1998 mercury mystique 2.0 vct timing belt issue

To replace the camshaft position sensor, you must remove the toothed cam belt (loosen the tension and pull the belt off of the cam sprocket) and the cam sprocket. The sensor is located behind the sprocket - it is easily replaced. Although this may seem daunting, the hard part is relocating the cam sprocket correctly to the camshaft. You see, there is no key or fixed marks to get it back on correctly. I do recommend that you get a repair book to try the yourself. The VW book is somewhat difficult to use and I have never looked at the Haynes manuals
Courtesy of wiki

On the Cam gear are three marks. On the face of the gear it should say "up", then you have three marks one at 3 o'clock one at 7 o'clock one at 9 o'clock. the one at 7 should align up with a mark on the block. Some have a raised semicircle and you line up the 7 o'clock mark on the cam with the far left hand end of that semicircle. Now on the crack end you have a mark at the 2 o'clock position and it lines up with a mark on the block. Do not turn the crank or the cam independent of one another, as the valves can be bent. Remove the spark plugs to ease turning the engine when needed. The engine will turn counterclockwise. Remove all necessary left hand front wheel, inner fender splash guard, covers, top engine mount. turn the engine until number 1 cyl. is at TDC compression stroke, and all timing marks align as noted. Remove the lower crankshaft bolt and pulley, and lower belt cover. Loosen tensioner bolt and push it out of your way and remove the belt. Put on the new timing belt in this order, crank sprocket, cam sprocket, water pump sprocket, tensioner. Belt must be tight on no tensioner side. Push the tensioner against the belt. Turn the engine 4 turns counterclockwise, until the timing marks realign, loosen the tensioner and turn the engine again 3 teeth, torque the tensioner to 30 flbs. reinstall all the mounts and covers. all should be good.

did you replace the belt just for maintenence reasons ? It wasnt broken right ? I would place a block of wood on your floor jack and place it under the oil pan with a little bit of pressure from the jack to support the engine.loosen the motor mount that you removed to do the belt and see if your vibration changes or lessons when the mount is repositioned/loosened. You may have a mount grounding out or exhaust grounding out etc.. OR I dont know if your cam sprockets are keyed on that engine but if they arent your valve timing could be off but the marks line up if you removed the sprockets to change the seals and the sprockets were not installed correctly.

1. Jack up front of vehicle and support on safety stands. Remove left front wheel.
2. Remove alternator/water pump drive belt. Remove water pump pulley.
3. Remove A/C belt if equipped.
4. Remove valve cover.
5. Remove upper timing belt cover.
6. Rotate crankshaft until No. 1 cylinder is at TDC compression stroke and camshaft sprocket timing marks align with edge of cylinder head. "UP" cast on sprocket will be at top when sprocket is in correct position. Crankshaft may be rotated using a socket wrench inserted through access hole in left fender well (engine rotates counterclockwise).
7. Unbolt and remove crank pulley. Remove rubber seal washers from belt tensioner pivot and adjustment bolts protruding through lower belt cover. Remove belt cover retaining bolts and remove cover from below.
8. Remove concave belt retainer from end of crankshaft. If timing belt is to be reused, mark direction of rotation before removing.
9. Loosen belt tensioner pivot and adjustment bolts. Push tensioner away from belt and retighten adjustment bolt to hold tensioner in this position. Remove belt.
10. Insert a suitable tool through cam sprocket and brace against cylinder head. Remove bolt and pull sprocket from camshaft.
11. Without dislodging key, install new sprocket on camshaft. Torque bolt to 22 ftlb (30 Nm).
12. Install new timing belt by starting at crank gear and working it over cam sprocket in clockwise direction. Ensure that timing marks are properly aligned.
13. Release tensioner by loosening adjustment bolt. After tensioner contacts belt, retighten bolt.
14. Rotate engine at least one full turn (counterclockwise) and check that timing marks are aligned. Loosen adjustment bolt and allow tensioner to take out any remaining belt slack. Torque adjustment and pivot bolts to 22 ftlb (30 Nm).
15. Install remaining components in reverse order of removal. Torque fasteners to following values:

TORQUE VALUES

Valve Cover Nuts - 7 ftlb (10 Nm)
Cam Sprocket Bolt - 22 ftlb (30 Nm)
Tensioner Pivot Bolt - 22 ftlb (30 Nm)
Tensioner Adjust Bolt - 22 ftlb (30 Nm)
Belt Cover Bolts - 7 ftlb (10 Nm)
Crank Pulley Bolt - 83 ftlb (115 Nm)
Water Pump Pulley Bolts - 9 ftlb (12 Nm)

