Need help with removing the timing covers on my Trooper...

[IsuzuFanMP]

I am trying to remove the timing covers from my '02 Trooper, but am having difficulty figuring out which of the three covers needs to be removed first. It seems that the passenger side cover needs to come off first, and I thought that's what I remembered reading here, but I can't seem to get it to unhook from the lower cover where the two meet near the serpentine belt tensioner pulley. What am I doing wrong?

Also, does the power steering pump have to be removed to remove the final bolt from the driver's side timing cover?

Thanks!

[remogw]

You will need to pull the tensioner off to get to another hidden bolt. Use a 7mm Allen head to remove the center Allen bolt on the tensioner. Not the 14mm pulley bolt (drivers side) on the tensioner but the sunken Allen head bolt (passenger side).
Here is a picture of the covers removed so you can get a bolt reference.

DSC01809.JPG

[Oro]

As he said. And no, you don't have to take the vane pump out.

[IsuzuGeek]

Don't let my tutorial confuse you, but hopefully this will help a bit:

http://isuzugeek.org/howtos/tbelt/tbelt.htm

Bart

[IsuzuFanMP]

Thanks guys - you're awesome! This is tremendously helpful. Now I can get back to work...trying to determine if the horrible knocking sound from the engine is a failed timing belt tensioner or if it's something internal. I bought this truck as a parts vehicle to use the transmission in my other '02, but it's in good shape and if the motor noise is something minor, I might just repair it and drive this one and save the transmission job in the other truck for another time...

Thanks again!

[IsuzuFanMP]

Thanks again for the replies, everyone - thanks to you, I was able to get the serpentine tensioner, power steering pulley, and upper timing covers off, and I got the crankshaft pulley bolt removed. Now I just need to remove the crankshaft pulley and then I can get the lower timing cover off.

My question is, do I need a pulley remover to get the crank pulley off, or should it slide off with a little bit of elbow grease? So far, mine seems stuck pretty good. I can go rent/buy a puller if that's what is needed, but I thought I'd ask the question here first.

Thanks!