ok! Timing Belt Overload!....3.4 DOHC

[pocket-rocket]

It's not that bad of a job. As mentioned, I personally WOULD NOT go by the marks on the gears. If anyone had done the job the right way on that engine before you bought it, I promise those marks are not correct. You have the easiest set up for changing the timing on the cams. You do not have the old lock ring style (91-93) gears. You have the colletted style gears. All you do is lock down all cams (flats face up under the valve covers), loosen the center bolt on the cam gears, put a piece of wood on the backside of them and smack em with a hammer. After that, the gears freewheel, put the belt back on, set tension on the belt, rotate the engine by hand a couple rotations to work out any slack in the belt, tighten down rear cam bolts, remove rear cam hold down tool, rotate engine 1 crank rotation, tighten down front cams, remove front cam hold down too and reinstall everything you took off. Doing that will set your cams back to 100% stock position.

[brandon293]

Thanks to all for the information. Here is where I am at with the cutty. I did not take the valve cover heads off. So therefore I am not positive if the engine is perfectly stock timed. However; the car idles great. The car feels strong (actually very strong) I dont plan on driving it very hard. It is my Myrtle Beach toy to cruise with. If It gives me any trouble I will tear it down again and rebuild the top of the motor. I love this site....so much good info. I look forward to surfing the site and learning more about my engine and maybe hoping to score another car one day!

[Teardrop]

I don't know if your stat or county does emissions, but one thing is if the timing WERE off, it could possibly not pass emission.
Of course based on what you wrote here it doesn't sound like you will have any problems.

Also, just something for fun - as you know, since the cams are NOT keyed to the cam sprockets, it gives some adjustment possibilities for cam timing to increase performance. Just something that some people like to play with, I believe the max is they will advance the intake cams up to 7 degrees and retard the exhaust cams up to 7. Of course if you were to do something like that, do more research into it, I forget the exact timing scheme.

For my own belt, I found in a repair manual by "Motor" on how to measure the tensioner p[osition that shows if the belt has too much stretch, something I intend to do when the weather breaks a bit.

Ya know, that damned timing belt seems to be the achillies tendon of us 3.4 owners. Kind of like how 3800 owners seem to have intake problems, and Taurus owners have their transmission issues...
I guess we don't have it THAT bad.

[pocket-rocket]

Also, just something for fun - as you know, since the cams are NOT keyed to the cam sprockets, it gives some adjustment possibilities for cam timing to increase performance. Just something that some people like to play with, I believe the max is they will advance the intake cams up to 7 degrees and retard the exhaust cams up to 7. Of course if you were to do something like that, do more research into it, I forget the exact timing scheme.

Actually another timing setup from a long time ago was intake stock, and exhaust cams retarded 13 degrees. There was another mark on the crank pulley that was almost 13 degrees so it was used to set timing. My 92 uses the 13 exhaust retard, but I wouldn't use it on an auto. My car lopes at idle because of the timing, and it pulls a bit more and a bit higher into the rpm range than stock exhaust timing. IIRC power starts to fall off around 6,800 rpms. The 6 6 timing is recommended for autos. One cam is retarded 6 degrees while one is advanced, but I forgot which was which.

[ARG3DOHC]

I am currently waiting for the weather to get better so I can change my head gasket. As I've never used the timing hold down tools before and Im still curious as to how this tool set is used. I was thinking of using a front/back home made plate clamp to hold both gears tight and lock them together . If I use 3 taped holes and bolts per gear on a single front drilled plate , with a back drilled plate with slots to clear the carrier housing ends , would'nt that accomplish the same holding method as the kit ?