what_stanger?

hey everybody
don't worry about the name i come in peace.
i do have a mustang, but i respect people who know their cars and are enthusiasts like i'm sure almost everybody here does.

i recently obtained an 89 civic 4 door with a 1.5. The car is supposed to be my reliable winter beater, and soon should be.
the car had a blown headgasket when i got it and i just had the head pressure checked and milled.
I'm ready to put it back together and have a minor problem, i can't find marks on my crank pulley, how close could i be if i'm positive i'm at TDC on #1 (after the head is off, i can easily see it)?
i was thinking i could just line up #1 at TDC and not worry about the marks on the crank pulley, (after all, thats just to line up for TDC anyway, right?---the white one i mean) then set the head on, and line up the cam gear accordingly (laterally set lines inline with surface of the head, words 'up' facing up) and be good to go?

obviously take the plugs out and turn the engine slowly by hand to make sure i don't bash any valves, anybody think it'll be ok?

thanks,
Dan
btw, i did search and haven't found much information, except people doing timing belt changes and none of them had the head off, so this was never discussed.
thanks again.

what_stanger?

where will the marks be on the crank pulley?
ontop (between two belts?) or on the side (drivers side) ??

jlicrx

the marks are on the crank pulley like this:

what_stanger?

ok, that helps a ton.
thanks man.

i don't have that 'v-tail' or gunsight. i just have the northmost post on top.
so the marks will be on the passenger side of the crank pulley, eh?

the white one, or 0 degrees, should be away from the 3 together right? (12,14,16?)

i can't f'in see them guys.
so now onto the first part of my question, think i'll be ok 'eyeing it' ?
the head is off, i can see the piston reach TDC, but i was looking in the wrong spot for marks, i was looking in the middle of the pulley, are they just marked on? or is it actually a groove?

thanks so much for that fast reply!

what_stanger?

ok, i didn't look at that picture well enough i guess.
i went out and checked and sure enough the alternator belt blocks what i thought the marks were supposed to be, after seeing that picture.
but that didn't make sense, how would you time it? take a belt off? duh.

i looked closer at the picture provided here, and the marks are right where i thought they should be, i've got nothing.
zero marks, i can't really see grooves either?
how pronounced are they?

and about the leave piston at TDC and screw the pulley/line up crank stuff?
any thoughts on that?
much appreciated

thanks.

m735is

Shouldn't there be a mark on the lower sprocket that lines up with a mark on the oil pump housing? Obviously the pully has to be off to see this.
Sorry, I'm not that far along on my gasket job. Tommorrow AM I should be at the point you are. Hopefully.

what_stanger?

i'm not sure, i can't see the lower sprocket.
i'm doing this as cheap as possible.

timing belt looks ok, if it breaks later my fault.
i was planning on literally just taking off/moving stuff out of the way to get the job done.
anything not needed to be removed, wasn't.

now i've got the head back, and everythings ready to go back, but i've got no marks, i know number 1 has to be top dead center, and i basically hope someone can tell me by my eyeing it, it will or will not be close enough to have the belt line up with cam gear, i'm guessing i may have to move crank a hair left or right once i get the head up, if the belt isn't quite perfect, but maybe it will be?

i've got work in the morning on monday, and i really don't want to bring the mustang out in this weather.
any help appreciated.

but no, i can't see the sprocket, and the crank pulley hasn't been off, not by me at least.
obviously probably by someone else, sometime. maybe.

Tankard

Yes. It's an arrow on the motor, and a little groove that's barely noticable on the sprocket. Also, the key chuck groove should be straight up towards the top of the motor.

what_stanger?

ok, worst case scenario do that then?
two lines that line up, one on lower sprocket and one on the oil pump housing?

can i line this up by eye?
will it be close enough?
i can see top dead center plain as day.
i really don't want to take more crap off, that i don't know how or what has to come off first in order for the next part to come off

m735is

I just removed the head on mine. In order to be positive you would have to take off the pully, which means belts and lower timing cover. At minimum the pully bolt to see if the key is staright up (that one bolt can be hard to remove).

If not, if everything was lined up before you took off the head and you didn't move the crank position, I say go for it.

My head has leaky valve seals and a f'd up plug hole. I think I'll just swap the running motor and tranny from the car we're junking, since that motor works fine and has less miles.