Cam Pulley Removal

I’m in the process of changing the timing belt on my 2001 3.4l. I got the 2 cam & crank marks aligned, removed the belt, but when I removed the camshaft pulley bolts they got out of alignment.

what can I do to fix this?

 

As long as you line everything up when you install the new belt you should be good.

 

Should I rotate the camshaft back into alignment before installing the new timing belt?

 

Yes install the cam gears, torque the bolts, and line up the marks.

 

Did you buy a cam pulley tool, something like this?

$42 Performance Tool W89208 Cam Pulley Holder (Nissan/Toyota/OHC/Camry/Maximas/V6)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002KSEJ6Q?ie=UTF8&language=en_US

 

Yes, I have one.

 

I don't know how far into the re-assembly you are, but to make life easy, I'd suggest backing off the timing hydraulic tensioner (matter of fact I'm not sure if you can really install the belt properly without doing so), or if you're replacing it don't pull that pin until it's all lined up. Also, to get the get all the timing lined up correctly, I had to have the crank retarded one cog initially, and after one complete revolution of the cams (which is 2 at the crank I think), then it would line up properly...I fought one night with that and eventually that was the solution. Here is a good link for you as well if you don't have one:

https://adventuretaco.com/guide/ste...6t0XgCJZJXJy5AMQPJvKu0rk6dl812boi227jzwLFqfmk