almost snapped in half. Just connected by a thread on one side. Anyway, Got the lights fixed. Nice and bright now. Does not seem to be any engine damage. Just waiting for the new timing belt to come in. Had a 1 inch one but did not fit. Did put in the new tensioner bearing.

[azygoustoyou]

Sounds good. I'm glad it was a cheap fix for you. I can relate to how you felt.

[mdrburchette]

I wouldn't have been so lucky. Good for you!

[katsi]

Well, here is the timing belt.

[jimincalif]

That's broken alright. How old was the belt? How many miles?

[katsi]

That's broken alright. How old was the belt? How many miles?

Less than 1,000 miles and about a year and a half. I showed this picture to one of the local guys and he recognized the break right off. Said it breaks like this when you pick up a stone or DROP a bolt or washer and it gets caught between the belt and gear. Which, whould explain the fact that it broke befor the motor even started turning over when I turned the key. It was like turn key - snap! Figuers, just my freaking luck!