Timing Belt Broke - what to do?
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Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 10,795
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From: Pflugerville, TX
Vehicle: 2000 Elantra
^ THAT was a very good answer. It's only a few bolts to pull the top timing cover and have a quick peek. The sprocket on the 1.8s and 2.0s I've seen through the mid-2000s had no lips on either edge of the camshaft (top) timing sprocket to prevent walking off.
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 15
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From: NC
Vehicle: 2004 Hyundai Elantra GLS
Have you checked it again recently?
Sometimes when doing a timing belt, the crank sprocket will slide out on the crankshaft a little, until you bolt the pulley onto it.
So if you were spinning the motor over by hand without the crank pulley bolted on holding the sprocket in place it might "walk out" a little bit.
Pop the upper timing cover off and see where it's riding now that it's back together
Sometimes when doing a timing belt, the crank sprocket will slide out on the crankshaft a little, until you bolt the pulley onto it.
So if you were spinning the motor over by hand without the crank pulley bolted on holding the sprocket in place it might "walk out" a little bit.
Pop the upper timing cover off and see where it's riding now that it's back together
I did crank the engine up with the cover off to test everything out before I put the cover back on, and the belt stayed where it was hanging off a little and didnt re-center after running for a few minutes. So the belt walked in, towards the head, not out towards the side of the car. So if anything it seems the bottom crankshaft sprocket would be too far in for whatever reason. That or the camshaft sprocket be too far out for whatever reason. Neither of which makes any sense to me, because I remember when putting it together that it only made sense for anything to be installed one way since there were grooves on the sprockets and a tooth that went in that groove. Someone else asked me if i installed the tensioner correctly. I think so? Seems only one way for that to work too, since its just a bolt that holds it on.


