EVOthis Posted March 2, 2008 Share Posted March 2, 2008 I was just reading the article on endwrench about the timing belt change on the DOHC ej25 i noticed the special tools they use to hold the cams in place......my question is.....Is there any other safe way to change the timing belt without these tools?......thanks for your time and knowledge....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dickensheets Posted March 2, 2008 Share Posted March 2, 2008 I was just reading the article on endwrench about the timing belt change on the DOHC ej25 i noticed the special tools they use to hold the cams in place......my question is.....Is there any other safe way to change the timing belt without these tools?......thanks for your time and knowledge....... I used a 16" set of channel locks while my helper tightened the nut to spec. For removal there is a bell housing access port at the top. I put a long screwdriver in there to prevent engine rotation and loosened the nuts with the old belt in place. There are other ways to do it also... rd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted March 2, 2008 Share Posted March 2, 2008 Is there any other safe way to change the timing belt without these tools? yes, it's easy. i never use a special tool. line the marks up before removing the old belt. remove it and reinstall. if one cam snaps out of place, no harm done, just move it back the same way it snapped out. i had no problem doing my first DOHC timing belt. special tools are way overkill. there are loooong discussions about special tools, ordering, part numbers, dimensions, tricks, and making one...but it's unnecessary. get small c clamps and pad them to hold the timing belt to the sprocket when reinstalling, that's a fantastic tip i saw mentioned by the new guy aircrafte. the belt will want to sort of pop off the cams when you're first installing it. taking the cams off is another task as they are typically very tight and that's what the previous poster is referring too. i leave the old belt in place and remove them that way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EVOthis Posted March 2, 2008 Author Share Posted March 2, 2008 thanks a bunch guys.....i just started thinking when i was reading the article because they stress so much that if one of the cams snaps out of place internal damage will occur......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted March 2, 2008 Share Posted March 2, 2008 thanks a bunch guys.....i just started thinking when i was reading the article because they stress so much that if one of the cams snaps out of place internal damage will occur......... if you line the timing marks up before removing them - then the cams won't snap in such a way that they cause any damage. i believe it's just the drivers side top cam that is most prone to snap, but it won't cause anything to hit and you just rotate it back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EVOthis Posted March 2, 2008 Author Share Posted March 2, 2008 great! thanks for the info grossgary! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted March 2, 2008 Share Posted March 2, 2008 great! thanks for the info grossgary!no problem, i hope it helps. if you go to do one be sure the print out the endwrench article on them and combine that with the tips from here - it's like a fine meal..a little of this, just the right amount of that!!! hmmmm..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnwolftrack Posted March 3, 2008 Share Posted March 3, 2008 instead of holding the new belt on with C-clamps, I recommend using those small plastic spring clamps. They are usually found in the $1 bin at tool stores. I've had a bunch of them and never used them before but finally found a great use for them! Their jaws are very forgiving and they don't clamp too strongly. These are the kind of clamps that do not have any locking mechanism on them. I used one spring clamp on each cam sprocket and used 2 more to hold the cams together with respect to themselves. I did not use special tools either. There's a spot on the cams that an adjustable wrench fits nicely on. Works great. If I'm remembering my sides correctly, the passenger side cams will spin into alignment with great ease. If you try hand-spinning either cam too far, you will feel the points at which you need to stop spinning because it gets too tough to do by hand. The driver's side cams will likely pop out of position once the old belt is removed. In order to get them back into position, you will only be able to free-spin each sprocket *almost* all the way into position. Each sprocket will get pretty close to proper alignment, but you'll likely need a tool to get it in it's final spot. you will likely see that if you rotate freely in one direction (the wrong direction), you will have to rotate with a tool much further than if you spun freely in the other direction. I forget which is which, but one of the driver's side sprockets gets spun counter clockwise into position, and the other gets spun clockwise. It's really not that hard. Oh, I also recommend changing the tensioner, water pump, t-stat as long as you are in there. You may also have to replace an idler pulley or two. You won't know on those until you get in there and spin them by hand. If any of your seals are leaking, it would be a good time to do those too (cam seals, front main seal, valve covers). You can get nickle-and-dime'd to death as well, so take into consideration how much you really need to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
screwbaru2 Posted March 4, 2008 Share Posted March 4, 2008 I wrap the sprokets with rubber and use a 10" chain wrench to hold em. Works for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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