Kolten Preston

1986 944 turbo. I have been attempting to set my car at tdc and i could not see the flywheel from the top let alone the markings. I am using the dowel in cylinder 1 and camshaft marking. I got it so that the camshaft marking is aligned and the dowel is at its highest point but underneath the car the marking on the bottom of the flywheel is just left of the bell housing cut out. Is it possible for the flywheel to be a tooth or two off?

edfishjr

Nope.

aussie944cab

Cam position changes due to belt stretch, because only one side is tensioned

harveyf

A dowel will get you close. A dial gauge will get you very close. But I don't understand why you can't use the factory method. The inspection hole is very near to the two wires leading from the crankshaft sensors. It's just a little forward and upward from them. If the engine/flywheel is old and dirty, the mark can be hard to see. It's just a straight horizontal groove lateral to the flywheel OD. I have to climb up on the engine and be looking straight down with a good flashlight. It helps a lot if you have someone to assist with a breaker bar/socket attached to the crankshaft and have them rock the engine back in forth in the area you think is close.

Not to insult your experience but you do realize the piston comes up twice for every one time the timing mark comes around? You have to get the piston on the compression stroke when you are using the dowel. Leave a spark plug loosely in the hole and you will hear it "chuff" air as it comes up on the compression stroke.

whiggins

I always use the bottom 5mm mark as shown in the clark's garage instruction. It is really easy to find and see.

http://www.clarks-garage.com/shop-manual/eng-13.htm

Jfrahm

There is a fair bit of dwell at TDC/BDC due to the tolerances in the bearings and whatnot and the tiny amount of up-down movement the piston makes at that point. The factory marks are probably your best bet.