How do you change the timing belt on a 1993 Mercury Villager with a 3 liter engine?

Answer 1

CAUTIONS: 1993 and 1994-96 timing belts are non-interchangeable. 1993 belt design was changed from a square or trapezoid type to a half circle or round type for 1994-96, This design extends service life of timing belt from 60,000 miles to 105,000 miles. Failure to install correct timing belt may result in a "whining" noise from engine compartment after replacement. Do not interchange individual components (timing belts, sprockets or tensioner spring assembles) between 1993 and 1994-96 model vehicles. These parts are interchangeable as a set only.

REMOVAL

Disconnect battery ground cable, then drain coolant. Remove accessory drive belts. Remove A/C compressor drive belt idler pulley (tensioner) bolts, then idler pulley (tensioner). Remove upper radiator hose bracket bolt. Loosen two upper radiator hose clamps, then remove upper hose and bracket. Remove coolant bypass hose between thermostat housing and intake manifold coolant outlet. Disconnect main wiring harness from upper front cover (timing belt) cover, then remove eight upper timing belt cover bolts, then the upper cover, Fig. 20. Raise and support vehicle. Remove right front wheel and tire assembly and splash shield. Use strap wrench tool No. D85L-6000-A, or equivalent, to hold water pump pulley while removing water pump pulley bolts. Remove water pump pulley from water pump. Remove crankshaft pulley. Remove five lower timing belt cover attaching bolts and the cover. Rotate crankshaft in a clockwise direction to align crankshaft and camshaft sprocket timing marks, Fig. 21. If timing belt is to be reused, mark direction of rotation. Loosen timing belt tensioner nut, then remove timing belt. CAUTION: With timing belt removed, avoid turning camshaft or crankshaft. If movement is required, exercise extreme caution to avoid valve damage caused by piston contact.

INSTALLATION

Using suitable Allen wrench, turn timing belt tensioner clockwise until timing belt tensioner spring is fully extended, then temporarily torque timing belt tensioner nut to 32-43 ft. lbs. Install timing belt. If new belt, ensure white lines on belt align with seal plate (rear timing belt cover) timing marks and timing belt arrow is pointing away from engine block. If reusing timing belt, ensure removal directional arrow is pointing in correct direction. There should be 40 timing belt teeth between left and right camshaft sprockets and 43 teeth between lefthand camshaft sprocket and crankshaft timing belt sprocket. While holding timing belt tensioner pulley in position with suitable hex wrench, loosen tensioner nut. Allow timing belt tensioner to tension belt. Using suitable hex wrench, turn timing belt tensioner 70-80 degrees clockwise, then torque timing belt tensioner nut to 32-43 ft. lbs. Rotate crankshaft clockwise twice and align No. 1 piston to compression stroke TDC. Apply 22 lbs. of force on timing belt between righthand camshaft sprocket and timing belt tensioner. Using suitable hex wrench, hold timing belt tensioner, then loosen tensioner nut and adjust timing belt as follows: Install suitable 0.0138 inch and .5 inch wide feeler gauge between timing belt tensioner, Fig. 22. Installing Feeler Gauge Between Timing Belt & Tensioner

Turn crankshaft clockwise to position feeler gauge between timing belt tensioner and timing belt. Torque timing belt tensioner nut to 32-43 ft. lbs. Turn crankshaft clockwise to remove feeler gauge. Rotate crankshaft sprocket clockwise twice and align No. 1 piston to TDC compression stroke. Apply 22 lbs. of force on timing belt between right and lefthand crankshaft sprockets. Using suitable tool, measure timing belt deflection, 0.51-0.59 inch should be indicated. If not as indicated, repeat step 9. If deflection is still not as indicated, belt may be stretched and have to be replaced. Install lower engine front (timing belt) cover. Install crankshaft and water pump pulley. Install righthand splash shield and wheel assembly. Lower vehicle and install upper timing cover. Connect main wiring harness to upper timing belt cover. Install coolant bypass hose between thermostat housing and intake manifold coolant outlet. Install upper radiator hose, then upper radiator hose bracket. Install A/C compressor drive belt tensioner, then install and adjust accessory drive belts. Check and adjust ignition timing as required.