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since I changed the belts a couple of months ago the car has been hard to start,taking up to 3 pre heats, also its got a really irritating tapping/knocking, a bit like a really bad tappet, and its also puffing a bit of grey smoke on hard acceleration,all of which it never had before, what id like to know is if the pump timing is out (all three locking pins were in place during replacement although there did seem a slight bit of slack between pump and crank but might have been my imagination! maybe about half a tooth) can the timing be restored by retiming the pump or does the damn belt have to come back off ( I really hope not!) it does pull quite well and ticks over fine so im guessing it cant be too far out

i think that the pulley on the pump has oval holes so might be able to move it a bit

I should have said that its a Lucas pump if thats of any help.

Don't mess about with the pump timing, bite the bullet and start again.

The tapping may mean the valve timing is slightly out.

I think at the back of my mind I know youre right Jasper, but I think this time id sooner pay someone to do it! hopefully it wouldnt be too much if all parts are provided? out of work at the moment so funds are somewhat tight!!!

I'm in exactly the same situation ... Just rebuilt last Sunday... Just a faint rattle on switch off and firing up... Having read this i know i'm a tooth out on the cam... And think positive the more you do it the quicker you can do it too. Better than throwing over £100 away just to get it reset! You know it makes sense

out of interest what WOULD be the symptoms of a timing belt being a tooth out?

The symptoms vary from car to car.

Tapping, sluggishness, bad starting, smoke, bad idling, bent valves, etc.

Best thing to do when doing a timing belt job is to mark the position of all the pulleys before you take off the belt, yes, even if you have locked everything with the tools.

Always make sure the tensioner side is where the slackness is on the belt before you tension it....this is usualy how the belt slips a tooth.

I recently had a problem with a 2.5 litre Nissan Interstar van, fortunately for me I always mark the pulleys and run the engine then double check the markings before rebuilding everything, the inlet cam had moved as I had tightened up the pulley and was only noticeable after I had run the engine.

Does indeed sound like a timing issue. Did you turn the engine over by hand several times then put the pins back in to ensure they all lined up?

Yes I did but im going to double check it again tommorow,ive done over a thousand miles since the belt change and although it still take a while to start and still rattles a bit it does pull like a train and tick's over sweetly and the smoke has largely dissapeared since a bottle of reddex and a good ramping!

i'll let you know if the belt is out but im sure its ok.

I reckon it is your bottom pulley working loose and hammering the keyway out of shape which will put your timing out slightly, check your your bolt for tightness before going any further!!
I have had this and it can take from a few miles to many thousands to work loose.