5. Removal of timing belt front covers (a) Raise the front of the vehicle and support it using properly rated jack stands. It is important for safety reasons to use adequate supporting equipment to prevent injury or damage to the vehicle. (b) Remove the front left wheel. (c) From underneath vehicle, remove inner debris shield from inside fender well. (d) From the engine compartment, remove all drive belts (a/c, alternator/power steering belts), and Figure 1A and 1B the water pump pulley set. (e) Put a jack underneath the engine for support and remove the front engine mount, the a/c idler pulley, and remove the front center cover. (f) From underneath, remove the crankshaft pulley and then remove the front lower cover. 6. Removing the timing belt (a) Rotate the crankshaft so that the number 1 piston is at TDC on compression. Verify that the camshafts are in proper timing for this position. Fig 2A. i) The dowel pins near the center of each gear will close to the 12 o’clock position. ii) The oil pump shaft and crankshaft timing marks are lined up with reference marks on the front engine cover. (1) It is important to examine the oil pump pulley as the mark is not very easily seen (it may be obscured by dirt). The mark is a reverse embossed dot with white paint on it.

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