Turning engine over without crankshaft damper bolt... (replacing timing belt)

Timing belt tensioner siezed up and apparently made the timing belt jump a tooth or two. Took it to a local dealer to find this out, and towed it home when I found out how much they were going to charge me. They already did half the work by taking off all the covers, drive belt, and the crankshaft damper. Unfortunately, the crank and camshaft markers are not lined up (due to dealer idiots and/or towing) and without the crank damper bolt I don't know how to turn the engine over to align the marks so I can replace the belt (and water pump while I'm at it...). I could start the engine till they line up, but something tells me I can't fine tune the alignment without something to grab onto.

Any help? :banghead:

Stick the crank dampner bolt back in the crank.Turn the bolt and this will turn the crank forward a bit to line up the crank.IF you need to turn the crank back..you will have to tighten the bolt a bit more.USUALLY when you turn the crank bolt to turn the engine over it tightens the bolt enough so that you can also turn it backwards also.When you have to get the bolt out..jerk the ratchet/bar.. or hit it.This impact will loosen it.

IF you are working on an interference engine DO NOT! turn the crank very far..or if there is resistance don't turn it at all.

Nope..next to impossible to line up crank/cam gears by bumping the starter

I am hearing that the crank damper bolt is missing.
You could turn the engine over with a strap wrench on the crank damper if you have one. What I don't understand is that you are going to need a bolt on the crank damper any way. so why don't you go to a major auto parts store and get one.....or the boneyard
or the Ford Dealer. It will be high dollar at the dealer. I paid $5 for a bolt at the dealer simply because I couldn't find it anyplace else. Someone correct me if I am perceiving this wrong.

Sorry for the confusion, been working on this for awhile and haven't checked back...

I DO have the bolt and I tried what Arnoldtheskier suggested (thought of it on my own but took awhile) and it worked insofar as I can turn the crank now. HOWEVER, it seems that the crank and camshaft cogs don't line up anymore (4 teeth off maybe?), so how would I go about re-aligning them? I also can't seem to do the "feel for compression at the spark plug hole" trick from the Haynes manual because I can't get my fingers in that deep. (only cylinder 3 works for that) so it's tough to tell when everything's in the right position to start realigning them.

My best guess is to get the camshaft realigned to TDC at piston #1, take the timing belt off and do the work I need to (water pump, belt tensioner) then before I put the new belt on, turn the crank cog to its TDC and reinstall the belt. Am I going to screw anything up this way?

Ready to hang myself with the strap wrench it took 4 hardware stores to find... :eek7:

When doing my wife's car I took all of the spark plugs out except the #1 cylinder.I turned the engine over to know when Top Dead Center was by the compression resistance in the no. 1. Then to make sure I took the valve cover off and checked if the valve train on the #1cylinder had play in the intake and exhaust valves .Another way is to put a screwdriver down the bore and watch it go up and down and stop it in the uppermost position. This #1 and this is TDC If both valves are closed. When at the top position the crank damper should be aligned to the mark on the block which is TDC. Whether using the compression method or the screwdriver method I always check to see if the valves in # 1 are both closed by play in the intake and exhaust lifters. The reason for this is that the #1 cylinder could be at the top of the exhaust stroke instead of the compression stroke on the #1 cylinder. You want the Marks to line up at the top or the compression stroke. Line up the notches on the camshaft gear to the notch in the head and make sure both valves are closed (have some play in em) and line up the notch in
the crank damper to the top notch just over the pulley and you're ready to put on the timing belt. Just make sure the half-moon key is in your damper and the crankshaft. I've found it easiest to start on the lower crankshaft gear and work it on counter clockwise. Rotate it 2 full turns to see if the timing marks still line up. I found it helpful to use a nylon fastener or piece of wire to hold the belt to the upper cam gear before running the belt through the 3 gears on the left side. When you are done rotate the whole thing 2 complete times and check the timing marks again. One notch off and it will make it run like a dog.

Ya..you got 'er right.Do it the way you planned.


If the engine ran JUST before it went to the dealer..
If the above is correct your cam and crank timing marks are already close enough for it to run:therefore you don't have to concern yourself with tdc or finding it..or whether the valves are both closed.There is NO WAY it would run if you were 180 deg off..piston on upstroke on exhaust cycle.Dave is right about the procedure if the belt breaks..or jumps to the point where it won't run.It should run if it is off a tooth or two.If it quit..then you have to find tdc. and the compression stroke.

Pull the belt,w.pump.
Replace the pump,line up the crank timing mark and the cam timing mark.Replace the belt.Make sure that the tensioner is loose..let it snap against the belt.Turn the engine over 2 full revolutions to seat the belt.Tighten the tensioner bolt.

For what it's worth I found very little difference in price between a new pump and a rebuilt..also they are CHEEEP on Ebay..

If I were you I would replace the hoses to the water pump while I was in there.

Tighten the crank dampner bolt with a torque wrench..these are known to come loose.

Don't be shy about removing the motor mount there either to get room to put the cover back on.

Thanks for the info guys, I'll try your suggestions next time I get some daylight time...

Some background info: Unfortunately, it wasn't running before I got it checked out... Bought some crappy gas one night, next morning drove two miles to work and it died as I was pulling into my parking spot and it wasn't a careless clutch stall, it just went kaput. Replaced fuel filter and then battery when I cranked it dead. (8 yo original, guess it served well) Nada. Gave up at that point and towed it in. I should have known something was up when I found 2 ball bearings and what I now know to be a bearing seal in the spashguard when I took it off. It was squealing for a few months awhile back then stopped. Guess the tensioner decided to crap out its bearings somewhere along the way.

SO I'm guessing that it skipped a tooth or three when it died the first time, and who knows what the mooks at the dealership did to it too, so at this point I'm lost on where the pistons are. I think I just might take the valve cover off after I try the screwdriver trick if it doesn't work. Should I replace the gasket when I put it back on? Luckily I don't have an interference engine, so I shouldn't destroy anything ('97 w/ 2.0 SPI).

Combined with $120 w/ship from rockauto.com this will be far better than the dealers $400 quote once I get past these nagging problems. Thanks guys!

It's a piece of cake. Send me some of that $300.00 you are going to save. My 97 SPI needs new struts. You'll be alright. I can't do anything but admire a person who tells the dealer to stick it. I've removed the valve cover 5 times on my 97 SPI and it's still keeping all the oil in the engine. so, it should be all right as far as the valve cover gasket goes.

It's a piece of cake. Send me some of that $300.00 you are going to save. My 97 SPI needs new struts. You'll be alright. I can't do anything but admire a person who tells the dealer to stick it. I've removed the valve cover 5 times on my 97 SPI and it's still keeping all the oil in the engine. so, it should be all right as far as the valve cover gasket goes.
If your timing has jumped 4 teeth, it wouldn't surprise me if it didn't start, but if it did, it would run like a bag of assholes. The reason your timing is out of wack isn't because it dork at the dealership, its because you don't have any tension on the belt to keep it timed.
Without the belt on, the cam is just gonna move back and forth in the wind. To blame that on anyone is retared.
There is a tool that cost about 20.00 I'm sure you can get at Pep boys or wherever, it screws into the # 1 spark plug hole, and when you crank the engine around to the compression stroke, it whistles. Ingenius, huh?
Then all you have to do is set the cam on its marks.and starting from the Crankshaft route the belt to the camshaft the down the tensioner, then the water pump and back down to the crank.
Now when you buy a new tensioner, it should come preloaded, so then all you have to is release the bolt, the tensioner pulley should pop out and then tighten the tensioner bolt back down.
NOW then, you should make two revolutions with the crankshaft. Then check your marks again, if the are still on, your good to go. If not start over. Good luck