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Timing Belt replacement

87K views 96 replies 35 participants last post by  pacolino 
#1 ·
I replaced the timing belt and water pump on my 14 Diesel this past weekend. I made a video of the process and I’m in the process of extracting screenshots to try and create a write-up of the steps. I was at 123K miles and the belt was beginning to have some significant cracks between the teeth. There were no special tools needed to lock the cam and just a few basic hand tools were required to gain access to everything. I should have some free time this week to work on a How-To post and hopefully will have something to share after Christmas if anyone is interested.

The most peculiar thing about replacing the belt was that my “Timing Belt” message went out on its own after replacing the belt. The battery was not disconnected nor did I try to reset the message via the turn signal stalk or by pulling fuses. I cannot explain why the message extinguished. If anyone has any insight it would be appreciated. My only guess is that the cam timing would have change slightly as the belt stretched and by replacing the belt, the cam timing returned to its “normal” phasing.
 
#2 ·
Been wonderin’ where u been lately @BradHerr, worth the wait for sure. Looking forward to your updated tutorial. A lot of Gen 1 CTDs will be needing this service soon.

Any more 1,000 mile tanks lately? :xmas:
 
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#3 ·
Been wonderin’ where u been lately @BradHerr, worth the wait for sure. Looking forward to your updated tutorial. A lot of Gen 1 CTDs will be needing this service soon.

Any more 1,000 mile tanks lately? :xmas:
I have been traveling for work and the mobile app quit cooperating with my iPhone so I haven’t been able to log in. While on the road I had the Cruze with me but it was only a 7 mile commute to work versus my normal 98 mile trip. The short trips killed my mileage (and brakes!), so no more 1000 mile tanks, I’m still sitting on three.
 
#7 ·
That’s what I thought too. No one else has mentioned that it was a “smart” warning that actually meant anything. The consensus was that it was a “dumb/idiot” message that appeared at a set interval. I did not note the exact mileage that the message appeared. I’m not sure anyone else has experienced the self-extinguishing of the message.
 
#5 ·
Spent a good amount of time researching timing belt change the past few days. Saw a post on a diesel truck site where someone posted the book method for the cruze, was very complicated and seemed to be taking a lot more things apart than necessary to accommodate locks. Only thing useful was torque specs. There was a video on YouTube that showed how to install and tension the belt properly, very helpful. Another video showed timing marks on the belt to help line things up. I was surprised no one made a write up yet. Would be great if you took the time to compile all the steps/tools/parts ! Plenty of missing details like how to replace the water pump / draining coolant etc other helpful tips to make the process easy to follow along.
 
#6 ·
I agree that there isn’t much out there about replacing the belt. There is a tool kit that has all of the fixtures needed to put the engine back in to time. As long as the belt hasn’t broken(which would require the head to be removed to fix the valves and maybe pistons) there is no need to use any special tools to time everything. The tools lock the crankshaft into the correct position as well as the two cams.

The write up is in the works. I feel the video I put on youtube covered the disassembly and installation of the belt and water pump in a fairly detailed manner. I didn’t record any of the reassembly of the motor mount or timing covers, however.

The tool list was surprising small:

Floor Jack and Jack Stand
4-way lug wrench
⅜” Ratchet
12,13,15, and 19 mm ⅜” deep well sockets
T30 and T50 ⅜” drive sockets
⅜” drive 6 mm hex bit
12” ⅜” drive extension (optional)
¼” ratchet
T20 ¼” drive socket
Flat blade screwdriver
13 and 15 mm combination wrenches
Small Wire cutters
 
#14 ·
Hey Brad, thanks for the work. So I just hit the magical 97K miles in mine and am getting ready to buy the standard parts to be replaced during this evolution. Looking for input as to what's recommended. Here's my current list of planned parts:

1) 55562864 Serpentine Tensioner
2) 55578485 Serpentine Belt
3) 55580776 Timing Belt
4) 55488983 Water Pump
5) 55562865 Idler Pulley (Left)
6) 55581830 Idler Pulley (Right)
Total for parts: $220. from GMPartsNow.com

Plus Coolant.
Will have work done at my favorite GM dealer in Phoenix.

Am I missing anything?

Thanks.
 
#17 ·
I am glad you were successful at replacing your timing belt. Makes sure to note the mileage when you replaced the timing belt. You may get a premature message indicating you need to replace the timing belt. The reason why GM wants the crank and cam pinned to the engine during installation is so everything is set back to factory specs. The sprocket on the cam is NOT pinned. Once you lock the crank and cam, you install the timing belt, loosen the cam sprocket, set the tensioner, and then tighten the cam sprocket. This ensure the belt is set exactly to zero and all of the logic in the ECM will function correctly. Keep in mind all of the parts have tolerances. This method is the only true way to ensure everything is setup exactly the way GM intended it to be. I doubt you will have any trouble other than a premature change timing belt message. Just want folks reading this to know why you area supposed to pin the crank and cam. If you don't you could possible run into phantom problems in the future. I hope that you don't think I am being disrespectful, because that is not my intention. I want people to make informed decisions, that all.
 
