Timing belt install... 4G69

chowetime

chowetime

Active Member
All I can say for anyone wanting to save money and wants to have a go - my advice is don't do it!!!! pay someone to do it - it truely is a right royal PITA...

I thought doing the evo was going to be difficult but if given the choice between the evo and the 4G69 bring your evo around here and i will gladly do the belt change...

Admittedly I am removing the head and installing a newly ported head but seriously this is a job, once you have removed all of the relevant pullies you then have to try and get 4 different pullies to all line up to TDC - no big deal if the whole engine is out of the car which I am starting to think may not of been a bad idea...
removing the engine mount is a big tip having some air tools another big tip tiny hands another good idea seeing as you are working inbetween the chassis and the engine.. and you need a really good torch to try and see markings on pullies that are not there.

pay someone else to do this job and thank your mechanic after the job is done
 
I have never done a timing belt on a 4G69 yet, have done plenty of the family's 4g94's lancers and early mirages 4g15's, they were straight forward, mirage being the easy one to two to do by far.

Agree 100% with having tiny hands /i use liquid paper for t/marks/ good lighting/and yes a good air rattle gun, usually use the son in laws snap-on for that crank bolt

But, by the sound of things look's like i haven't missed too much on the 2.4lt belt change!
 
the 4g15-93-94 are very easy very straight forward so far I have spent 5 hours just removing harness removing the intake manifold support bolts(2) draining coolant, remove the engine mount and have the engine supported on a jack so that I can lift and raise the engine accordingly to help with lining up the markers (TDC) called it a night when I spent 30 minutes trying to free up a coolant line to the air cond (always has to be one thing)
Tonight I will get it off along with the head and with some sort of luck I will swap over the remaining parts and reinstall the head - intake-exhaust.... then next weekend will do the timing belts.

if you have never done a timing belt dont make this your first one I watched a 3 part tutorial on youtube about how to do it and all I can say is I think this guy has saved me from making some serious mistakes
 
Ok so quick very minor update, head studs removed timing belt removed coolant pipes removed ( only the main one on the engineto thermostat remains) do you thnk I can get the head off, nope not a chance something feels like it is holding the head down but I just cant find it...... I have even used the crane to help lift it up starting to wish I had never started this...
 
I removed all 10 - I found my problem there is a bracket that is under the exhaust manifold I missed that - I was going to remove both manifolds and the head as one piece... once I took that off all was good just lifted up.. I have posted a few pics of the build in my build thread if you are keen ti see pics
 
So quick update everything has been reinstalled seriously - I think I am glad that I have done it it was not overlly difficult apart from it being a pita how everything had to line up 100% perfect and getting the oil pump to line up correctly the cam lined up the crank lined up and the balance thing lined up then compressing the balance shaft shoving a pin in there,,, just a right pita doing it on the ground. Im getting way too old for this stuff.
 
ive done the timing belt on my wifes 4g69 and i have to say its very easy and straight forward. the lancer has been one of the easiest cars ive ever tinkered on.
only think to remember is to remember to keep the engine balancer pulleys/shafts in the correct position otherwise youll notice noise and vibration from the engine.
otherwise very easy on these lancers.
 
I was 1 tooth out on the balance belt. and did not have the correct amount of tension on the belt to start off with fixed it all up and the car runs like a champ... even my husband loves the car and is asking when am I going to get the rest of the exhaust done as he does not like the sound - talk about a shock comment....
 
Thread dig!
I got stuck trying to work out how to set the tension on the eccentric pulley that the tensioner acts on without the mitsubishi tool. Turns out, just guess, and release tensioner. Rotate it 4 times, ensure timing is 100% once more and let it sit for 15 minutes. Now attempt to put the tensioner holding pin back into place. If it goes in, its set correctly. If it kinda goes in, you probably could set it better, but youre still in spec. If it does not go in, you have not set the pulley correctly.

Just for anyone on the same path as myself, struggling to find the last bit of help, this video was fantastic. He runs through it fairly simply, but covering all the technical tips and tricks too.