REMOVAL & INSTALLATION 1.8L Engine

1. If possible, position the engine so the No. 1 piston is at TDC.
2. Disconnect the negative battery cable.
3. Remove the timing belt covers.
4. Remove the timing (outer) belt tensioner and remove the outer timing belt.
5. Remove the outer crankshaft sprocket and flange.
6. Remove the silent shaft (inner) belt tensioner and remove the belt. Fig. 1: Silent shaft belt timing marks — 1.8L engine
   Fig. 2: Checking the silent shafts for proper positioning
   Fig. 3: Timing belt timing mark alignment — 1.8L engine
   To install:
   
7. Align the timing marks of the silent shaft sprockets and the crankshaft sprocket with the timing marks on the front case. Wrap the timing belt around the sprockets so there is no slack in the upper span of the belt and the timing marks are still aligned.
8. Install the tensioner pulley and move the pulley by hand so the long side of the belt deflects about 1⁄4 in.
9. Hold the pulley tightly so the pulley cannot rotate when the bolt is tigthened. Tighten the bolt to 15 ft. lbs. (20 Nm) and recheck the deflection amount.
10. Install the timing belt tensioner fully toward the water pump and tighten the bolts. Place the upper end of the spring against the water pump body.
11. Align the timing marks of the camshaft, crankshaft and oil pump sprockets with their corresponding marks on the front case or rear cover. NOTE: There is a possibility to align all timing marks and have the oil pump sprocket and silent shaft out of time, causing an engine vibration during operation. If the following step is not followed exactly, there is a 50 percent chance that the silent shaft alignment will be 180 degrees off.
    
12. Before installing the timing belt, ensure that the left side (rear) silent shaft (oil pump sprocket) is in the correct position as follows:
    1. Remove the plug from the rear side of the block and insert a tool with shaft diameter of 0.31 in. (8mm) into the hole.
    2. With the timing marks still aligned, the shaft of the tool must be able to go in at least 2 1/2 in. If the tool can only go in about 1 in., the shaft is not in the correct orientation and will cause a vibration during engine operation. Remove the tool from the hole and turn the oil pump sprocket 1 complete revolution. Realign the timing marks and insert the tool. The shaft of the tool must go in at least 2 1/3 in.
    3. Recheck and realign the timing mark.
    4. Leave the tool in place to hold the silent shaft while continuing.
13. Install the belt to the crankshaft sprocket, oil pump sprocket, then camshaft sprocket, in that order. While doing so, make sure there is no slack between the sprocket except where the tensioner is installed.
14. Recheck the timing marks' alignment. If all are aligned, loosen the tensioner mounting bolt and allow the tensioner to apply tension to the belt.
15. Remove the tool that is holding the silent shaft and rotate the crankshaft a distance equal to 2 teeth on the camshaft sprocket. This will allow the tensioner to automatically apply the proper tension on the belt. Do not manually overtigthen the belt or it will howl.
16. Tigthen the lower mounting bolt first, then the upper spacer bolt.
17. To verify correct belt tension, check that the deflection at the longest span of the belt is about 1⁄2 in.
18. Install the timing belt covers and all related items.
19. Connect the negative battery cable.

TIMING BELT CHANGE You should have some mechanical skills before attempting any engine maintenance! These are basic instructions, and you must knoe what you removed, when, and what order so you can reinstall them in order. First, you have to remove everything in the way! You need to remove the Fan, clutch, and shroud, pump pully & drive belts. Next, you need to remove the Crank Pully:

1. Crank Pully Bolt 2. Crank Pully 3. Center Bolt 4. 5mm Hex drive (used to remove pully bolts) Once the fan stuff, and pully(s) are removed, then you need to remove the Timing Belt cover:

