i'll do my best, it will probably end up pretty abbreviated, but it should cover the basics (i hope). now if someone who has installed this already could chime in... now!

 

i guess that person would be me. my boss and i installed the pulley after work today... sorry guys, but i forgot the camera at home this morning!

i do have some tips for you guys though:

1. definitely oil that bolt that holds the pulley itself on.
2. make sure you line up where the pulley is keyed... with the key!
3. crank the pulley on good before putting the belts back on.
4. watch out for vacuum hoses when tensioning the power steering/a.c. belt! i hit one and ripped it when i was sticking a rachet down there.
5. USE AIR TOOLS. i can't stress this enough... it's so easy when you use air tools.

 

^ so how were the belts? was this install easier than u thought it would be? is this "key" included or where/what is it? and by crank it on good, do u mean all the way and THEN put the belts back on?

 

the belts were easy... the alternator belt has a screw tensioner which is a breeze to operate, and the power steering belt has a regular old pulley tensioner.

as for the key, this is a part on the car. you will notice it right away when you pull the old pulley off. just line up the spot on the new pulley with the key on the car. again, you will know exactly what i am talking about once it's in your face.

definitely tighten the new pulley down completely (134 ft/lbs) with an impact wrench and then a torque wrench to be sure. after you've done this put the belts back on... it will save you a big time headache if the pulley wasn't cranked on enough you will run into trouble with the power steering belt tensioner.

 

ok, great! just 1 more thing... are there specs on belt tensions or how do you know how tight/loose to make them?

 

just crank 'em down until they are tight. you'll know when you're right... just don't OVERtighten 'em. that will cause problems. you will want a little bit of play in the belts, but not a whole ton.

if you want to be %100 sure about torque on tensioners i do believe the diagram RRM provides has the torque specs for each and every bolt you will screw around with. the alternator pivot bolt is best reached from underneath. mine was on there tight, but i was doing this at work (at an oil change place), so we had a pit for me to go in and get better leverage on the bolt.

 

quick question...basically take belts off, do pulley then put belts back on.

If I am planning on doing the timing belt install...when exactly is the best time to do the pulley install? My only concern is moving the pulley indpendently once the timing belt is off...I have done a timing belt install on a DOHC engine in my Volvo before.

 

you should do the pulley at the same time you do the timing belt. my boss was telling me that it looks like the pulley will have to come off ANYWAY when you do the timing belt, so it would be a good idea to just take off the stock one, do the timing belt, and then install the new one.

i would have waited, i am probably doing my timing belt next week... but i wanted the pulley now! then again i am more than likely taking my car to a garage for the timing belt anyway (and wouldn't want to pay extra for the pulley install). i do not trust myself screwing with something that could kill my car and set me back a few thousand bucks.

 

timing belt aint that hard...its all about alighnment...so long as everything stays where it was when the belt comes off...it's all good.

they are usually things you can do to ensure that nothing moves either

 

do you get anymore vibration after replacing your pulley? a friend of mine said it would throw it off balance and cause vibrations.

 

there are no vibrations on my car... the pulley is the exact same size as the stock one, it's just lighter. it even looks similar. your friend is wrong.

 

Doesn't have a Lancer, does he?

The pulley on the Lancer isn't a harmonic balancer or anything. It's just a pulley.

 

Can someone please scan the RRM instructions and place them in this thread for all to see? Thanks in advance.

 

sadude- What can be done to prevent the timing from getting messed with the timing belt off? I want to do the replacement myself, but the timing is my biggest concern since I'm not solid on how to set it back should something move.

 

GUYS, seriously if you want to do the pulley yourself fine, but use air tools. But if you have to ask how to do a timing belt, in all reality you should not be doing it, if the timing is off just one degree, or if you turn the engine back words, you are going to smash all 16 valves, and at $18.00 x 16; new head gasket, plus radiator fluid and oil is it really worth it? just have a shop do it.
phillip