92 metro timing

[fxrmike]

timing keeps jumping by a couple of teeth. have tried a couple of different belts. it has a good idler. the cam gear looks like if might be worn does anyone know the specs. for this gear or where to find one. tried several places with no luck.

[Woodie83]

Never heard of one jumping teeth as an ongoing problem. I've heard of them jumping a tooth or two as a precursor to breaking, a worn out belt that was going to give up completely anyway.

Both belt sprockets are known to come loose from their respective shafts, the crankshaft more often than the cam, but I've heard of folks finding both. The crankshaft sprocket is held in timing by a woodruff key, if the bolt comes loose this key can shear and the pulley can move forward and backward in timing. Unless you take it apart and inspect the sprocket, key and crankshaft slot you'll never know.

There are two different belts with different shaped teeth, the earlier cars got square toothed belts and the newer cars got a rounded tooth belt. Neither will work right on the other and if you don't know the history of the car you might even have a mixed set of sprockets. Your 92 should have a sprocket stamped out of sheet metal, not the spoked, cast one on the newer cars. UNLESS THE ENGINE HAS BEEN CHANGED.

[1gasenvy1]

Remove all belts including timing belt. grasp the crankshaft pulley and see if it moves back and forth. If so you possibly have a worn out crankchaft key or slot or both (big problem). If it's the crankshaft slot you have to replace the crankshaft and who wants to do that. If its the crankshaft gear remove it and drill 2 holes @ 90 degrees and tap for allen screws. Secure with locktite and your're good to go. It worked for me.

Good luck,
Gas Envy

[fxrmike]

Thanks for the help. It appears the belt is a little loose. Do either find of you know what the play is supposed to be?

[RossT]

Every timing belt that I have done on a Metro is very tight.

Post the timing belt part number on the belt. I can look it up to see if it the older or newer style belt.

Please re-read what Woodie said.

[fxrmike]

the belt is a goodyear gatorback 40166

[RossT]

That is the older style belt for the 89-92/93 with the square teeth.

[Crvett69]

easiest way to tell what belt it uses is to count the small bolts that holds the damper pulley on if it has 4 bolts it takes the square tooth belt and if it has 5 bolts its the round tooth. you also need to check the upper gear like woodie said and make sure it matches the lower gear

[fxrmike]

yes it has the stamped steel gear. I figured how to make it work. I still don't understand why the belt was looser than the previous ones I had put on. I even took it to Autozone and had them measure against a durolast and they were both the same length.