Timing Belt overhang on intake cam gear

[bdinardo]

Question regarding my 1979 FI 2000 that I inherited. My timing belt (recently replaced along with tensioner bearing), still overhangs the intake cam gear by about 1/16"-1/8" on the front. The belt is towards the front but fully on the exhaust cam gear. Is there a spacer that goes behind the intake cam gear that I may be missing that is making the gear sit further backward and my belt be too far forward? What else could be causing the belt to be too far forward on the intake cam gear? Any advice is appreciated! She runs like a top but want to be extra careful and use the full strength of the belt. Thanks in advance.
Brian

[18Fiatsandcounting]

Brian, here's my understanding on this. The 2L engines had flangeless pulleys for the camshafts, but the auxiliary shaft pulley had a flange towards the rear. Earlier (pre-1979) engines had an intake cam pulley with a flange on the rear, and the exhaust cam and auxiliary shaft pulleys had a flange on the front. The flanges kept the belt riding where it should, although it's unclear to me why this was dropped on the 2L engines starting in 1979.

There is no spacer on the intake cam / pulley interface.

One trick that I have heard is to reverse the direction of the belt. In other words, flip it front to rear. This can sometimes cure the problem, but sometimes it just causes the belt to overhang on the other side of the pulley. D'oh....

The other thing you might do is try a different belt. Some might be better quality than others. The origin of the problem seems to be that one edge of the belt is just ever so slightly smaller in overall diameter than the opposite edge.

-Bryan

[Anbele]

Interesting observation Bryan…I have yet to remove my timing belt cover so I don’t know exactly what I have in my ‘79. Although I can pbb see it from the back. Anyway, it seems that the lip is something that most vendors provide with replacement pulleys…so that’s another option. Just buy a new pulley.
And one more thing, Brian, you mentioned in your post “1979 FI 2000”. You meant it? The FI (fuel injection)? Thought FI started on the ‘80s models.

[bdinardo]

Much appreciate the quick feedback. I'll try and flip the belt around or get a new gear with a lip on the front.

I can't say for sure but the title says 1979 and it's an automatic trans. Perhaps a California car where FI was first offered as an option? any way to tell if it's a 1979 or a 1980?

[18Fiatsandcounting]

My understanding (could be wrong) is that fuel injection was offered in 1979 in cars for sale in California. To meet increasingly stringent emission requirements. in 1980, FI was available across the country.

So, you might indeed have FI in a '79 model but it's likely a California car. The emission stickers should indicate this (if they are still present), either under the hood or in the driver's side door jamb.

-Bryan

[bobplyler]

No FI on a 79. Came in 80 for CA cars. All FI from 81 on.

[18Fiatsandcounting]

Sorry Bob, but I think you're wrong on this one. Perhaps it depends on whether we're talking about model year or when the car was bought, but Fuel Injection was available in California starting with the introduction of the "Spider 2000" in 1979. After that, FI became available in all 50 states.

I have come across many 1979 to 1980 cars that have FI in California. And owned one or two.

-Bryan

[bobplyler]

I bought mine new in 79, and FI wasn't available. If you look at
https://autoricambi.us/fiat-124-spider- ... injection/
It specifically says that the FI parts are for 80-85.

The 1980 Owners manual lists both carb and FI
https://www.mirafiori.com/forum/downloa ... hp?id=6656
(you have to log into mirafiori to access this).

while the 79 only lists carb.

Admittedly the quality control on the owners manual wasn't great. Mine was put together with the outside pages being in it twice, and the inner pages missing. Maybe it's worth some extra money

[18Fiatsandcounting]

Bob, I thought about this some more, and I think you're right: 1979 model year was carb only, while 1980 was a mixture of carb and FI depending on where the car was sold, and 1981 was FI only.

My apologies.

I think I was thinking about when the cars I knew were actually purchased, which for a 1980 model year in California with FI, could have been purchased in late 1979. Amazing what I forget after more than 40 years...

-Bryan

[bobplyler]

Bryan,
No worries. My memory isn't what it used to be.

As my wife says "Don't you remember when you called me 'a bad name' 15 years ago?"
Me: "No"

Me: "Don't you remember when you called me 'a bad name' last week?"
Her: "No"