Once the cover is removed, you will need to loosen the adjusting nut and pully bolt on the Belt Tensioner:
A. Adjust Nut B. Pully Bolt C. TENSIONER PULLY Once the the Adjust Nut, and Pully bolt are loose, move the pully as far towards the water pump as possible.
Then, you can slip the timing belt from the sprockets. Check the tensioner for roughness and excess play! DO NOT MOVE THE CAM OR CRANK SPROCKETS! IF you do, then you will have to line up the Crank and Cam for piston number one at Top Dead Center before placing the new timing belt on! Note the timing marks on the crank and camshaft sprockets. IF YOU MUST! Allign the Cam and Crank at piston#1, Top Dead Center before removing the belt. Each sprocket has a small hole, with a line through it, and there is a small groove or "V" it alligns with on the engine. Now, once the timing belt is off, look at your new timing belt. Older belts use the Squared off teeth, while new ones have the rounded teeth. Make sure you have the correct belt for your sprockets! Never reinstall a belt that is in questionable condition. BELT WEAR CONDITIONS
If there are Arrows on the belt, they must be pointing to the RIGHT when you put the new belt on the sprockets. If there isn't one, then paint one on, and place the belt back on the sprockets. The arrow will indicate to a mechanic, this is the way the belt must be put back on (if they replace any cam or crank oil seals). Slip the new belt onto the Crank sprocket. While maintaining tension on the side of the belt opposite the tensioner, slip the belt onto the Camshaft sprocket. Releace the Tensioner adjusting nut to allow spring tension against the belt. Temporarily reinstall the crank pully, taking care to align the notch in the pully with the raised area on the sprocket. Rotate the crank clockwise two complete revolutions. Recheck the alignment of the of the valve timing marks. If they do not align properly, loosen the tensioner, slip the belt off the crank pully, align the timing marks, reinstall the belt, and check alignment again. Tighten the tensioner nut, then the bolt. Reinstall all parts removed, in the opposite order, of course. Start the engine and allow to reach normal operating temp, then road test. THEORETICALLY, you should simply be able to replace the belt with the new one, and go, as long as you did not move any of the sprockets when removing or installing the belt. Most people do it this way, and do not test for alignment before replacing everything. When the belt wears, timing will be off, very little, and this is why you check alignment. The belt may have slipped a tooth, making the timing off. This is why the Cam and Crank sprockets must both align properly. An experienced person will do just that: Replace the belt, and go. It really isn't all that hard. It helps to have a second person around with some experience also.

First you need to find out if this is a "safe" engine, a few are but most bend some valve when the belt goes (you could try turning gently by hand using the alternator belt) proceed as follows:-remove the drive belts, water pump pulleys, crank pulley, and the upper and lower timing covers.  You'll also need to remove the motor mount if 
You'll need to move the tensioner for installation of the new belt.  Loosen both the pivot and clamp bolts on the tensioner.  Pry the tensioner up and toward the back of the car, and when at the rearmost position, tighten the clamping bolt.

You'll also need to line up the camshaft and crankshaft to TDC.  There's a small hole in the camshaft sprocket that lines up with a notch in the front camshaft bearing cap.  The hole should be pretty much straight up when aligned.  There's a notch in the crankshaft sprocket that lines up with a *** on the front case of the engine.  If I recall correctly, this puts the Woodruff key at about 3:00 when aligned.  

Then install the timing belt with all the slack on the tensioner side.  Loosen the tensioner clamping bolt to release the tensioner, let it self-tension with the spring force, and retighten the clamping bolt.  Turn the engine clockwise with the crankshaft two crankshaft revolutions (1 cam revolution).  This will make sure you have the proper amount of slack on the tensioner side.  Recheck to make sure your marks are still aligned.  Then loosen the tensioner clamping bolt once again to let it self-adjust, and tighten the clamping and pivot bolts.  

After that, it's just a matter of putting everything back that you took off, but before doing anything, you may wish to consider that it's likely engine damage was done when the timing belt broke.  You may wish to pull the plugs and examine before you start anything mentioned above.  Evidence of anything hitting the plug is a sign of a valve broken off and probably a need for an entire engine.  You may also, after installing the timing belt, wish to bolt the crank pulley back on and see if the engine starts.  If the engine cranks quickly (lack of compression) and won't start, you've at least bent some valves and will need to remove the cylinder head. 

The Isuzu is a strange animal-when you do the timing belt you set it with #1 TDC "BUT" the distributor is timed with TDC #4 I found this the hard way and finally had to buy a cd with the procedures on it. Send me an e-mail address and I will forward the associated pictures &
info to you.
Jim Young
jmysr@hotmail.com

