So my water pump is shot and spewing everywhere. Ive decided to go ahead and change it myself and while in there switch the timing belt and tensioner. I have all the parts and know I should disconnect the battery and then drain the rad and what not but is there anything else thats hard about this job? i plan on replacing the pump, belt and tensioner and then replacing the fluid pbviously...how hard is it to set the timing or is it possible to just pull the old one off and put on the new one while making sure not to turm the crank etc. thanks again

Just pull the old one off and put the new one on, line up the crank
first, crank keyway up, cam down, Ya I know what the "book says"
it's not right, that is if you want the distributor to point the factory
direction to fire #1

Wild

would my distributor not be pointing the factory way?

Yes, when the timing marks are crank up and cam down, use the keyway
in both as the indicator, there are 2 timing marks on the cam and it can
get confusing at times

Wild

FER CRYIN' OUT LOUD, STOP TELLING PEOPLE THAT THEY NEED TO LINE UP CAM AND CRANKSHAFT POINTS WHEN THEY ARE ONLY CHANGING THE TIMING BELT!

If you are just changing the belt, it is NOT necessary to line things up as they are ALREADY lined up.  The ONLY time you need to line up the crankshaft and camshaft is when you do something that causes either the camshaft or crankshaft to rotate independently.  Examples are a broken timing belt, removing the head, removing the crankshaft or any other activity that requires turning either the crankshaft or the camshaft independently of each other!

Naturally, if your engine is running poorly and it is because the timing belt was installed with improperly-aligned crank and camshafts, you can fix that by using the marks and the procedure found in the Samurai Factory Service Manual - which can be downloaded for free at Ack's FAQ (see link in signature).

Also, DO NOT TOUCH THE BIG BOLT ON THE END OF THE CRANKSHAFT! This bolt has nothing to do with removing the timing belt cover.  You can remove the acessory pulley on the crankshaft by removing the four (five on a TracKick) smaller bolts that attach the accessory pulley to the crankshaft timing pulley.  Again, this is illustrated in the Samurai Factory Service manual and also applies to the TracKick.


...and yes, it is a very good idea to disconnect the battery.  That way you won't accidently turn over the engine with the timing belt removed.

Ahh but if you're going to replace the seals while you're in there, ya gotta pull the crank pulley.

That is true - but the original poster poster did not talk about replacing the front oil seal.

Further, I have seen WAAAAYYY too many buggered crankshaft keyways on Samurais and TracKicks (one was from a used car dealer!) to think that every one of them was caused by someone replacing the front oil seal.  Even if you were to replace the front oil seal, you are asking for buttloads of trouble if you do not follow the FSM's instructions - especially those covering the torque values and the use of Locktite!

As simple as the Samurai engine is to maintain, you can still screw it up pretty badly if you do not pay attention to what the FSM says and/or use a bit of common sense.

I know it's not needed, but having the two lined up does several things,
1. verifies the cam and crank are in proper time
2. allows an "opps" I turned the cam or crank on accident, now where was it?
3. gives the new Suzuki mechanic a way of knowing for sure it went back
together right if for some reason the trucklet wont start afterwards.

Ya I could get an engine back to proper timing no mater what happened,
but not everyone can, and this method is just a safe way to do a belt
change for the novice mechanic.

Wild

Wild:

we could set up logic constructs and debate them until the end of time...

How about we agree to disagree.

Our posts lay out our thoughts on the topic and there is nothing constructive in going any farther than that.  

Until the next time, I remain onrey as ever,

- Ack

One of these days I have to go to the West Coast and wheel with you!

Glad to see I can bring out a fight between you two haha...
So am I setting the cam and crankshaft so they line up or just taking the belt off and putting a new one on? haha
From what I gather it's more of a personal prefernce thing?

As Ack pointed out, it is not required, and to that point I agree.

I also listed reasons why I told you to line them up, it is entirely
up to you which way you change your belt. I try to give instructions
that are easy to follow and minimize a chance of getting things
mixed up or put together wrong.

Now, to put you into the middle of this, . Having not performed
this repair before, which way would you rather be instructed to do it?

Ditto on that, Wild.

How are you at abstract thinking, Barley?

Wild's suggestion requires it AND I ALWAYS recommend anything that will tax your thought processes and make you a better thinker.

My problem with it is that there are so many people out there who follow the advice of the fictional character Yoda and "Do! Not think"  or is it "Think not - Do!".  Those people end up screwing things up on their engines. 

The classic example that I run across occasionally is folks who actually think that they must loosen their valve lash adjusters before installing a timing belt while not realizing that the Factory Service Manual mentions that activity in the paragraphs just before the timing belt installation because the manual is actually describing a complete engine tear-down. 

Loosening the valve adjusters to change the timing belt creates more work and  (here we go...) allows the camshaft to turn easily when bumped while you install that timing belt which, in turn, screws up your timing!

As long as you stop and think, analyze the situation and understand what is going on, you will be successful!

Glad to see I can bring out a fight between you two haha...
So am I setting the cam and crankshaft so they line up or just taking the belt off and putting a new one on? haha
From what I gather it's more of a personal prefernce thing?

I just changed out my water pump, since I had access to it I changed my timing belt as well.  I made paint marks on the pulleys and front of the motor to make sure I didn't move either while replacing the pump and belt.  As long as you don't rush, you don't need to mess with setting the timing marks.  Just be careful putting the belt back on.  I had a hell of time removing the outer pulley(all 5 bolts were rust seized)