Chrysler
LHS 3.2/.5L Timing Belt Replacement
http://www.lhforums.net/forums/showthread.php?3827-3-2-5L-Timing-Belt-Replacement
Info taken from throughout the above forum thread and service manual.
Info taken from throughout the above forum thread and service manual.
First things
-
Factory Recommendation for changing of the timing belt is 105,000 Miles.
The 2G 3.2/5L engine is an Interference engine. Without really getting in to it, it Means if the belt (or one if it's components) fail, the engine will commit suicide.
This is not an overly easy project. There isn't much more too it than turning a ratchet, but it is a big ordeal. I have done it twice now. Once on a 1G, and once on a 2G. The 1G took over 12 hours, the 2G took about 7 hours. Your results may vary.
I recommend collecting the following parts before beginning the project:
Timing Belt
Timing Belt Tensioner Pulley
Water Pump
New Serpentine Belt
New A/C Belt
at least 1 Gallon of coolant
Band-aids.
Ok, onward we go:
Factory Recommendation for changing of the timing belt is 105,000 Miles.
The 2G 3.2/5L engine is an Interference engine. Without really getting in to it, it Means if the belt (or one if it's components) fail, the engine will commit suicide.
This is not an overly easy project. There isn't much more too it than turning a ratchet, but it is a big ordeal. I have done it twice now. Once on a 1G, and once on a 2G. The 1G took over 12 hours, the 2G took about 7 hours. Your results may vary.
I recommend collecting the following parts before beginning the project:
Timing Belt
Timing Belt Tensioner Pulley
Water Pump
New Serpentine Belt
New A/C Belt
at least 1 Gallon of coolant
Band-aids.
Ok, onward we go:
First
step, Is to remove the radiator cross brace. This piece is diffrent across the
LH line, but the purpose is the same. Should be 4-6 bolts holding it on:
Step 1
Crossmember
You'll need the following ratchets: 7mm, 10mm, 11mm, 13mm, a screwdriver, and a wire cutter. The ratchets are easy enough to get off. To remove the fascia snaps, pry up on the center piece with your screwdriver. It'll pop up and release the snap. These can be salvaged. To my knowledge, the cover snaps are one-time use, at least the way I took them off they were. I recommend cutting them just below the snap, and pulling them out. Use your destructive imagination though. I wonder how much they cost at Dodge...
I took the headlights out too, it gave me more room to work and they're practically out anyways once you liberate the crossmember so better safe than sorry. Caution should be used when removing the crossmember as it's still attached to the hood release cable. I left mine within reach of the car so I didn't have to detach the cable.
You'll need the following ratchets: 7mm, 10mm, 11mm, 13mm, a screwdriver, and a wire cutter. The ratchets are easy enough to get off. To remove the fascia snaps, pry up on the center piece with your screwdriver. It'll pop up and release the snap. These can be salvaged. To my knowledge, the cover snaps are one-time use, at least the way I took them off they were. I recommend cutting them just below the snap, and pulling them out. Use your destructive imagination though. I wonder how much they cost at Dodge...
I took the headlights out too, it gave me more room to work and they're practically out anyways once you liberate the crossmember so better safe than sorry. Caution should be used when removing the crossmember as it's still attached to the hood release cable. I left mine within reach of the car so I didn't have to detach the cable.
Removed:
Step 2
Accessory Drivebelt
Next comes the accessory drivebelt on the alternator side. You'll need 2 ratchet heads: 13mm and 16mm. First loosen the release bolt, then loosen the tension bolt until you can remove the belt. Once removed, just hit the 3 fastener bolts and take the unit off.
Next comes the accessory drivebelt on the alternator side. You'll need 2 ratchet heads: 13mm and 16mm. First loosen the release bolt, then loosen the tension bolt until you can remove the belt. Once removed, just hit the 3 fastener bolts and take the unit off.
Step 3
A/C Drivebelt
Now comes time to remove the A/C drivebelt. Ratchet sizes are the same for both (13mm and 16mm). On this one though, you only have to loosen it enough to remove the belt. You can leave the tensioner there. Just free the release bolt and loosen the tension bolt and remove the belt.