#20 ·
I know everyone says you don't need special tools for the timing belt change... but I'm not willing to take the risk of the cam moving and bending valves. Has anyone purchased a kit for timing belt replacement that worked? The OEM specified tools are crazy expensive!
 
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#26 ·
I just ordered the timing belt tools for mine. I'm in USA and ordered them from UK FOR 45 bucks. I'll let everyone know if they are the correct tools when they come in and I replace mine. These are for an opel which to my understanding is the same engine.I just don't have enough courage to hope my cam will stay still! 45 bucks is better than pulling the head and replacing valves IMO.
 

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#27 ·
Just wanted to let everyone know that these tools worked perfectly on my USA ctd
 
#28 ·
Here's a couple pics of my belt at 123k 50%highway driving
 

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#29 ·
From that one sample the belt still looks good.
 
#31 ·
Wow I see quite the opposite, cracking at the base of each rib.

Good thing it was changed.
 
#32 ·
There was cracks at the bases of each rib. Not bad but glad it's done now!
 
#33 ·
Excellent video @BradHerr thank you sir.

After reaching 100K yesterday, I started getting the DIC Timing Belt Interval warning message at every engine start.

Since my timing belt was replaced at 65K when the water pump failed, I looked to this thread to figure out how to reset the DIC warning, as I won’t be replacing mine again until 165K.

Adding link here as cross-reference on DIC RESET.
 
#34 ·
I just rolled over 100k it's winter here now in Minnesota.. I am sitting at just over 100,500 miles, contemplating about buying the kit and tools from IDPARTS? or should I buy all parts individually? Also do I need the specific tools to do this job? I seen brad didn't use any special tools but I don't want to take any risks at all. Any info appreciated. Parts are 400, tools 100+ totalling like $550 is it worth that from IDPARTS?
 
#35 ·
im not buying the timing belt tools, cuz you have to remove them to change the belt anyways

mark the location of the gears as you swap belts, if they move at all, move em back

havent seen anybody replace the crankshaft seal, but also havent seen any crank seal leaks...so theres that....but id hate to have to replace that seal before next timing belt and take it all apart again

im buying the idpart kit, its just easier to one click, and i would replace those parts, the serp belt, tensioner and idler while i have it apart versus wait for them to fail and re do it all...thats what im comfortable with....versus get another 10-60 or ??? thousand more miles on those parts and replace them then and do that labor again...personal preference
 
#36 ·
I think I remember reading a suggestion from someone - not sure if it is what they did on their CTD, or on another timing-belted vehicle - was to cut the current timing belt in half, leaving half on there, thus retaining all the proper gear alignment/timing, then slip the new belt onto the gears and cut the remaining old timing belt so that you can push the new belt the remainder of the way.

The gears shouldn't really move - but if they're marked, you'll know where to put them back if they do. I know the intake cams on my buddy's Subaru (VVT on those - EJ207 heads) absolutely loved to spin back the second you exhaled too hard when lining everything up to put the timing belt on...made it an absolute pain in the ass - finally just bought the tool that locked the intake and exhaust gears together during belt installation and it took 5 minutes instead of 2 hours.
 
#39 ·
Anybody have the torque spec for the water pump bolts? Figured I'll replace it while I am in there and I'd like to avoid leaks from undertightened / overtightened gasket.

Thanks!
 
#41 ·
So I have the new wp/tensioner/idler installed and I am trying to slip the new belt in. For some reason the marks on the belt are not lining up with the marks on the sprockets. I did make a mark on each sprocket before removal and I didn't really touch any, so I'm not sure whats going on here... I noticed the cam gear likes to rotate CCW and the fuel pump can be moved easily but I didn't really move them.

Currently the crank is at 9 o'clock, fuel pump near 8 o'clock, and cam gear slightly above 3 o'clock. Do I rotate the engine CW to match the belt up with the marks? Rotate the individual sprockets and match them up one at a time? Help!
 
#42 ·
Fuel pump probably wants to be closer to 9.
Cam closer to 2.
Additionally the lock for the cam allows you to loosen the cam sprocket bolt and and be able to microadjust sprocket position to get belt on and tension belt.

I feel doing the job without the holding tools (if you are) makes it needlessly fiddly and more difficult.

Mark where the pulleys line up with the engine once you get it set. Then when you rotate it 720 to check timing it's much easier than checking the belt marks in my opinion
 
#43 ·
I concur, it was needlessly fiddly and next time I will. A video or some pictures probably would have convinced me to get the tools from the start. Also, how would I go about checking timing? I was relying on the marks on the belt, but then I realized the marks wouldn't line up again once rotated, so I just made sure I didn't have any obvious interference / clearance issues and crossed my fingers.

Took me longer than I thought after I ran into that issue, I was hesitant to reassemble without thinking it through. I ended up fudging the fuel pump sprocket to line everything up because I didn't want to spin the cam and crank out of sync with each other. Car started without hesitation and the "change timing belt" reminder no longer appears. Warmed it up and added coolant, drove around the block and checked the level, everything seems ok. Letting it cool down so I can recheck the reservoir level and take it for another ride.

My car currently has 110k and the belt looked similar to what has been posted with cracking along the base of the ribs / teeth.
 
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