L300 Head replacement and timing belt DIY, step by step

DexterH · Post by **DexterH** » Sat Jul 11, 2015 8:54 pm

Hi Tojo. I was hoping to catch your reassembly and timing on this project, but it doesnt seem I will.
Well, not when I need it most that is. I have to admit this is the best instruction diy project on this topic Ive seen. The photos are exceptional as well. The thing is, Tomorrow morning Im hoping to get that crank bolt off and prepare for reassembly/timing. Got some cleaning up on the head to do and replacing the old rocker arm assembly with a new one. I doubt I'll complete this job by end of the day but hoping to get as much done as possible. Oh! I have to thank you for the pic on how you rigged up the breaker bar using the 2x4

. I took out my starter hoping to find a threaded bore on the flywheel to lock it in place but was surprised there wasnt any.
Your method has put a smile on my face man

Hope you get going on this project again soon. It sure is extremely helpful and very comprehensive.

Thanks Tojo!

Tojo · Post by **Tojo** » Wed Jul 15, 2015 4:09 pm

I'm back! Thanks for the comments. Needed to take a break to work on the house, rebuild a 1974 Husqvarna L65 and some chill out time in this heat wave we're having.

A very old but sturdy saw. Something about these older saws, they are heavy with all metal parts and don't have a safety brake, but they have great torque and are ideal for chainsaw milling.

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But I digress. Now, onwards and upwards!

Water pump is Hyundai OEM.

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Time to deal with the balancer belt. Remove the two bolts that hold the tensioner and remove it.

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Pull off both crank gears. Here is a picture of the outer one which the timing belt goes around.

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Note that there is a spacer between them where the convex profile faces outwards.

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You can see that there is a bunch of oil around the crankshaft, so it's a good time to replace the seal.

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Tojo · Post by **Tojo** » Wed Jul 15, 2015 4:21 pm

I made my own balancer gear removal tool. Just two bolts with a larger hole in the middle for the socket.

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Use the improvised tool and cranked the upper balancer shaft gear loose.

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And this is what it looks like underneath.

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Used the tool again to remove the lower balancer shaft gear.

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Pull off the upper balance shaft bushing and remove the oil seal, then replace with new ones. The reason to do this is because a groove gets worn into the bushing over time and causes a slow leak. Even if you just replace the oil seal the chances of it leaking are high if you decide to re-use the old bushing. My philosophy with this entire rebuild is to replace everything critical because the reality is that the major cost is your time. The parts themselves are small and relatively cheap for the most part, except for the timing belt and water pump (and the head of course!).

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Nice and shiny! Used a large socket to press in the new oil seal.

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Tojo · Post by **Tojo** » Wed Jul 15, 2015 4:41 pm

By the way. Use a small 1/16" drill bit to make holes in the oil seals then drive a tiny screw into the hole and use needlenose pliers (bentnose preferred) to remove the seal. Just don't drill into the shaft or aluminum housing!

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Use the same method to remove the crank oil seal.

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Pull out the oil pump drive gear sleeve. Again because of the worn in groove that lets oil past as well as the teeth can get worn out. In this case the gear teeth look fine, but whatever, I replace anyways.

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New oil pump drive gear sleeve.

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An ABS fitting works really well for press fitting that crank oil seal. 2" to 2.25" outer diameter sleeve is what you're looking for.

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Looking freshened up.

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Tojo · Post by **Tojo** » Wed Jul 15, 2015 4:55 pm

Replace the o-ring on the water pump outlet.

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Look at the difference between the old and new. The old one was hard, brittle and flattened. New one is soft, pliable and rounded profile.

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Done. Ready to install the water pump.

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Attach the new balancer belt tensioner.

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Tojo · Post by **Tojo** » Tue Jul 21, 2015 4:29 pm

Just to backtrack and highlight a few details.

On the upper balance shaft bushing the chamfered edge faces inwards.

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Knock out the woodruff key with a flathead screwdriver bit and place in a new one. Makes for a nice snug fit with the crank sprockets.

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Next it was time to place the balancer belt. AKA timing belt "B"
Use a lever bar to push against the tensioner spring and turn the bolts to hold the tensioner in place.

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Align all the timing marks on each sprocket and slip the balancer belt into place. It took a couple of tries to get it to line up.

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Release the tensioner and check for deflection on the right side which should be 4 to 5 mm according to the manual. Note that the belt has direction. This is a clockwise turning motor.

