Getting TDC (Top Dead Center) with an Automatic

[pencilneck]

In my daily job, I've found myself explaining how to get the TDI engine to TDC if there is an automatic trans, hard to explain over the phone, but I think these photos will pretty much tell the story.... this may seem like basic 101 timing belt... but I'm surprised at how often this comes up....

First off, DO NOT USE THIS FOR TDC:

I've seen where the serp belt pully can shift and end up being off a few teeth! This is OK for getting you in the ball park, but should NEVER be trusted.

You need to look for the mark on the flex plate through the a port in the transmission:


The close up shot of the alignment mark:


You want to "split the circle" on the bottom edge of the inspection port. You will be looking just over the radiator support when you do this:


That, my friends, is TDC. There are other engine/trans combinations that this pretty much works with. Sometimes there can be a lot of surface rust on the flex plate, so it can be hard to see the mark. I've used a screw driver to scrap the surface rust off so I can see the mark in these cases.

Later.