TIMING BELT & SPROCKETS R & I
NOTE: Some procedures may differ slightly due to engine
construction.
Removal
1) Remove all necessary air ducts. Position No. 4 piston at
TDC of compression stroke. Align timing marks. See Fig. 2. Remove fan
and fan shroud. Remove belts. If necessary, remove radiator and
splashguard.
2) Prevent engine from rotating and remove crankshaft timing
pulley retaining bolt. Remove upper and lower timing belt covers.
Remove spring from tension pulley. Loosen adjusting bolt and move
pulley toward water pump. Remove timing belt.
CAUTION: Ensure pistons are at TDC when rotating camshaft or damage
may result.
Inspection
1) Handle timing belt carefully. Avoid twisting or kinking
belt. Do not allow belt to become contaminated by water, oil, dirt or
other contaminates. Inspect belt for cracks or damage. If necessary,
replace.
2) Measure tension pulley spring length and force. Spring
length should not exceed 2.76" (70.2 mm) and spring force should not
be less than 197-347 lbs. (27-48 kg).
3) Replace tension pulley spring if not within specification.
Installation
1) Pull tensioner fully toward water pump side and
temporarily tighten retaining bolt. Ensure No. 4 cylinder is at TDC on
compression stroke by rotating crankshaft until keyway aligns with
mark on front crankshaft seal housing (12 o’clock). Rotate camshaft
until timing mark on cam gear (arrow) aligns with mark on upper
camshaft cover (notch). See Fig. 2.
NOTE: When timing marks are aligned as stated above, No. 4 piston
is at TDC on compression stroke.
2) Position timing belt over crankshaft sprocket, oil pump
sprocket, camshaft sprocket and tensioner in that order. Ensure belt
is positioned in sequence given and without slack between sprockets.
Loosen tension sprocket adjusting bolt allowing spring tension to
tighten belt. Tighten adjusting bolt temporarily.
3) Temporarily install crankshaft pulley bolt and rotate
crankshaft 2 complete revolutions in opposite direction of engine
rotation, until marks on crankshaft and front oil seal retainer are
aligned again. See Fig. 2. Loosen tensioner lock bolt, allowing
tesioner spring to fully adjust tension. Tighten tensioner lock bolt.
4) Install timing belt covers. To complete installation,
reverse removal procedures. Tighten all bolts to specification. See
TORQUE SPECIFICATIONS table at end of this article.
Fig. 2: 2.3L & 2.6L Timing Alignment Marks
Courtesy of Isuzu Motor Co.

By now you probably have the cam/timing belt changed on the vehicle... Here goes anyway: I changed the belt on my 1372cc (identical engine - except for the Turbo and a few odds & ends) just over a week ago by following this simple process:

Disconnect the battery negative terminal
Remove the timing belt cover
Loosen the alternator drive belt nut, tilt towards engine and remove the belt
Remove the crankshaft pulley nut (size 36) - do this by selecting top gear and have an assistant press hard on the brake pedal - remove the pulley -the timing belt is now exposed.
Using paint or tippex, simply mark the camshaft sprocket as it lies with the inside timing belt cover, do the same on the crankshaft sprocket & the auxiliary shaft sprocket.
Loosen the tensioner nut - remove the timing belt.
Check that all pulleys are still in alignment according to your markings and refit the new belt by starting on the crankshaft sprocket (the thin white line across the new belt must align with the factory marking on the crankshaft pulley) and over the auxiliary sprocket and finally over the camshaft sprocket - tension the belt with the tensioner and tighten the tensioner nut.
Rotate the engine clockwise by hand making sure the camshaft sprocket rotates twice, check the tension on the belt and make sure the tensioner nut is fully tightened and the belt is secure.
Refit the crankshaft pulley, making sure the nut is tightened and refit the alternator belt, timing cover and reconnect the battery.

The same procedure is applicable on the 999cc/1108cc FIRE models as well as the 1301cc Turbo.

Good luck.

CHECK AUTO ZONE .COM FOR TIMING PROCEEDURE. I HAVE DONE THIS & IT IS VERY HARD TO GET TIMING MARKS PERFECTLY LINED UP. TOOK ABOUT 3 TRIES. ( CAMS WANT TO MOVE DURING PROCESS.) WHEN TIMING IS JUST RIGHT , IT WILL RUN. MAKE SURE BOTH CAM SROCKET ARROWS ARE POINTING UP. THERE IS A TIMING MARK IN THE VALLEY OF THE EXHAUST CAM SPROCKET TEETH THAT I MISSED.YOU HAVE TO START WITH EXHAUST CAM TIMING MARK JUST BELOW INTAKE CAM SPROCKET TIMING MARK & THEN WHEN BELT IS COMPLETELY ON , MOVE EXHAUST CAM TO TAKE UP SLACK IN BELT. IT WORKS !!!