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Tojo · Post by **Tojo** » Tue Jul 21, 2015 4:32 pm

On goes the water pump. Straightforward, but watch that you get the correct bolts of the correct grade stamped on the head into the correct hole! See the attached diagram. I used some Permatex RTV gasket maker to stick it all together.

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Tojo · Post by **Tojo** » Tue Jul 21, 2015 4:39 pm

Fresh dowels on the block.

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Clean the mating surfaces with brake cleaner because it evaporates and leaves no residue. Then place the head gasket. Used compressed air to blow out the head bolt holes and clean off the threads in the block.

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On goes the head.

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Take your time and torque to spec which is 113-123 Nm or 83 to 90 ft. lbs. Follow the pattern. Do it gradually and work your way around the pattern several times before reaching your final torque setting.

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Fresh head bolts. Chamfered edge on the washer faces up. I used a small drop of engine oil on the threads. Not too much or it leads to hydraulic lock and stripped threads.

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Ready to start reattaching stuff!

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Tojo · Post by **Tojo** » Wed Jul 22, 2015 5:19 pm

Timing belt time!

On goes the new tensioner.

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Tricky to get the tensioner and spring into place. Probably a few ways to do this, and this is what I did. Place a small lever bar and push against the spring (towards the drivers side). Pop the spring over the bent metal hook on the tensioner.

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Once the spring is in place and you've replaced the two bolts, move the lever bar to this position on the tensioner and apply some leverage to push against the spring. Tighten the upper bolt on the tensioner to hold it in place so it doesn't rebound. Keep the bottom bolt finger tight.

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Align all the marks on the crank, cam and IP sprockets. Clamp the belt in place on the crank sprocket.

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Put a wrench on the IP sprocket and turn it clockwise to align the timing mark, then clamp on the timing belt. There will now be slight tension on the right side of the belt (passenger side).

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Ease the belt onto the cam sprocket without moving anything and it should look like this.

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Release the upper bolt on the tensioner and allow the spring to apply tension to the belt. Torque both bolts down and you're done!
Check deflection, should be 4 to 5 mm.

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lrp374 · Post by **lrp374** » Sun Mar 20, 2016 3:53 pm

Tojo I just reviewed your post on the Head replacement etc. and it even makes more sense than the first time. I didn't remember the replacement section but it will even be more help than the removal. I think you should get some kind of award or @ least a royalty from those who use your great post. Thanks again for the effort I know it really adds a lot of time to your repair.

ChuckBlack · Post by **ChuckBlack** » Wed Jun 08, 2016 8:28 pm

Excellent! Great work!

Matt&Kim · Post by **Matt&Kim** » Wed Nov 23, 2016 8:49 pm

Hey guys, I'll be looking to replace my head gasket soon as it's pooched, just curious if it's entirely necessary to replace the head bolts when I do it.

Thanks!

Post by **FalcoColumbarius** » Sun Nov 27, 2016 4:15 pm

Matt&Kim wrote:Hey guys, I'll be looking to replace my head gasket soon as it's pooched, just curious if it's entirely necessary to replace the head bolts when I do it.

Thanks!

On extra items, if you have, say, the lug nuts on your wheels ~ if you don't get the torque spot on ~ it's of small consequence, so long as you get it close. However, if you're dealing with the engine ~ you really need to be perfect. You need to appreciate that the engine is operating at an average of around 2,600 RPM at a 21:1 compression ratio. I would think the current head bolts would have stretched over time. How much would you save if you left the old bolts in ~ as compared to the engine's overall longevity and performance integrity? (Rhetorical)

Falco.

mcmastai · Post by **mcmastai** » Sun Jul 30, 2017 2:54 am

Hi everyone,

I just got finished installing my new T belt and other bits, everything is reinstalled - but the engine won't fire, it simply cranks. I know the obvious answer is the timing is off (tear it down again, bleh), but if none of the sprockets moved during installation how can that be? (Save the IP pump sprocket which rotated 360º back to its proper alignment).

Any suggestions before I dig back in would be great..

Thanks!

weelsey · Post by **weelsey** » Wed Dec 06, 2017 3:42 pm

This is awesome.. Thanks, Tojo! I hope my crank pulley removes so easily.

What do you all suppose is the difference in these belts besides the cost? Top two have images of the belt that have mitsubishi" stamped on them @

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