06 pacifica with 94k, 3.5 liter. I have purchased the dealers service manual, and could someone please tell me why when replacing the timing belt it says you have to take valve covers off and loosen rocker arms. I have done timing belts before, and have never had to do that.
thanks

 

this is why you need to remove the covers.moe

 

1 - RIGHT CAMSHAFT GEAR ALIGNMENT MARK
7 - LEFT CAMSHAFT GEAR

2 - RIGHT CAMSHAFT GEAR
8 - LEFT CAMSHAFT GEAR ALIGNMENT MARK

3 - CYLINDER HEAD TO INNER TIMING BELT COVER BOLTS - RIGHT
9 - CRANKSHAFT GEAR ALIGNMENT MARK

4 - TIMING BELT
10 - CRANKSHAFT GEAR

5 - WATER PUMP PULLEY
11 - TIMING BELT TENSIONER PULLEY

6 - CYLINDER HEAD TO INNER TIMING BELT COVER BOLTS - LEFT
12 - TIMING BELT TENSIONER

 

Moe,
thanks for replying on both of my posts. Yes, I have that same picture, but I need to make sure we are talking about the same covers. The manual says to take off the cylinder head covers and loosen the rocker arm in the timing belt removal part. Are you talking about the timing belt front cover. It says to do this because it is a non freewheeling engine.
Moe, I appreciate you helping me, I just don't understand why I would have to take off the cylinder head covers, please explain
thanks again
Greg

 

I'm not sure, maybe Moe will get back to you with a definite answer but it MAY be that if you to rotate the cams without the belt on the valves could hit a piston or 2 so if you back off on the rocker arms the valves won't open when you spin the cams. I think when they say "Non-freewheeling" they mean it's an interference engine where the pistons can hit the valves if the timing belt is off (or broken) and things are spinning. Now if that's the case, as long as the old timing belt is intact and IF you line up all the marks BEFORE you take the old belt off, you shouldn't need to loosen the rockers as long as you don't turn either cam or the crank while the belt's off. Good luck.

 

indept,
that is what i thought. this engine is just like mitsubishi 3.0l
align all the marks before you take the belt off. The only thing I can figure is when I have taken off the timing belt I have had a camshaft sprocket all of a sudden bump forward. When this has happened I just rotate it back. lt has always been less than 45 degrees. I really don't know.
Every other step on this engine is exactly the same as the caravan, mitsubishi 3.0 except for the removing the cylinder head covers/loosen the rocker arms step. So just trying to make sure before i start.
thanks again

 

Moe, you're the best! Diagrams and all, your posts are the so informative!

 

Well I must admit I did not know the thing about loosening the rocker shafts. Prior to 98,the 3.5L was a free wheeling engine. I have done many a timing belt on pre and post 98 engines and have never loosened the rockers off. Im betting Moe never has either. By the looks of his posts,I think he thinks you were talking the frt timing covers.

 

yes, I emailed him and he said he never had loosened rocker arms either. I thought also he was talking about timing belt covers. It is in the service manual though chapter 9 page 103 step 3 in the 06 pacifica service manual. I just can't imagine why you would have to do all that extra work.

 

Having trouble lining up timing marks 3.5 always a tooth off what am I doing wrong