Captain Sweeney

So everything is off the front end and all the timing stuff is easily accessible. I was wondering if I should replace the damper for the timing belt tensioner, as well as if the tensioner should be replaced. Reason I ask is because the little bugger (piston) is like $100, the tensioner is much cheaper. If i should replace tensioner should I just go and do that lever assembly that moves it with the damper?

Also sorta a side note, how do I get off the crankcase seal at the bottom of the engine front? I can not seem to get a grip on it to pull if off.

Y888

Yes and dont use ntn as some people say its garbage even though oem is made by them.

jfrahm

IMO no, not without good reason when doing the 1st timing belt. Maybe at the second. I have reused many of these w/o problems but you want to clean them before compressing them. I do not think they are pressurized but more of an oil-dampened spring piston and they are not mounted in such a way where the damping fluid can leak out so the real concern IMO would be the spring breaking. I have not heard of this happening. It'd be good to replace it if the cost is not significant to you or if you'd worry about it. In my case $100 could be used for a lot of other stuff and I would not (and do not) worry about it one little bit.

Good cutaway and description of the tensioner:
https://ww2.gates.com/europe/file_di...nsioners%2Epdf

Captain Sweeney

Do you happen to know how to remove that crankcase seal? Mine is rock solid in there.

Captain Sweeney

Thank you very much.

​Would you know how to remove that crankcase seal at the bottom of the engine, front? Mines really stuck in there.

Oxnardo Ring

Definitely change it. I used to want to scrimp on stuff like this, but it's SO expensive to go back and re-do that anymore my philosophy is to replace all the accessories every time I do TB and WP.
And, these do fail. I had an '01 that had only 180K on it, one TB change at 110K, but the tensioner assembly wasn't... Caught it before my valves met my pistons, but...