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2003 cts 3.2L timing belt replacement and the works!! PICS!!!!

125K views 66 replies 26 participants last post by  axtel2 
#1 ·
ok so Im not loading the pics untill we are done(should be tomorrow-dec 02). But they are very high quality pictures. Replacing timing belt, water pump, thermostat and spark plugs. So far Ive found that removing some of these fasteners is a joke at best. I have found a few suprises, and am glad that we decided to get these things changed! Cant wait to post the pics.

-Matt
 
#4 · (Edited)
This is not intended to be a write up and step by step how to do these tasks. Its just going to be alot of pictures and some informative words from my experience.

OK, job done. We broke it out over 2 days which made it alot easier. We tore it all down, replaced thermostat, spark plugs, water pump and a few other things we ran across on day 1. Then replaced timing belt and reassembled on day 2. This job looked like it would be a nightmare but it actually wasnt that bad as long as you have some help turning wrenches and so forth. You dont have to be a mechanic, but I would say you atleast need to know how to use basic tools and a good memory as to how things go back together. We ended up with no extra bolts and no lost tools!!!! whooo!!

Tool list that we used:
1/4" ratchet
3/8" ratchet
various 3/8" extensions(we needed 1.5", 3", and 6" extensions)
3/8" swivel/ universal joint
3/8" breaker bar
1/2" breaker bar
various metric sockets, short and deepwell
external torx bits:
E8, E10, E12, E14 (all of those are required)
You can get a great External torx bit set at autozone
for around 8$ with those 4 bits.
Screw driver set
Hammer
5/16" & 3/8" fuel line disconnectors (you need both)
I prefer the plastic clip on kind, the metal scissor kind
are a joke.
standard torx bits, T25, T30, T50 (possibly T45, T47)
There are various torx screws that need removed. The lower intake manifold is standard torx. Also the cam bolts are T50 torx which you may need to slightly adjust cams when you remove the timing belt.
YOU NEED THE CAM TOOL SET!!! I got mine on amazon, which is where I got most of my parts.
YOU NEED ft/lbs & in/lbs TORQUE WRENCHES!!!
2 gallons of dex cool.
(i didnt need intake gasket set because I recently had the valve cover gaskets replaced and my intake gaskets were also replaced. They still looked new when I pulled the intake.... You may need them)
RAMPS, by having the front end up on ramps, little back breaking bending over was required. We could easily reach everything by leaning on fenders and so forth. It defenitly made the job easier.
Fender Blankets, We put foam sheeting over the fenders and front end to keep the car protected, but it also made for extra comfort on your body.

I believe thats all the tools we used. I can say that autozone had all these tools at about half the price advance auto had, and more variety.
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I bought my parts from amazon, which saved a huge amount of money. The acdelco timing kit came with "gates" instructions and the part numbers/ castings matched the OEM parts that came off the car. The acdelco water pump was nice and thick, used a big cast iron imperller as oppossed to the bent steel stock water pump. BEWARE when buying the thermostat housing, because there is a correct one and a wrong one. I originally bought the gates housing from amazon which said exact fit. When it came time to put it on, we found that the bolt bosses on the gates were half the height of the factory unit, the coolant pipe didnt fit in good, and the oring was about as thick as a hair. I was able to buy a duralast thermo housing from autozone, which was actually an OEM unit, that matched and had same name, castings, and numbers as the OEM unit (motorad). I then found that amazon also sells the MOTORAD brand thermostat housing.. IMPORTANT NOTCIE: use your torque wrenches!!! The majority of the fasteners I would of overtightened easily by hand had I not used my torque wrenches!! Alot of the stuff is in in/lbs. Beware of using your ft/lbs torque wrench and converting to in/lbs because they are just not that precise for the small torque specs that are required. Various wirring harnesses, and plugs need to be unclipped and moved out of the way. THAT is a huge pain on some of those clips. Becareful of the thin plastic vaccuum lines, and most likely the plastic T that connects the small coolant hose to the throttle body will break just from you looking at it! (easily repaired with a 5/16" or 3/8" brass T). If you want to avoid a huge mess, remove the under engine splash shield and place a LARGE catch pan under the car. Even after draining the coolant, when we pulled the water pump out about a gallon of coolant came rushing out and went everywhere from the splash shield being there. CAUTION: if you intend to replace the water pump, SHield the timing belt from coolant. It will go all over it if you dont and compromise the belt.
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Other than fighting with a few very hard to get fasteners like the bottom serpentine belt tensioner bolt (use a 3/8" ratch with uni-joint and E14 socket, it works!!) and the small E10 bolt that is on the bottom of the metal harness bracket that goes over the passenger side valve cover.... Everything else wasnt to bad to get to or remove. Just take your time and use your brain. DONT throw your tools or give up. I made a huge mistake and had though I Effed my engine up. While the cam locking tools were installed and my timing belt was off.....my cams werent lining up EXACTLY with the timing marks on the rear timing cover... SO I decided to pull the locking tool and while holding one cam, id adjust the other cam then reinsert the locking tool.... I used a breaker bar to hold one cam and a ratchet to move the other. DO NOT DO THAT!!!! The ratchet allowed the cam to spring freely and I thought I had just bent some valves and screwed my engine. Luckily it didnt. SO--- IF YOUR GOING TO ADJUST CAMS, DO NOT USE A RATCHET....ONLY BREAKER BARS!!! Also becareful when going counter clockwise on the cam bolts because if you loosen them you have to replace them and that wont be fun!!! Well thats about all I can think of right now, Ill get the pics up either tonite or tomorrow.


