2006 Timing Belt Replacement

[TMania]

Hey fellow aveo owners,
I'm in the process of replacing my timing belt and had a couple questions that I couldn't find answers to anywhere else online. I have just removed the harmonic balancer bolt, taken off the pulley, and reinserted the bolt in order to manually turn the crankshaft to check timing. My problem is that the crankshaft only turns clockwise about 20% of the way before it gets stuck, and won't turn any further. From the point it gets stuck, it can turn clockwise another 20% before getting stuck again.
I was wondering if you guys had any tips about what might be causing it to stick. Did I mess something up in the crank/camshaft system? Has anyone experienced this problem before? I appreciate any feedback

[avguy]

Getting 'stuck' is simply the resistance due to cylinder compression. It will turn with no variation if you remove the spark plugs.

[TMania]

Getting 'stuck' is simply the resistance due to cylinder compression. It will turn with no variation if you remove the spark plugs.

Sorry, forgot to mention that I did, took all 4 plugs out and still could not turn

[avguy]

Ok, then it seems the only other possibility is that the timing is off, and the 'stuck' is pistons hitting valves. I've never read anything like this previously, but nothing else comes to mind that would account for what you're describing. I'm naturally presuming that nothing is wrong in the belt loop, given that everything is in full view while you're turning the crank.

[TMania]

Ok, then it seems the only other possibility is that the timing is off, and the 'stuck' is pistons hitting valves. I've never read anything like this previously, but nothing else comes to mind that would account for what you're describing. I'm naturally presuming that nothing is wrong in the belt loop, given that everything is in full view while you're turning the crank.

Ok, I was able to get the crankshaft to turn by removing spark plugs, and timing is off. To get top dead center, should I remove the belt first because the timing is off?

[avguy]

Yes, the belt will have to come off in order to be able to turn just the crank and get #1 positioned to TDC. Fingers crossed that you didn't bend any valves.

[TMania]

Ok, and once the car is at TDC, the cams should be rotated clockwise so that the marks point towards each other (intake at the 3 o'clock position, exhaust at 9 o'clock position)?

[avguy]

I was expecting that the timing marks are just a few notches off, and only need a small adjustment to get them to line up. Is that not the case?