Dude you like to learn things the hard way don't you? We said in the other thread it's not the valves, check the timing belt tensioner but NO you hadda go and root around under the valve covers. Ha! Ya didn't crack that left side open though didya? Man that corner bolt above #6 looks like a PITA.

OK since you're now EXPERIENCED in the valve actuating area, I've got a couple questions for you - were any of your clearances out of spec? Also is the valve cover gasket the re-usable type that fits in a groove in the cover or is it the fiber type that sticks to the head and you have to scrape it off? I'm trying to figure out if it's worth taking the time to check valve clearance now that I'm past 100K or just let it ride...

Quote Originally Posted by Buffy View Post
I believe I have my marks in place to start removing the timing belt. Would like to hear from someone before I take the next step.
Cams look good but your crankshaft is off by 180 degrees. The #2 TDC notch at the back of the pulley should be lined up with the mark on the oil pump. The timing mark on the front of the pulley (shown in your pic marked with green paint) is what you align the dotted line on the new belt with. It is 180 degrees from the notch. If you look carefully you will probably see a green dot behind the pulley, opposite the mark cast in the oil pump. When the crank is oriented properly for timing belt installation, the green dot on the pulley, the dotted line on the belt and the green dot on the pump all line up - so keep all your dots in a row! That green dot painted on the pump is pretty fat though - i.e., just for information not for lining things up - so for the sake of accuracy, position the crank according to the cast mark on the pump and the #2 TDC notch on the pulley. One thing to note - you don't need to have the marks on the belt lined up for removal - they are there for proper belt installation only. You just need to have all the hard parts in their proper places - and KEEP them there during the installation. The belt is marked to make sure you've got the proper number of teeth between each component so all are properly synchronized but due to the ratio of crank to cams and the unequal number of teeth between marks for crank, left cams and right cams it takes quite a few turns before all six markers line up again. You'll see once you install a belt and crank the engine around by hand a few times to check for interference. I was going to see how many turns it took just for kix but my wimpy arm gave out after about 10 turns. You left the spark plugs out after your last compression test right? Sure makes turning the engine easier!