Timing belt actuator

[dogginred90]

Well I started tearing into my son's 1992 Z34 yesterday. Got the timing belt and pulleys all off and removed the actuator. Needless to say the rubber boot on the actuator is ripped so I will be replacing it. Anyone know a good site to buy it from. I have found a few but not sure where people are buying them from. Oh and yea the belt wasn't going to last much longer. Both plastic pulleys the bearings fell out when I undid them. I mean the pulleys stayed there and the bolt and bearings came out. Thanks guys

[GabsOlds]

Try www.rockauto.com. Just be extra sure that you make the right selection into your shopping cart before you pay. There is no customer service to call. It's there, but you cannot talk to anybody. 

[jiggity76]

Hey dogginred90, if your talking about the silver round bullet looking actuator with the rubber booted piston looking thing, I had no luck with Rockauto or my local parts store.  They only show the round or pulley looking one.  Had to go to my local GM dealer to find it (made posts in junkyard thread about it).  GM part # is 24503860.  It called the actuator, timing belt tensioner.  There is also a plate in that area but I think you can reuse the one on the car.  The number for that one is 24503861 if you need to get a new one.  My local GM dealer didn't have it in stock but could overnite it at a price of $142 bucks.  Getting parts ordered for my 91 International DOHC so that's why I know all this.  Not sure if this actuator is a wearable or non wearable item but going to replace it along with all the other stuff once I'm in there.  Hope this helps and good luck!

[Psych0matt]

Replace it. I did the tbelt on my cutlass without that, 500 miles later it died. I had to order it from the dealer since it wasn't available anywhere else. And this was 12 years ago.

[jiggity76]

I agree with Psych0matt, you might as well replace all the components while your in there even if they look good.

[dogginred90]

I am going to replace it. Just dnot want to get some China made piece of cra that will just fail. I figured you guys bought them and just wondered where a good place was to get one. Thanks guys.

[Galaxie500XL]

I ended up buying two, both from the dealership. The first one failed at 30,000 miles. Definitely something that should be replaced with the timing belt. 

[jiggity76]

No problem dogginred90, unfortunately GM is the only place I could find that has them but their OEM quality-$142 sucks but good quality part.

[Go4DaMo]

My LQ1's was replaced at 37,000 miles, preventatively, then failed at 73,000

[Nas Escobar]

Did you change the timing belt pulleys? 

[jiggity76]

Randy the dealer service guy recommends changing out the belt at about 30,000 miles but he said GM says you can go to around 60,000 miles but doesn't agree to this.  He also said since you have everything apart you might as well change out the two idler pulleys, the round tensioner, the bullet tensioner and of course the belt. 

[GabsOlds]

Didn't know rockauto doesn't have the hydraulic tensioner. I apologise.

[dogginred90]

Yea I got new pulleys. I had to get them. When I took them off the pulley bearings fell out of the pulley. The plastic pulleys all broke around the bearings. I am shocked that it still ran with all this damage in there. Took the upper and lower intakes off and the vavle cover gaskets today. I had an oil leak in the back of the motor so I figured I might as well tear it all down and replace. Especially since that dist. Drive seal likes to leak it all had to come off anyway. I hope I get all the leaks fixed. Got to also change injector orings since one tore when taking them off. Do them all since it's my son's car

[Padgett]

Rock Auto has a kit that includes the pulleys. My belt is at about 45k but took off the cover, cranked a bit, & looks new/no slack. Have the kit just not yet installed.

 

Lower intake manifold kit includes all gaskets inc EGR but no O rings. Which do the injectors take ? AC Delco Blue ?

Edited February 21, 2017 by Padgett

[Galaxie500XL]

Definitely replace the pulleys. My first belt failure was due to the previous owner changing the belt, but not the pulleys. 

 

One of the The bearings went bad, overheated one of the plastic pulley wheels, which melted from the heat.  It was actually melted to the plastic belt cover. 

[Nas Escobar]

Rock Auto has a kit that includes the pulleys. My belt is at about 45k but took off the cover, cranked a bit, & looks new/no slack. Have the kit just not yet installed.

 

Lower intake manifold kit includes all gaskets inc EGR but no O rings. Which do the injectors take ? AC Delco Blue ?

I used felpro injector o rings.

 

Sent from my Moto G4 Plus using Tapatalk

[dogginred90]

The O rings I am getting are the Delco blue ones fom Rockauto. They are blue on there now. Everything will be new belt, pulleys,actuator, and all gaskets up top. Going to soak the valve covers and intake in Purple Power for a day or 2. They are horrible

[dogginred90]

Well got the timing belt installed today and the intake put back on. It fired right up. I did a tuneup also. Boy does it run good. Got one issue though. Idling the rpms climb up to about 1500-2000 till I Rev it up then it goes normal. But it comes back. Any ideas. It did this before I tore it all apart. Maybe IAC???

[Galaxie500XL]

Check your electrical connections for the throttle position sensor, and IAC. 

[Padgett]

Need to be able to read the sensors. Need either something like a OTC 2000 with the 92 or 93 GM cartridge or visit Moates.net for an 'ALDU1 and CABL1' plus the TunerPro RT software.

[Galaxie500XL]

You might also look around the EGR mounting to the manifold...my first timing belt replacement, I had problems getting the EGR to seal properly on the manifold.

[Schurkey]

Didn't know rockauto doesn't have the hydraulic tensioner.

The tensioner is not hydraulic.  It works on a screw-thread principle; spring-loaded.  There is oil inside for lube, but it isn't pressurized.

 

I suppose the spring could break (hey, anything can happen) but I wouldn't expect that to be a common problem, as the spring is only tightened at timing-belt installation time, and then gradually unwinds as the belt wears.  So you own the car 300,000 miles, you've changed the timing belt five or six times--the spring has been tensioned and unwound six or seven times.  Meanwhile, the valve springs have been tensioned and relieved about eleventy-billion times.

[dogginred90]

Didn't get a chance to look at it tonight. It was getting dark and I wanted to get the mufflers off to get ready for new ones. The one was original, I can't believe it lasted that long. This car is a Pa. car all its life and no rust at all. Original 90,000 mile car. Hopefully I can look at it more during the week.

[White93z34]

The tensioner is not hydraulic.  It works on a screw-thread principle; spring-loaded.  There is oil inside for lube, but it isn't pressurized.

 

I suppose the spring could break (hey, anything can happen) but I wouldn't expect that to be a common problem, as the spring is only tightened at timing-belt installation time, and then gradually unwinds as the belt wears.  So you own the car 300,000 miles, you've changed the timing belt five or six times--the spring has been tensioned and unwound six or seven times.  Meanwhile, the valve springs have been tensioned and relieved about eleventy-billion times.

 

When I had a belt let go on my old 93' Z34 it was the tensioner that failed, spring inside broke, the belt, and all other components for that matter were just fine. I've seen that failure mode enough to deduce that its at very least not unheard of.

 

I used to buy them from the dealer, but it seems that's getting to be a hard to find part these days.

[Galaxie500XL]

The last one I bought cost around $140.00 from the dealer, and it took several days to get one in.

 

My last one failed the same way, after only around 30,000 miles...and it was brand-new.