The photo at your post #41 and #104 is telling me that the cam timing is totally different. This is strange to me. What's causing this, I wonder? Is the tensioner fully functioning or the loose cam bolt?

 

yes, from you photos, the passenger side does look off by a tooth!

be sure that you are on the compression stroke, not the exhaust stroke (cylinder #1 should hold pressure at 0 degree crank mark)

and DO NOT rotate the crank counter-clockwise, even if you miss it by just a little bit!

 

if this is a case of "jumped time" rather than a botched previous timing belt job, then you need a new OEM tensioner and new OEM timing belt - and you need to make sure all pulleys and idlers and anything else that the timing belt contacts are grease-free squeaky clean

 

Thanks yamea and cowboy for the response. I have only always rotate the crank clockwise NEVER ccw! I made sure to rotate it a few revolutions just to double check the line up and every time I set it at tdc the passenger side is off as shown in the pictures. As for the spark plugs, I replace them with some ngk v power, and change the tube seal and valve cover to oem seals. Only thing missing was the grommets for the screws. I have gotten lots of the stuff off etc and set the timing to about 50 degree as it stated in the FAQ write up. Am up to where about to remove the crank pulley but I did not have the removal tool nor the auto parts were open today so could not rent one. Once I get the tool I will proceed, so far everything going good for me as first time doing tb/waterpump. I think I will just go ahead and order the tensioner and belt just to be safe. I hope all this get resolve soon as I got to get the car smog in early 2014

 

What is the best way to clean it all up so no residues are left behind?

 

a solvent like brake cleaner, but put it on a rag or a brush, you don't need solvents getting into bearings or seals from just spraying it indescriminately

by the way, here is the only crank pulley removal tool you need, the original and best! (makes it a 1 second job)

 

I already got the bolt remove but the pulley is still stuck there. So I probably will need the pulley removal tool to pull it off or can I do it another way without using the pulley removal tool?

 

usually just whacking it in all directions with a rubber mallet works, but you can get a free rental of a 3-jaw pulley puller at most auto parts stores if the mallet doesn't loosen it

 

I have not tried whacking it with the rubber mallet yet but figure the tool be free to rent so was just gonna go rent it lol.

 

if the car has ever encountered salted roads, you will likely need the puller, if it has spent a happy life in Arizona or somewhere like that, where even brake discs don't rust, then it will fall off with a good whack really easily - you aren't gonna hurt the massive crank or pulley with a rubber mallet!

 

rotate the belt again, i think you're 360* off and cyl1 isn't at TDC at the start of the 4-stroke cycle.

 

I have already rotate it about two times and then line up. How will I know that cylinder one is at tdc? I'm just going by what the write up say in the FAQ. Right now I got it line up about 50 degree and ready to pull off the crank pulley.

 

please reread what I said way back at post #107

at the top of the compression stroke (i.e. TDC) cylinder #1's intake and exhaust valves will both be closed and the cylinder will hold pressure - if you were 360 degrees off with the crank and on the exhaust stroke, the exhaust valve(s) would be open and no pressurization would be possible

 

to inspect current setup use the following:


To reassemble make sure to follow a '98-00 FSM, the pulleys need to be rotated a certain way (pre-tension on the vvt-i mechanism) so don't wing it.

 

With the pics I provide up top, that is not set correctly then? I only saw one mark per cams which I have line up the crank at tdc and those mark on the cams is line up well not precise since it is off by a tooth but at the crank it is dead on 0 degree