upon looking at the pulley on the crankshaft and the sprocket on the camshaft this morning in better light, I have noted that the camshaft sprocket/pulley appears to be at TDC position (the small indention is aligned with the small raised nob on the inside of the timing belt cover, very near the verticle position), While the crankshaft pulley notches across the top ridges of the pulley are at about the 10 oclock position. I thought they should be aligned to the 0 spot on the timing index (on the timing cover also). I have not moved either one since my "friend" removed the belt too quickly. they are as they were when the car was shut off. Is this the correct position? Was it re-installed in the incorrect position in the past? and How the He-- can I get the pulleys off without turning their positions???!!! have them marked the best I can, but still afraid of it since it is my first attempt at timing belt stuff. I tried to find the subject on the FAQ section but failed.. any help to find it would be greatly appreciated.

I am assuming that the #1 piston (very forward cylinder)... should be all the way up, flush with the top of the block (since head is already off). It is not, even though the camshaft and crankshaft sprockets have not been moved at all, and the camshaft sprocket was aligned where it was supposed to be (the small knob on the back of the timing belt cover).. how is this possible and not ruin the engine? I know enough now to know it was NOT in the correct alignment. Just curious.. hahaha

The 230 engine is non-interference, ie..timing belt breaks, piston head does not contact the valves.
--
Post Back. That's whats makes this forum work.

Timing belt drive sprocket alignment pictures from the 700/900FAQ Feature.

See the --more-- menu at top right.

The pulley "notch" is an offset reference that substitutes for the actual crank sprocket alignment, which can't be seen with pulley and lower belt cover in place.


Bruce Young, '93 940-NA (current), 240s (one V8), 140s, 122s, since '63.

If you post a thread or reply here, and the server takes forever to respond, DON'T hit your "stop" button on your browser and then hit "enter" again. You will wind up with multiple posts. You have to wait for the server to catch up with everything it has to do, but if you click on "submit message" and then your browser shows "Waiting for Brickboard.com" or some "Waiting on the server" type message, don't worry, the server has your post and will take care of it as quickly as it can.
--
1955 Human, Scott; 1991 745 Turbo, Brunhilde; 1990 745GL, Snuggle Bunny

Don't worry about the pulleys' position, they can only be put on one way. The cam pulley has a hole that aligns with a pin on the camshaft, and the crank pulley is keyed to the crankshaft. There are pretty clear instructions in the FAQ section under the "Sitemap of descriptive detail files" look at the page for "headgasket replacement" and look toward the bottom of the page.

If I remember correctly, the mark on the actual crank pulley, not the ignition timing marks, should point to a mark on the block or the back of the lower timing belt cover, and that IS at about the 10 or 11 o'clock position.

Since the pulleys will only go on the shafts in the proper orientation, what is important is having the shafts turned to the proper orientation, and that is pretty easy to do. You are panicking over minor details, relax. It is very tense and stressful the first time you do this, but if you take care and do it right, you will be very happy that you did it in the end, and will be more confident in the future.
--
1955 Human, Scott; 1991 745 Turbo, Brunhilde; 1990 745GL, Snuggle Bunny

I thank you all for your patience with me... You rock!! Yes, I am nervous cause I do not want to blow up my engine.. I will just take one step at a time. And thanks for all the great advice, it is greatly appreciated.. will be beginning of next week before I get head back.