 
Yeah, timing belt change on this engine is a pain. There is a normal timing belt and and a balancer shaft belt.

I bought a car manual from Repco and it explains very well what you need to do. It tells you to buy some special tools for the job but these are mostly unavailable with the exception of the tensioner wrench which you can get from Amazon.

The above video is really useful. You need to be careful when aligning the oil pump sprocket because the marks may be aligned but it may be one revolution out. If so, it will break your belts at high RPM. So don't assume everything is good if marks are aligned.

Good luck trying to undo the big crankshaft bolt. You need to hold the crankshaft still with some sort of holder. If you managed to undo it, you will have to tighten that bolt later and will need to hold it still again. Impact wrench may solve the problem.

The service manual recommends changing timing and balance shaft belts every 100,000 kms or 5 years. If you clocked 5 years but haven't driven many kms, you can take the timing covers off and look at the condition of the belts. If the belts look ok, and the oil seals are not excessively leaking, you can leave them on for longer. I clocked 5 years but only driven 60,000kms, and when I looked at the belts, they were still fine. So it's been over 6 years now and i am still driving with old belts. My crankshaft seal is leaking a little bit of oil but it hasn't got on any of the belts, so its ok.

When changing the belts, you should also replace all your oil seals (crankshaft, camshaft, balance shaft and oil pump seals) coz they tend to leak. Dealer will sell you all this but your jaw will drop when you see the prices. And if you want them to change the belts for you, prepare to part with your kidney.

As for tensioner pin test, I have this to say. My first timing job was done by a dealer, and when out of curiosity 60,000 kms later I put the pin in to check the correct tension, the pin didn't go in. The car still drives fine.
 
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Good info mate, I will say this on your comment about the tensioner pin after 60k kms - that rule is for a new tensioner and new belt. Both will have stretched over 60k kms so that is not to be unexpected.

Im a bit of stickler for the time aswell on these engine, the tensioners have a habbit of breaking quickly and a visual inspection isn’t really a typical way to tell serviceability of a timing belt.

some people get 15+ years out of their timing belt, some get stuck on the side of the M1. I prefer to not have to find out :)
 
Thanks, mate. Yeah, I should have realised that the belt stretches and tensioner moves after 60k kms.

I will take a crack at changing my belt later but not looking forward to this job. I am ready for it but haven't done it before. I guess it's better to stick to correct time. When you say tensioner tends to break, is it the hydraulic tensioner? Should it be replaced every timing belt change?
 
Replace the tensioner 100% - it fails internally, And leaks a little fluid out and wont do it’s job anymore. I change them every timing belt - no point doing the job twice.

the job is easy once you’re in there - don’t fret. If you’re in sydney I can lend a hand too
 
Thanks for your advice and offer of help. I unfortunately live in a COVID state. My car has now done 130,000 kms and is due for it's second timing belt change (has only done just over 60,000kms since the first belt change). The tensioner is still original.

Also curious about how you loosened the crankshaft bolt (if your car is automatic). Did you hold the crankshaft with anything or did you have an impact wrench?
 
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I’ve done auto’s and manuals - compressor and a decent brand rattle gun is my go to. I use my rattle gun daily, so I can get within about 10NM for torquing things up. A splash of blue loctite is a good piece of mind too.

If you can’t use a rattle gun,
remove spark plugs and unplug the fuel pump
Put 1/2 breaker bar on the bolt and line it up with the lower control arm
Crank the starter briefly and the bolt should come loose.
 
SDate42 said:
I’ve done auto’s and manuals - compressor and a decent brand rattle gun is my go to. I use my rattle gun daily, so I can get within about 10NM for torquing things up. A splash of blue loctite is a good piece of mind too.

If you can’t use a rattle gun,
remove spark plugs and unplug the fuel pump
Put 1/2 breaker bar on the bolt and line it up with the lower control arm
Crank the starter briefly and the bolt should come loose.
Click to expand...
Ok. Thank you. I don't have a rattle gun, so will use another method. I made a crankshaft holding tool from scrap steel plates. Should do the job
 
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