@HunterD do you know if the crank pulley has to come off to get an accurate idea of where the timing is? I hate that on this engine you cant just pull the top timing covers and crank off without removing a bunch of other stuff. My twin turbo dodge stealth is so much easier to check lol. I know there is a timing mark on the crank pulley but I do not know if there is a visable machined mark without taking the pulley off and removing the lower timing belt cover?

 

There is a dot stamped into the front face of one of the teeth on the lower timing pulley. I don't believe there any way you can see it without removing the crankshaft pulley. You gave to take it off.

 

Yea thats what I figured. Thanks for the help. Hopefully I will have something to report back. If it isnt out of time all I can think of is that the fuel rail is blocked or a oxygen sensor is bad. But the o2's are cycling like they should. Theres no easy way to check fuel psi is there? Clogged cat wouldnt cause that either I dont think. The 02 sensor would show rich and pull fuel instead of add it I would think.

 

@HunterD it turned out to be one tooth off on the drivers side!

 

Sweet. Glad you got it resolved. Thank you for the update.

 

Yup! Gotta do camshaft seals before putting it back together. Not sure what tool people are using to hold the sprockets to torque them down. It’ll be interesting to see how it drives after this, I know the 3.5 is said to be under powered but damn, it had nothing lol.

 

I'm using an older version of this OTC tool:


It works when you need to move the pulley to get a belt properly aligned. It does not "hold" camshaft in a locked position. Because of that camshaft can move unexpectedly, but you can bring it back to where it needs to be and slip the belt on it. I'm sure you can get a special "holder", but they are usually vehicle/engine specific.

 

This is an odd feature of the NM produced for North America. I've installed a cabin air filter on my '02.

Drop the lower glove box all the way down by pinching in the two side stoppers. This will reveal the HVAC box.



Carefully cut out the blanking plate. I used a sharp utility knife or Dremel, the kind that have replacement blades stored inside their handle. But any sharp blade will do. Let your blade cut inside the recessed rectangular groove.



Find a couple of suitable wood/plastic screws. I found a couple from my junk bin. Just need two.



Take your new filter out of the bag, slide it in and screw it tight.



This mob has some good products that are hard to find like cabin air filters and glove box parts.
https://lusooverland.com/mitsubishi-...eatured&page=1
Cheers

 

I noticed yesterday there are threaded bolt holes behind the cam gears. A trick on stealth/3000gt twin turbo is to use bolts with a washer on them to hold the cam gears in place so they do not move. I can’t seem to find my bolts from that but if I do I will try it and take pics if it works. This keeps them locked in place so when doing the belt they can not move.

 

Oh my god, I've been thinking of a way to hold those gears for years. I can't believe I didn't think of using a washer on the end like that. Thanks for the tip!