At least, a couple of things I wish I'd known about before I needed to know it.
Credentials: I work on my own stuff. Engine rebuilds, transmission fixes, rewiring (harness replacement), etc. for this and that, have done for many years. While I've had the Tracker for a couple of decades, I don't know much about it 'cuz it just keeps on running, so I don't fuss with it a whole lot. Just recently I replaced the timing belt/seals and the front cover. I did replace the belt years ago but it has been so long I can't say I remembered much about it.
1. If you remove the radiator for the job (not necessary, but gives you more room...so just do it), when it comes time to put the rad back in, take the donuts off the bottom of the rad, place them IN the frame holes, THEN put the rad back in place. I didn't to that at first and had a time trying to get the lip(s) of the donuts full into the frame holes. Not much room for picking/pushing/poking at the left one, either. It works much better to put the donuts in FIRST.
2. The timing belt tensioner linkage. I did recall having a bit of trouble with this the first time. It seemed to go fine, with the tab of the spring linkage fitting into the hole on the backside of the tensioner...but somewhere along the line it came OUT and I didn't notice it until I went to set the belt tension and realized something wasn't right.
This time, I put a bit of RTV (applied as is proper...let it dry a bit to keep from squeezing it all out) between the spring linkage and the back of the tension roller. Snugged it up with a nut on the mounting bolt, let it sit overnight. That made it MUCH easier to put the pieces back together.
WATCH that spring! It is NOT captive on either end and can easily fall off one end or the other.
There are several ways to thread the belt back into its correctly timed placement. Easiest for me was to have the tension roller installed and move the eccentric as far as you can in relation to the actual roller to allow for the most room for the belt. Place the belt on the two timed pulleys keeping the right side of it snug and with the belt NOT in place around the tensioner, then push/force the belt over the tensioner. You can do a bit of walking of either pulley to help with that. Set the tension. Be sure to tighten BOTH fasteners...the 10mm stud that fits through the linkage AND the 12mm bolt on the tension roller. I had the cover on and three bolts into the crank pulley before it came to mind: Did I tighten that 12mm? I took the pulley and cover off again just to check that I had. It was good.
That belt placement process worked a whole lot better than placing the belt 'around' the tensioner to start with then trying to get the belt into place onto the cam gear.
YMMV
3. And one'a these worked well for the crank bolt. It's a tool designed to work on motorcycle clutch baskets. Worked on the crank gear just fine!
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Why is the alternator fitment such a PITA? It could have been designed to be MUCH easier to get off/on.
Oh well. No one asked me what I thought about it.
Happy wrenching!
Credentials: I work on my own stuff. Engine rebuilds, transmission fixes, rewiring (harness replacement), etc. for this and that, have done for many years. While I've had the Tracker for a couple of decades, I don't know much about it 'cuz it just keeps on running, so I don't fuss with it a whole lot. Just recently I replaced the timing belt/seals and the front cover. I did replace the belt years ago but it has been so long I can't say I remembered much about it.
1. If you remove the radiator for the job (not necessary, but gives you more room...so just do it), when it comes time to put the rad back in, take the donuts off the bottom of the rad, place them IN the frame holes, THEN put the rad back in place. I didn't to that at first and had a time trying to get the lip(s) of the donuts full into the frame holes. Not much room for picking/pushing/poking at the left one, either. It works much better to put the donuts in FIRST.
2. The timing belt tensioner linkage. I did recall having a bit of trouble with this the first time. It seemed to go fine, with the tab of the spring linkage fitting into the hole on the backside of the tensioner...but somewhere along the line it came OUT and I didn't notice it until I went to set the belt tension and realized something wasn't right.
This time, I put a bit of RTV (applied as is proper...let it dry a bit to keep from squeezing it all out) between the spring linkage and the back of the tension roller. Snugged it up with a nut on the mounting bolt, let it sit overnight. That made it MUCH easier to put the pieces back together.
WATCH that spring! It is NOT captive on either end and can easily fall off one end or the other.
There are several ways to thread the belt back into its correctly timed placement. Easiest for me was to have the tension roller installed and move the eccentric as far as you can in relation to the actual roller to allow for the most room for the belt. Place the belt on the two timed pulleys keeping the right side of it snug and with the belt NOT in place around the tensioner, then push/force the belt over the tensioner. You can do a bit of walking of either pulley to help with that. Set the tension. Be sure to tighten BOTH fasteners...the 10mm stud that fits through the linkage AND the 12mm bolt on the tension roller. I had the cover on and three bolts into the crank pulley before it came to mind: Did I tighten that 12mm? I took the pulley and cover off again just to check that I had. It was good.
That belt placement process worked a whole lot better than placing the belt 'around' the tensioner to start with then trying to get the belt into place onto the cam gear.
YMMV
3. And one'a these worked well for the crank bolt. It's a tool designed to work on motorcycle clutch baskets. Worked on the crank gear just fine!
Why is the alternator fitment such a PITA? It could have been designed to be MUCH easier to get off/on.
Oh well. No one asked me what I thought about it.
Happy wrenching!
