I have a 98 MPV and am having trouble adjusting the timing belt. It will start and run for a few seconds then die. I have a book and I am trying to line up with marks in book but am a few off. Any suggestions? thanks

 

Tina, the best way I've found is to leave the belt tensioner off until I have everything lined up. I trust the manual you are using explains about compressing the auto tensioner. It helps if you have someone hold the belt & gears. You can use clamps to hold the belt in place on the gears. Just make sure all of the belt slak is between the crankshaft & cam gear on the tensioner side. Then install
the tensioner without pulling the pin, have all the spark plug out, then turn the crankshaft two complete revolutions & recheck the alignment marks. If off try again. Good Luck!

 

Something else that can help is to get a bright colored paint pen from a craft store. Make an alignment mark between the belt and pulleys at both cam pulleys and on the crank pulley. When you get all set up and check alignment marks and find say the RH cam is off two teeth couterclockwise, it is much easier to use the alignment marks you made to make the changes then trying to stand on your head to see those teeny arrows on the sides of the head.

 

Thank you for the response. As you could guess it isn't realy me doing the work. I gave you the wrong year it is a -1989 MPV Van. It is my son's vehicle - My husband did what you said, but he still couldn't get it to stay running. Is there a website to download a picture of the timing marks? thanks Tina also since I gave you the wrong year did that matter?

 

Thank you for the response. I gave you the wrong year it is an 1989 MPV. I am having trouble verifying the timing marks. Is there a website to see them in greater detail? Thanks Tina

 

does your mpv also have loud "da da da noise?"

 

89 sounds more correct.

 

See if this helps. No, the year did not matter. Alignment marks have been the same on the JE engine from 89 to 98. Were the camshaft pulleys removed? The marks do not show very well on the picture so will explain as best I can. On the edge of the black resin cam pulleys you will see a small round 'hole' about the size of a pencil lead. Line this up with the raised arrow cast into the aluminum of the cylinder head. The crank pulley was a half round cutout that should point straight up (12:00 position)and will align with a raised part on the front of the oil pump. Hope this will help a little better.

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Thank you for the picture. We are pretty sure we have the timing right. We think the problem is now--it will start right up and run but cut off. If we spray starting fluid in to the air horn it will run until we stop spraying the starting fluid. Any suggestions? thanks Tina

 

Well it sounds like you are loosing fuel after start. It does start and run ok for 5-10 seconds before stalling? Try this and see what happens. Just next to and kind of in front of the airbox you should see three connectors that are not plugged into anything. Two of them are Green in color ( One is a single pin and other a six pin ). There should also be a Yellow two pin connector in the same area. Two wires to it. One is Black with a Red stripe and the other is solid Black. Use a jumper wire or paper clipe and short these two wires together before starting engine. Go ahead and see if it will remain running normally without starting fluid.
If having trouble locating connectors etc will take a picture of my 91 tonight and post in the morning.

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