Hi folks
I need a bit of emergency help if possible.
I am trying to find out if my timing on the 8v Punto has been set wrongly (not by me) as it is running hesitantly and blowing oil on start up . I know that could well be another thing altogether but I need to check if the timing is right.
Please see attached 2 pics. The angle of the cam shaft markking pic makes it look like it's a bit out but it is correct. It is mainly the crankshaft marking I am more worried about as I can't see definite mark to line up with.
I really could do with getting this put back together tonight before it goes dark.
Help if you can ! Thanks for reading.

The other question is - if it is a tooth out (or two) how do you adjust it?

Crank looks about a tooth too far clockwise. The mark is vague. It's about where the change in angle is on the rib of material is above the pulley.
Loosen off, keeping the cam as is and turn the crank back to the next tooth, tighten up and try again.
There might be two white lines on the back of the belt. One at a tooth the other at a gap. They should fall at the two marks on the two pulleys.

Thanks Brendan. I assume you have to turn the crank clockwise to get round to that mark or can you turn it back? Sorry if that's a ridiculous question.
By the way, I took plug 1 out after 1 day's running and it is a sooty as hell. Could the timing cause that or is that related to my oil smoke previously mentioned?

With the belt off go anyway you want. the one way only is about keeping the slack on one side of the house so the valves are in a consistent position for checking clearances and so forth.
Her indoors was calling for Pizza time so last post a bit short. When you are tensioning the rule of thumb is the longest run should twist 90 degrees between finger and thumb without having to force anything. Not very scientific but there you go.

Thanks Brendan. I am under pressure on this because it's my daughter's car. She starts a new job on Monday and needs it . Would the timing being out contribute to oil smoke or is that most likely to be something that's happened when the head gasket's been done, or maybe coincidence? My so-called expert garage deny all knowledge and say that they have skimmed the head and replaved the HG and the valves and valve stems are nowt to do with them.

Timing out makes the car breath less air, power is down. Yours looks to be advanced, valves opening too early. the crank sensor will be out of sync as well. Can't say for certain what that would do but can't see it would make the combustion anything other than worse so I would expect unburnt fuel out the back and sooty plugs.
Found Dave's pics
https://www.fiatforum.com/punto-ii/19733-photos-timing-marks-8v-f-i-r-e-engines.html

Thanks Brendan. I am going to tackle it with fresh eyes - and daylight- in the morning.
I can't make my mind up whether it's a tooth out or not because it does line up with where the material changes angle as you describe it, but on the other hand it's one tooth past a white mark which I think I made when I changed the pump and belt 10 months ago, but I can't be sure. And it isn't running right so I may as well have a go. I am also changing the plug leads, and the air filter which had some bird feathers in it from when she hit a bird which didn't take off fast enough. I am sure that won't have been helping either.

Last post for tonight - after further googling I realised that my mk2 Punto does have some sort of inspection hole above the flywheel. I will look in there tomorrow with torch asnd mirror. Should it not have a rubber bung in it though? Mine doesn't which can't be right surely?

pooroldcodger said:

Last post for tonight - after further googling I realised that my mk2 Punto does have some sort of inspection hole above the flywheel. I will look in there tomorrow with torch asnd mirror. Should it not have a rubber bung in it though? Mine doesn't which can't be right surely?

Click to expand...

i was going to say double check at this end, bung lost is common.

blowing oil out inlet can some times be sticky ring, fix by running forte motor flush for 2 weeks or 200 miles.

cam timing out you often get popping or even fire out of throttle body

An update.
Using the bell housing timing marks I could clearly see (eventually with a mirror and a torch that the timing was a tooth out. I have re- set it and the difference is immediate.
When I drove it yesterday I struggled to get it to 70 on the motorway. Now it is back to getting to 70 easily. The plugs by the way were as sooty as hell after just one day whereas the ones I took out after 2 years were fairly clean.
I am still getting blue smoke if I rev it hard (and when I first started up).
IS there any chance that could be residual stuff from the timing being wrong and the HG being done, or am I also looking at a separate problem?
I suppose all will be revealed over the next few days.
Now just have to tidy up thew wiring harness cover which is supposed to attach to the upper half of the timing belt cover but on mine seems to have fallen off!
Thanks again for all the help - especially brendan who was super quick off the mark. When you get in a panic with a car in bits and it's going dark it's great to have this little community to help us Thanks again guys.

Give it a while. All that unburnt fuel plus whatever the failed gasket sent that way will take a while to clear.

Well I don't want to speak too soon, but i think the smoking on start up is getting less day by day, but I will know for sure in another few days I think.
I picked up one of those little rubber bungs for the flywheel / timing marks inspection hole today, abd, maybe it was because it's from a scrap yar that I happened to be passing, but it doesn't seem a very tight fit. Does anybody know if it should be very tight, and if so is there a knack to it, or have I just got a knackered one?

Ours was missing from the day we got it. Can't have been that tight.

Well it would be pretty miraculous if it fell inside so I don't suppose it matters too much does it? I suppose it would keep water out if you drove through a flood.
I really don't know if ours has recently gone missing or was never there for the last 7 years we have owned the car. It's not somewhere you easily look at is it?

They keep the worst of muck / oil / water out from the clutch bell housing

Could fall in - Yes, if you pushed it in

is it a tight fit - no not really

if it DID fall into the bell housing, it'd get smashed around there thats for sure
No way of knowing im affraid - not without taking the box out

Ziggy

Looking over this thread and spotting my deliberate mistake about advanced valves something struck me which seems so simple I'm amazed I never saw it before.
It looks very much like that with the crank in the right position the tooth on the crank pulley with the mark is the first one with the belt touching the top of the tooth.

Brendan W said:

Looking over this thread and spotting my deliberate mistake about advanced valves something struck me which seems so simple I'm amazed I never saw it before.
It looks very much like that with the crank in the right position the tooth on the crank pulley with the mark is the first one with the belt touching the top of the tooth.

Click to expand...

I was wondering about that - it was retarded not advanced wasn't it?

I think you are right, but now that I know it is there, in future I will always check with the flywheel markings as it is more re-assuring.

By the way, the car has been driven 20 miles a day (2 x 10 mile commutes) and is not issuing a cloud of blue smoke on start up now - just a bit of smoke for the first few yards down the road. All level seems to be stable and oil looks nice and clean.

Daughter is driving about 100 miles tonight and back on Monday (all being well) so I will check again. I am hoping it is still burning "stuff" off rather than a valve problem.

Further update.
Daughter brought car back after around 300 mile round trip.
Checked oil level.
Needed 3/4 litre to bring it back to the full mark! Ouch.
So, before the head gasket was replaced it used a little bit of oil and that I put down to minor leaks and drips.
Now the head gasket is fixed but it uses a lot of oil.
Any thoughts about what might have happened?

Check out Dave's suggestion for a sticky ring.