Timing belt rides at outer edge of cam sprocket

[sector7agent]

The timing belt on my 2.5 CB rides at the outer edge of the cam sprocket. It looks like the outer edge of the belt is wearing. What could cause this?

[ZachT]

good question! mine does too! hopefully someone chimes in with a quick fix. my problem is probably cause im running a square tooth belt with the square tooth wheels on a CB? it doesn't seem to wear though.

someone will hopefully have a fix.

[thedon809]

Mine does it too and i have an 86 motor. I think it has to do with how tight or loose the belt its tensioned.

[plymouth]

All 3 of my cars ride on that edge but none of my belts show any wear on that side of the belt. Best of luck

[dirtyglhturbo]

is it rideing on the edge, or is the belt hanging over the edge of the gear? if its hanging over, something is worn like the tensioner. otherwise it could be deeper. i doubt you have a 1/4 in of crank end thrust. post a pic and i'll give you my opinion

[glhs0426]

I replaced the tensioner on my engine a month ago and the timing belt moved to the outer edge of the gear without hanging over. Belt tension is the same as before the swap.

[impuresoul2k3]

The tension of the belt does effect where it rides, how're you doing the tension?

[shelbymonster]

did you clean well under the tensioner ? i always clean it , had that trouble before

[89'tonakickin]

this is a fairly easy answer, especially since ive had this happen to me and i learned the hard way.

the timing belt tension is TOO TIGHT and if it is run like this too long the cam shaft will break between the intake and exh. cam lobes. loosen the tensioner a lil bit and you guys should be ok.

BTW there is a search function here FYI

Steve

[dirtyglhturbo]

it just needs to be tight enough not to flap around. you should be able to twist the belt about 90 degrees or so on the long side. no need to crank down on it with a giant bar like you would on a old chevy alternator belt. the actual tensioner tool is nothing more than a 3 oz weight or so with a bracket that hangs on the tensioner and snugs it up for you. its not that much

[dirtyglhturbo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by shelbymonster did you clean well under the tensioner ? i always clean it , had that trouble before

+ 1 on this too.

[woodrow Z]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 89'tonakickin this is a fairly easy answer, especially since ive had this happen to me and i learned the hard way. the timing belt tension is TOO TIGHT and if it is run like this too long the cam shaft will break between the intake and exh. cam lobes. loosen the tensioner a lil bit and you guys should be ok. BTW there is a search function here FYI Steve

+1 I was starting to read this thread just waiting for sombody to come in with the belt being toooooo tight! Cuz thats the ticket.

[PTT]

Old rule of thumb....V-Belts TIGHT and Toothed-Belts LOOSE!

[glhs0426]

I took the belt tensioner off cleaned the block and tensioner mating surface. The belt was retensioned with the Miller tool like it was done with the first tensioner and the replacement. The belt still rides the outer edge without hanging over. So, I loosened the tension on the belt thinking maybe the Miller tool had gained weight like me. Well, the tension on the belt was loose enough that it sounded like there was detonation while cruising down the road. The belt still rode the outer edge of the tensioner without hanging over.

The belt has been retensioned with the Miller tool once again. This particular tensioner must just put the belt in that spot.

[phantomrt]

I strongly disagree with the belt tension causing the belt to ride in a different spot. I had the opposite issue--the belt was riding the inside. So much in fact that it would rub on the front crank seal retainer. I tried it nickel whore loose and million dollar tight and warm or cold engine it made no difference. Tried shimming out the tensioner/guide pulley and that didn't help anything. This problem seemed to have started suddenly. I discovered it when I had a bit of a noise coming from the engine, which turned out to be a 4" long section of belt rubbing.

Try turning the timing belt around and see if it rides the inside edge. The fix for me was to replace the 5,000 mile old Goodyear timing belt. I went with a Mopar one. If Chrysler does go out of business, I don't know what I'm going to do. All the good parts are going to be extinct.