Timing Belt, loss of power, lots of smoke

[kevinwscott]

My son and I just replace the timing belt on his 1990 Camry. We also replaced all of the oil pump seals because of leaking.

The car does not have very much power and according to my son there is a lot of smoke coming from the engine compartment.

Any suggestions.

Kevin

[white90dx]

You will need to check where the smoke is coming from (and whether it is steam or smoke). Did the smoke start immediately? Did it have ok power until it started smoking? We will need more info to help diagnose.

-Charlie

[Doctor J]

Loss of power can be due to the belt off one tooth

[kevinwscott]

Dr. J

I have no problem making sure the crankshaft is at top dead center. How do I verify that for the camshaft? I see a little hole in the gear and that is all.

Kevin

[RL-521]

there's a little notch on the head i think, and when you line up that hole in the gear to the notch, you can see the notch through the hole

[Doctor J]

You neeed to take the 3" round rubber plug from the timing belt cover to expose thae cam sprocket; then place the 22 mm socket on the alternator pulley nut and rotate it clockwice; the alternator drive belt will turn the crank for you;bring that hole to about 10 o'clock position FROM Vertical (not from engine axis as the engine is tilted to the back) keep going SLOWLY -align that hole with V cutout in the cam bearing cap (Use light and the mirror to do so and make sure you are standing parallel to the right fender, not in front of the car so the mark is going to be easier to see. After you aligned that mark take look on the crank pulley ; if the belt is one tooth off, the crank mark will be about 15 degrees PAST the 0 mark on the timing cover.
If that belt was not broken before replacement you may have to use method I proposed in sticky section above this forum where I explained how to assure that belt goes correctly

[white90dx]

I'm more concerned about the smoke - what is causing it and where its coming from.

Fixing the mechanical timing is a pretty quick job (if it is indeed off and its not a blown motor causing the smoke).

You can also check/feel the timing mark on the head with a small allen wrench or similar through the hole on the cam. It is at the 'top' with respect to the motor orientation (tipped back from vertical). The lower timing cover and crank pully need to be on to see the crank position.

-Charlie