Q: How do I remove the front top timing belt cover on my 2000 dodge stratus 2.4L. There's not enough clearance to get the cover out.

TIMING BELT

REMOVAL & INSTALLATION

REMOVAL

Raise vehicle on hoist and remove right front wheel. Remove right inner splash panel. Remove accessory drive belts. Remove crankshaft vibration damper. Remove generator drive belt idler pulley. Remove lower timing belt cover. Remove right engine support assembly vertical bolts from bottom of frame rail (timing belt end of engine). Lower vehicle. Remove upper timing belt cover. Place floor jack under vehicle to support weight of engine and transaxle assembly. Remove 3 bolts attaching engine mount assembly to engine bracket. Move A/C drier aside. Remove coolant reservoir tank. Remove right engine mount. Remove 3 bolts attaching engine mount bracket to engine block. CAUTION: Align timing marks by rotating crankshaft only. Do not rotate camshaft after timing belt is removed, or engine damage may result. Rotate crankshaft clockwise to align timing marks on camshafts and oil pump housing. See Fig 1. CAUTION: Crankshaft sprocket mark must be located on trailing edge of sprocket tooth. Failure to align trailing edge of sprocket tooth with oil pump housing mark will cause camshaft marks to be misaligned. On models equipped with hydraulic tensioner, remove hydraulic tensioner bolts and remove tensioner. Place hydraulic tensioner in vise, and SLOWLY compress tensioner plunger. Align the holes in the tensioner body and plunger, and insert a pin through the body and plunger to lock the plunger in place. Skip next step. On models with a mechanical timing belt tensioner, insert a 6-mm Allen wrench into tensioner. Insert long end of 3-mm Allen wrench into pin hole on front of tensioner. While rotating the tensioner counterclockwise, push in lightly on the 3-mm Allen wrench until it can be pushed into locking hole. See Fig 2. On all models, if reusing old timing belt, mark belt with arrow to indicate original direction of rotation. Remove timing belt. Fig 1: Aligning Crankshaft & Camshaft Timing Marks G97B50683 Courtesy of DAIMLERCHRYSLER CORP. Fig 2: Adjusting Timing Belt Tension (Mechanical) G98G03600 Courtesy of DAIMLERCHRYSLER CORP. INSPECTION

Inspect timing belt for damaged teeth, cracking and oil contamination. Check timing belt tensioner for worn bearing. Replace damaged components.

INSTALLATION

Question: Updated tensioner Tip: 2.4 timing belt replacement Ensure camshaft and crankshaft timing marks are still aligned. See Fig 1. Set camshafts timing marks together by aligning notches on sprockets. Turn exhaust camshaft sprocket clockwise about 1/2 notch below intake camshaft sprocket. See Fig 3. Install timing belt starting at crankshaft, around water pump sprocket, idler pulley, camshafts sprockets and then around tensioner pulley. On models with hydraulic timing belt tensioner, install tensioner on engine block, but do NOT final tighten bolts. See Fig 4. Apply 21 ft. lbs. (28 N.m) of torque to tensioner pulley in a clockwise direction. See Fig 4. With torque applied to tensioner pulley, push timing belt tensioner against tensioner pulley bracket and final tighten tensioner bolts. See TORQUE SPECIFICATIONS . Rotate exhaust camshaft sprocket counterclockwise to align marks and take up belt slack. See Fig 5. Remove holding pin from tensioner. Timing belt tension is correct when pin can be removed and installed freely. Go to Step 5. On models with mechanical timing belt tensioners, rotate exhaust camshaft sprocket counterclockwise to align marks and take up belt slack. See Fig 5. Pull locking Allen wrench from timing belt tensioner. Go to next step. On all models, rotate crankshaft 2 revolutions and check alignment of timing marks. See Fig 1. If timing marks are not correct, reposition timing belt. Install right engine mount and support bracket. Install upper and lower timing belt covers. Install generator idler pulley. Install crankshaft vibration damper. To complete installation, reverse removal procedure. Adjust drive belts to proper tension. Fig 3: Moving Exhaust Camshaft to 1/2 Notch Position G98A03598 Courtesy of DAIMLERCHRYSLER CORP. Fig 4: Tensioner Installation & Timing Belt Tension Adjustment (Hydraulic Tensioner) G00182570 Courtesy of CHRYSLER CORP. Fig 5: Installing Timing Belt & Removing Slack G00256407 Courtesy of DAIMLERCHRYSLER CORP. TIMING BELT

Correction: Incorrect Timing Belt Link For 2000 models, refer to TIMING BELT REPLACEMENT - 2.4L - VIN B or TIMING BELT REPLACEMENT - 2.4L - VIN X article under ENGINE. For 2001 models, refer to TIMING BELT REPLACEMENT - 2.4L - DOHC, VINs B & S , TIMING BELT REPLACEMENT - 2.4L - VIN G - COUPE or TIMING BELT REPLACEMENT - 2.4L - VINS B & X article under ENGINES.