Also, the instructions and the manual we had did not give very thorough instructions on how to set or adjust the timing belt tensioner and eccentric idler pullies. Im not sure if I did it correctly, so I dont wanna list the steps I did(even though the car started and runs fine, it may not be correct?). I can say that the kits come with a lower idler that is an eccentric and the factory unit is just a regular idler...dont worry, as the eccentric idler helps with extra adjustment. Follow the availble instructions in your repair manual as best you can for the idlers and belt tensioning. I would compare that proccess as nerve wracking as disarming a bomb and trying to decide which wire to cut. I was sweating bullets and very nervous I was doing it wrong. I then rotated the engine probably 10 cycles just to verify that my tension and such was correct. The cam tool set came with several sets of instructions, mine had a small booklet for the saturn engines. those instructions matched and went more indepth than that repair manual... DOUBLE and TRIPLE check your work on the timing stuff.

Finally... I must stress... USE YOUR TORQUE WRENCHES.. you can easily over tighten fasteners and strip or warp your parts. 71 inch lbs is slightly snug and snugging by hand can easily go way over that... so use those torque wrenches...
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cam tool kit: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004CGKR9M/ref=oh_details_o05_s01_i00
Timing set: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008BZTMGO/ref=oh_details_o05_s01_i02
Water Pump: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000C9KN7E/ref=oh_details_o05_s01_i01
Thermostat housing with thermostat(correct motorad): http://www.amazon.com/Motorad-349-1...&sr=8-4&keywords=2003+cadillac+cts+thermostat

Spark Plugs: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000IUPYUI/ref=oh_details_o04_s00_i00

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I also may be interested in renting my cam tool kit, with a refundable deposit and weekly rent.
 
#7 · (Edited)
well this forum refuses to let me add pictures, wont take the full size, the half size or any size i make them, weather 1mb each, 600kb or 200kb... so i guess no pics for you guys.

no matter what i do it wont let me add them. even when they are all at 100kb, it says ive reached my attachment quota on each computer.
 
#15 ·
Those red cam locking tools are numbered and will only fit the correct sides as labeled.... plus they are a bitch to get in, and your timing marks might be slightly off to get them to fit while your old belt is on. with mine, I could get one cam to line up but the other cam would easily be 1/4" off. Thats why when I removed my belt I then adjusted the cam that was off...on each side.
 
#17 ·
well i had been searching for info like this and couldnt seem to find much useful info or pics of the whole deal. I hope that my information, experience, and pictures can help anyone planning to do this task! I would highly reccomend replacing spark plugs, thermostat, and water pump if your going to tackle the timing belt.
 
#21 ·
After getting the new timing belt on, tensioner and idler pulleys.....with tension set the best I could....i rotated the engine over quite a few times because I was so nervous that something wasnt right. everything lined up every two revolutions!!! right on the money. im no master tech, just a guy whos willing to tackle things and save thousands of dollars! Thanks for the kind words!!
 
#24 ·
not at first... the cams were not lining up perfectly with the notches on the timing cover... so thats why i decided to adjust them a tad to line up better.. but when you go to put the belt on you find out that its not possible for the marks to line up perfectly with the notches... but it doesnt matter, as long as they are close because the marks DO line up perfectly with the measure plate that comes in the kit and thats the important part. As long as the marks are very close to the notches and the marks line up perfectly with that guide plate. Also the pictures are not centered, so prespective throws it off a bit. they werent THAT far off as they look in the pictures.
 
#28 ·
Excellent write up and pics, I know you all realize this is the same engine that is used in the Catera with slightly larger displacement. Everything is identical with the 3.0 used in the Cat, Saturn Vue, Saturn L-300, Saab 93, Opel Omega etc... Look at the under-hood pictures of any 2000 or 2001 Catera. CTS stands for Catera Touring Sedan. Lots of info and instructions available on timing belt replacement etc under these make and models, especially the Catera. It is amazing how this great engine was dissed so much in the Catera. In Opel Omega form it was regularly used in taxi cabs and police cars for 3-400k miles in Europe with regular maint.
 
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