Now comes time to remove the A/C drivebelt. Ratchet sizes are the same for both (13mm and 16mm). On this one though, you only have to loosen it enough to remove the belt. You can leave the tensioner there. Just free the release bolt and loosen the tension bolt and remove the belt.
Step 4 Cooling Fan Shroud
This is where I got stuck. To fully remove the timing belt cover, you need to remove the radiator cooling fan setup. It's a simple removal when your nuts and bolts haven't siezed up. I'd recommend spraying on some anti-sieze before you try if they look rusted. It might actually make a difference. I stripped one of mine, and that jynxed the whole effort. They can be loosened with either a 4mm allen wrench or (I believe) a 7/10mm socket. If you can't get this off, don't even bother going any further. At least you've learned how to save yourself some money and change your accessory belts.
Step 5 Timing Belt Cover
It turns out I didn't have a picture of this step, probably because I was too pissed off to take one. But to remove the black portion of the timing belt cover you'll need a 13mm and 10mm ratchet. Take off the lock first, then move your way around hitting the rest. Note though, there's 3 of the 10mm sockets sitting inside the gear at the bottom.
Next
Remove the Serpentine belt, and the three bolts holding on the belt tensioner:
Next
Remove the A/C Belt, by loosening the tensioner from below the car. My socket is conveniently stuck to the bolt in question here:
Next
At this point, I would recommend removing the fan shroud. It is only 4 small bolts and an electrical connecter. I didn't do it until much later, but if i were going to do this again, i defintley would do it. It makes it so much easier to work in here.
Anyway, there are 15 or so small 10"mm bolts holding on the black part of the timing belt cover. Remove them, and remove the black cover.:
And the remaining screws over the aluminum cover:
There is a 3rd piece of the cover, that is behind the crank pulley. You don't absolutely have to remove the pulley to do this job - But i can't see how to remove the pulley without removing the radiator also.
Another simple way that I do it is to take the bolt out that holds the cam behind the sprocket, toward the inside of the engine, and replace it with a longer bolt and an old wheel nut, on Both sides
The nut is the same size/shape as the spoke on the sprocket, and when the sprocket is lined with the timing mark the bolt/nut will hold it exactly where it belongs, no muss, no fuss.
The bolt size to do this so there is no further questions is 8mmx1.25 pitch the passanger side you can get away with 4 inches the drivers side you need it longer 5 inches and we used sockets to lock the cams.
once the belt is over the cam sprockets and is properly tight, then I use two vice-grips to "gently" hold the belt in place.
You can then put the belt in the correct place on the crank, and thread in the tensioner (not compressed) and it will slowly press the tensioner pulley as it is tightened, with all timing marks remaining where they belong.
Just be sure to put the cam bolts back before finishing.
The three parts of the timing belt cover:
Next
With the cover open, put a ratchet on the crank pulley bolt, and turn the engine CLOCKWISE! to line up the timing marks.
I don't have a good picture of this, but on the camshaft pulleys, there is a mark stamped in them, and on the front of the engine, there are two dots on each side almost straight up from the cam pulleys.
You want the cam pulley marks to line up someplace in between the two dots.
Once your all lined up, we are ready to continue:
Next
Remove the old belt. Cutting is the easiest way. Do not attempt to crank the engine any more past this point.
I jumped ahead in the pictures at this point, but there are two more items removed here, which are the timing belt tensioner, and the pulley.
The pulley and it's bracket are only held on by one bolt, which i had to get by going through the crank pulley spokes. The tensioner itself, is accessable from below the car, and is held on by two bolts.
The tensioner: (ignore the pin for now, we will come back to it later)
At this point I put the new belt in under the crank sprocket. I could have waited, but I was trying to see if it is actually possible to do it with removing the crank. This part took me the longest to do. The trick was to start on the passenger side of the sprocket and work your way around.
Next
Replace the water pump.
There are 6 bolts holding on the pump, remove the pump, but be prepared to catch the coolant that is going to come out (I lost maybe 3/4 of 1 gallon.
