H22 timing belt cover bolt

[9tAkord]

I have an H22 swap and in the process of changing my timing belt. I got into one glitch. The bolt that is holding the upper timing belt cover does not clear the shock tower. Do anybody know's any technique on how to go about remowing the bolt so I can take out the upper timing belt cover.
Thanks.

[cp[mike]]

hey arnold! glad you still have the car!

that bolt is a tough one - ive seen people leave it out entirely - but personally I usually just force it! the plastic timing cover has a little bit of give and you can bend the bolt forward and pull and it eventually jams its way out.

I think the correct way is probably to loosen the bolt, and remove the other one. Then you can pull the cover out a little bit and move it forward to give the bolt more room to then be pulled out. Like, remove the cover & bolt together at the same time.

[illinois_erik]

Yeah that bolt is a pain..found out when buttoning up my swap, it's a long ass bolt.. I even d/c that motor mount and dropped the engine as far as I could without messing up the other mounts..I gave up and just ran it w/o the upper cover till I feel like messing with it again, but I'm glad I did as my junk ass Yonaka gasket set blows and the cam seals are leaking..anyway good luck

[9tAkord]

hey arnold! glad you still have the car!

that bolt is a tough one - ive seen people leave it out entirely - but personally I usually just force it! the plastic timing cover has a little bit of give and you can bend the bolt forward and pull and it eventually jams its way out.

I think the correct way is probably to loosen the bolt, and remove the other one. Then you can pull the cover out a little bit and move it forward to give the bolt more room to then be pulled out. Like, remove the cover & bolt together at the same time.

Yeah Mike, car is still running good! I've put in about close to 80,000 miles after you have swapped in the motor, now its time for timing belt maintenance. I've learned so much working on the car thru the years and I tell you, it's been a lot of fun. Thanks for the tip.

Yeah that bolt is a pain..found out when buttoning up my swap, it's a long ass bolt.. I even d/c that motor mount and dropped the engine as far as I could without messing up the other mounts..I gave up and just ran it w/o the upper cover till I feel like messing with it again, but I'm glad I did as my junk ass Yonaka gasket set blows and the cam seals are leaking..anyway good luck

So sorry to hear about your gasket problem. I think it's better to keep the cover on so as not to contaminate the timing drive components and not to exposed them to the elements.

[djcaz_aom]

I always loosen the torque mount and remove the drivers side mount, since it has to come out anyways.

Use a piece of 2x4 and a jack to raise and lower the engine. If you raise it high enough, you will have access to the bolt.

Hope that helps out.

[9tAkord]

I always loosen the torque mount and remove the drivers side mount, since it has to come out anyways.

Use a piece of 2x4 and a jack to raise and lower the engine. If you raise it high enough, you will have access to the bolt.

Hope that helps out.

I was thinking of just removing the torque mount and the driver side mount one time and see how far it the motor will lean forward when I lower the jack, but I am just a bit hesitant coz it might stress out the other 2 remaining mount. I guess i can be careful by lowering the jack slowly. Thanks