[U.P. Forester]

I am trying to install my timing belt today, I have a 2010 Forester XT ej 2.5 turbo, I install the belt line up all the marks turn the engine over by hand to check my work and I can never get the damn marks to realine

 

[inthefrey]

The marks on the belt will never line up again. As long as the marks on the cam sprockets and crank do, you're good! I pondered this as well when I did my ' 08 forester SOHC heads.

 

[U.P. Forester]

Unfortunately I knew about the marks on the belt not lining up again it's the actual marks not lining up 🤷🏼‍♂️

 

[skirbykat]

Are you rotating the crank twice (720 degrees)? Some of the 90 deg timing marks on cams would be off if only spinning once.

Sent from my E6910 using Tapatalk

 

[U.P. Forester]

Yes more than twice

 

[skirbykat]

Yes more than twice

Like 3, 5, or 7 times. What I'm saying is they will only line up every other rotation, so if you are checking on odd intervals, cams will not be back where they were

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[U.P. Forester]

I actually figured out what the issue was, I had the heads milled .004 and it basically made the belt too long, I found a adjustable idler bearings they are basically escentric bearings, they are made by LIC I installed them and the marks are now perfect

 

[Theseus161]

Wow. Four thousands of of inch will make a difference on the belt markings. I never would have thought that. (Milled head).

 

[U.P. Forester]

Yeah me neither.....

 

[inthefrey]

Still scratching my head on this one.
If a cam belt only has a finite number of cogs, how does adding an adjustable idler solve this problem?
We're all learning stuff on these sites so, Not in any way calling BS or saying an "adjustable idler" didn't fix the problem. I though that was what the belt tensioner was for?

Somebody help me on this...

 

[U.P. Forester]

The heads were milled .004 so it basically made the heads move in towards the block enough to make the belt too long, the factory tensioner does not have enough travel to take up the slack in the belt, that is where the adjustable idler's come in they are eccentrics that take up the extra slack in the belt