Tdc

Axel-Breaker-Earl

When fixing your timing belt that is off a tooth or two.......simply ensure that you set your engine at TDC on the COMPRESSION STROKE first.
To do this you can remove the #1 spark plug (the frontmost cylinder is cylinder #1) and either place your thumb over the spark plug hole, or better, screw a compression tester into the #1 spark plug hole, and turn your engine over by hand, and once you feel your thumb being pushed OFF of the spark plug hole.......or the compression tester shows pressure is building in the cylinder.......YOU ARE ON THE COMPRESSION STROKE!

Once you are on the compression stroke, rotate the engine SLOWLY until the #1 piston is at the top of it's cylinder.......YOU ARE THEN AT TOP DEAD CENTER! You should be able to look down at the LOWER TIMING GEAR on the front of the crankshaft and verify that the "U" notch in the lower timing gear is aligned with the cast-in INDICATOR on the face of the aluminum oil pump.......it should look like this:

Axel-Breaker-Earl

RIGHT AND LEFT REFERENCES BELOW, ARE MADE AS YOU ARE FACING THE FRONT OF YOUR ENGINE!

If your engine has been running.......then you are just a tooth (or two) off on the crankshaft-to-camshaft timing......as Mitch said above.
To fix this, align the engine as it is in YOUR picture at the beginning of this thread. Verify that your bottom crankshaft pulley is looking like the picture that I just posted above, and then loosen your timing belt TENSIONER BOLT. (bearing on the Left)

Use a screwdriver or something to push your tensioner over to the LEFT so that you timing belt is loose.....then tighten the tensioner bolt down again so it doesn't push on the timing belt. Grab the timing belt from the top of the cam gear and pull it OFF of the cam gear so that you can rotate the CAM ONLY (the lower crank gear cannot rotate!!!) slightly to the right so that the #1 arrow on the cam gear is aligned with the cast-in ARROW at the top of the front housing.

NOW......without turning the crankshaft ANY AT ALL, slip the timing belt (that you are still holding) back onto the cam gear.......BUT......make certain that the timing belt has NO SLACK on the RIGHT SIDE (the left side must have ALL of the slack!) AND......make sure that you have not pulled the timing belt (when trying to have no slack) so much that you rotated the crankshaft!! VERY IMPORTANT!!

Once the cam and crank are where they are supposed to be, AND there is no slack on the right side of the timing belt......loosen the tensioner bolt so the tensioner pushes on the timing belt and removes the slack out of the LEFT side of the timing belt! DO NOT TIGHTEN THE TENSIONER BOLT YET!!!

Turn the engine over by hand in the normal direction, a couple of revolutions. Verify that every time the CAMSHAFT GEAR aligns with the ARROW up top, the lower crankshaft gear is aligned with it's arrow down on the oil pump.

If all is staying put as it should......tighten the tensioner bolt to spec.

You should also verify that you distributor ROTOR is pointing to the #1 spark plug tower on the distributor cap (9:00 o'clock position) whenever the cam & crank timing belt marks are aligned as explained above (while your turning the engine by hand).

Mrcrowley

Axel-Breaker-Earl I need to know where the cam gear needs to sit

Axel-Breaker-Earl

Whew! Hopefully I have written this well enough for you to understand easily Mrcrowley. If you have any questions, please just ask below and I will try to explain.

Let us know how it goes!

MazdaMitch

Also in the files section, two docs on timing.
https://mazdaminitruckin.com/engine-info/

MazdaMitch

Mrcrowley Those clear fuel lines. Are they really 'fuel' lines?

That might be trouble in the future if not rated for fuel.

Mrcrowley

MazdaMitch yes and they work great

Mrcrowley

MazdaMitch ya they are fuel line and rated at like 6 or 7 psi

Mrcrowley

Axel-Breaker-Earl where should the cam set I git the bottom in place I think it's setting on the T on the cover and the inside gear is rite I just need to know where the cam should be in position thanks

Cusser

Mrcrowley I need to know where the cam gear needs to sit

If the bottom timing gear looks like this

Then your camshaft gear needs to have the #1 and arrow pointing straight up at the down-pointing triangle on the cover just behind the camshaft gear.

Mrcrowley

Should the bottom be on the T or the 10?

Mrcrowley

Cusser thank you so much so the dot on my cam pulls means nothing? Correct

Axel-Breaker-Earl

As Cusser has stated. With the timing belt off of the Cam Gear......just put a wrench on the cam gear bolt and turn clockwise until the #1 and arrow line up as shown by Cusser's photos.

Axel-Breaker-Earl

DO NOT ROTATE THE CAMSHAFT ANYMORE THAN YOU NEED TO.........in other words, don't rotate the cam several revolutions without the timing belt connected! Only turn it enough to align the marks up!

Axel-Breaker-Earl

I just noticed that you pulled the distributor out of the front housing.......you didn't need to do that. Once you get the timing belt back on.....let us know, and post some pics of the cam and crank timing marks so we can tell that all is good to set the distributor then.

Mrcrowley

Axel-Breaker-Earl ok thank you

Mrcrowley

The exhaust valve should be opening as the pressure stroke goes down correct?

Mrcrowley

Ok is this not correct? Crank is a TDC on pressure stroke the cam is at #1 and the distributor is at 9 o'clock? If I'm wrong any where plz let me know thanks

Cusser

Distributor rotor should point about 9 or 9:30 with factory distributor. Sounds like you already figured out that the rotor/shaft will turn some as you insert the distributor fully. So time to pull out your strobe timing light.

Mrcrowley

Cusser I've set I'm b4 on trucks and cars I just can't seem to figure out what's wrong it was running but was out of time a Lil as you cab see in first pics up now I can get it to fire at all it's like it lost spark or something and I can't figure out how

Axel-Breaker-Earl

That looks like you are good Mrcrowley.......give it a go and see if you are running smooth now......without any popping out of the exhaust. Keep us posted in your thread here!

Here is a link for some info on the 4-cycle internal combustion engine.......and there are plenty more diagrams and info on this if you google the process.

https://engineeringdiscoveries.com/how-does-a-four-stroke-engine-work/

Mrcrowley

Axel-Breaker-Earl thanks for all the help