New and old pump next to each other:
Make sure to install the new o-ring that came with the new water pump and that the mating surface for the gasket is clean.
Then install the new water pump.
Next
Install the new Tensioner pulley onto the tensioner bracket. Again, no good pic of this. Just remove the center bolt, and it will come right off.
Here is the bracket and pulley from a 1g - which is identical to the 2G:
Install the new pulley, and reinstall the bracket back into the car. At this point I had all that done, and had already routed the belt around everything:
Everything is back in, except for the tensioner....
Next
You are supposed to use a bench vise, but i used a big C Clamp, and had no problem. You need to compress the tensioner back in to the casing. There is a lot of pressure on this thing. The Haynes manual says it may take as long as 4-5 minutes for the tensioner to bleed down. Once it is compressed, use a small drill bit or small allen key and put it through the holes to keep it compressed.
Note which way i put that allen key in there. There is a notch in the engine for the pin to come through when installing the tensioner, but it's only one side:
Must be almost flush on the backside:
Next
Line up the belt so that all of the slack is over the tensioner pulley.
Double check your timing marks.
Install the tensioner, by bolting it in from below. I found it difficult to do
even with the tensioner compressed. I only grabbed maybe the first two threads
on the bolts, and then just used them the get it in there all the way.
Tensioner installed, pin still in place:
Tensioner installed, pin still in place:
Pull the pin out now. When the pressure is applied to the belt, it tends to
turn the cams slightly. My passenger side cam turned back just a little bit,
but enough to take it out of the comfort zone. I had to remove the tensioner
and start all over again. I move the cam wheel a little further the opposite
direction, and when I tightened it the second time, the belt pulled everything
in to be perfect.
Now, turn the crank by hand (easiest way is with a wrench on the nut in front of the pulley) CLOCKWISE two full rotations. Double check your timing marks.
Additional timing tips
getting to the lower, driver's side fan shroud bolt during parts removal (from underneath, with a long(er) extension bar)
the coolant dump when you remove the old water pump,
threading the belt underneath and behind the crank shaft pulley (thanks Mike for the heads-up about starting on the passenger side; it certainly helped)
re-installing the covers, especially getting the big cover behind the crank pulley to go in and getting the small, lower panel to fit properly
re-installing the lower, driver's side fan shroud bolt (age becomes noticeable when crawling underneath the car in tight quarters..)
One thing that was not mentioned, but I might as well toss it out: install your A/C and alternator belts before you re-install the fan shroud. You'll appreciate the extra space. And do as Tristan recommends: remove the headlights. Just makes it easier and you won't dirty or scratch them.
My before and after:
.JPG)
Now, turn the crank by hand (easiest way is with a wrench on the nut in front of the pulley) CLOCKWISE two full rotations. Double check your timing marks.
Additional timing tips
- What I remember reading over the years is that the driver's side cam sprocket mark usually ends up near center, but you can end up with two different positions of the passenger side cam sprocket that will be between the dots. When that happens, you *must* bias the cam to choose the position that puts the mark more clockwise (looking at it from the front of the car). If you choose the other position, you can get poor running/power/fuel mileage, or even a no-run situation.
- Did mine today, following what is outlined in here, including the TFC method with the bolts to hold the camshaft pulleys in place and the 'turn the driver's side cam back by 2 notches before installing the belt' to get it nice and tight.
getting to the lower, driver's side fan shroud bolt during parts removal (from underneath, with a long(er) extension bar)
the coolant dump when you remove the old water pump,
threading the belt underneath and behind the crank shaft pulley (thanks Mike for the heads-up about starting on the passenger side; it certainly helped)
re-installing the covers, especially getting the big cover behind the crank pulley to go in and getting the small, lower panel to fit properly
re-installing the lower, driver's side fan shroud bolt (age becomes noticeable when crawling underneath the car in tight quarters..)
One thing that was not mentioned, but I might as well toss it out: install your A/C and alternator belts before you re-install the fan shroud. You'll appreciate the extra space. And do as Tristan recommends: remove the headlights. Just makes it easier and you won't dirty or scratch them.
My before and after:
