97 Passport Timing Belt Replacement

Ok i found a thread on here that was very detailed about the replacement of a timing belt on a 97 passport but a few things were left unsaid pertaining to my current issues trying to complete this job. One is that someone said that a 3.2L was NOT an interference engine but my haynes manual says it IS and i was just wondering if there was just some confusion on the subject. Also my belt didn't techincally break, my camshaft just shredded the teeth off of the belt where it was on my last attempt to start my engine.. and i was wondering if this could mean it is something other than my belt just being old. The last thing is that Im having an extremely difficult time alligning my camshaft pulleys. When i try to line them up manually with the front bolt they will turn (very difficultly) to a certain point and then the jump prolly a quarter of a turn without being stopped. I know this has something to do with the pistons and i dont know much about cars to know exactly but how am i suppossed to get the camshaft pulleys lined up if they only go where they want. I hope this is clear enough for someone to help, and i would greatly appreciate ANY advice on the manner.

1) Non-interference. Definitely according to some 3.2L experts. You may as well consider the belt broken even if you just stripped teeth, because you are in the same boat.
2) How many miles on that belt? If more than 120K, I'd guess that it was just the age. However, how old is the water pump? Some have stripped teeth on the belt due to a seizing water pump bearing.
3) You should be able to get the cams spot on their marks. You are turning the cams without the belt on, right?

Yeah the belt is off. And im not sure on the age of anything. It has around 170,000 on it and I cant really know if anything has been replaced or not. I bought it from a repossession lot. Is there anyway i can check to see if its contributed to the water pump without having to take it out?

Spin it by hand, I suppose, but if you aren't sure about the history you should seriously consider swapping it when you are in there. Just a little more time and maybe $60 or $70 bucks for a big box store pump so that you aren't right back in there in a couple of months.

I obviously don't wanna explain my life situation but i barely had the money for a new belt. Anyways i went outside a few minutes ago to take the idle pulley off to make it easier to get the belt on.. and now i have all of the lines on the BELT lined up with the lines on the PULLEYS but the pulleys are not necessarily lined up exactly with the marks on the timing belt back covers. But if i get the belt on this way and tension it up, cant i just rotate the belt around a full rotation until the pulleys are lined up with the marks on the CAR, assuming that even matters.

Understood, and I guess that is why you aren't replacing the tensioner, either. You are supposed to compress the pushrod in the tensioner with a clamp, then stick a small drill bit in its hole to hold it while you install the belt. Then you pull the bit when you have everything lined up. I would NOT go by the marks on the belt. I would get the cams and the crank lined up by the marks on the engine. This may be why you have trouble with the pulleys not lining up. Keep at it and good luck!

If we are discussing the SOHC motor here - I agree with FL above. (If not, excuse my ignorance of the Passport models :smile: ).

Just line up the various pulley static marks with the belt off (is NON-interference).

After you've done that - match-up the new belt marks with the static marks.

Re-fit the idle pulley, then the tensioner pulley and hydraulic pusher and pull the temporary pin (or drill-bit as FL suggested).

If you have the DOHC motor you'll need some additional reading to time the cams http://forum.planetisuzoo.com/viewtopic.php?t=16972

This SOHC thread may help too http://forum.planetisuzoo.com/viewtopic.php?t=24966

I got it on! I think I just needed to walk away and get all the frustration out cause the next time I went out to work on it everything worked out perfectly. I've been busy so I haven't gotten the rest of the car back together for the moment of truth but everything seems to be lined up perfectly. I appreciate the help and concern and hopefully my engine will soon be running. Thanks again

Cool!

I got it on! I think I just needed to walk away and get all the frustration out cause the next time I went out to work on it everything worked out perfectly.


Sometimes simply walking away and taking a break is all it takes to finish the job. :iceslolan