Formula94lt1

I am following Dwayne's write up and I am at the pointwhere I have removed the belt, tensioner and water pump. At this point the crank is obviously locked so I thought it was the opportune time to replace the cam gears. I took them off and they, atleast the drivers side, moved. Now If the crank rotates, when looking AT the engine, CW then the cams do too. This means at 45 degrees before TDC the cams should both be 22.5 degree before, to the left according to the sprocket marks, the marks on the rear cam cover right?

My problem is then since there is so much room to play with sprocket position even when the cams are in their proper palce how do you make sure things are close and the sprocket is on the correct belt position at 45 degrees BTDC?

My next step is to unlock the crank rotate it 45 degrees to TDC and use the 32 vr, but I don't want to bend valves or anything.

PorKen

The 32V'r has a 45° keyway for a rough adjustment.

(Use #1 0|T for precision.)

Bill Ball

Your bold statement is correct. The cams should be 3 teeth (22.5 degrees) before the TDC mark. Yes, they will move. You need to leave the crank at 45 degrees BTDC so there will be no interference until after the belt is back on the gears. So, put on the new gears approximately where they were relative to the spider adjustment slots, and pull them to the correct 22.5 degree (3 teeth) BTDC position and install the belt. It's hard to get this right the first time because the belt tensioner is necessarily loose and the positioning may change once you adjust the tensioner. It's a bit of an art with some luck despite Dwayne's write-up. You pull the belt as tight as you can on the left side (oil pump to driver cam gear), holding gear in the right location (I actually do it one tooth advanced, allowing the belt to be slightly loose, ending up right on once I put a wrench on that gear and turn it counterclockwise to remove all slack once the belt is on) then work over to the right side while holding the left tight. Anyway, there are many ways to do this, but you'll be lucky if when things are snugged up you are not off a tooth on one gear, at which point you have to loosen the tensioner again and reposition the belt on that gear, another task which is more art than science, at least the way I do it. Once you think you have it right you can unlock the crank and hand turn the motor to TDC, check your work, and rotate a few revolutions to make sure the tension is evenly distributed and recheck the marks at TDC. Check the belt tension. Then pull out the PorKen tool and check/adjust the cam timing.

Note that due to some variations in engine geometry, the correct belt position on the cam gear may end up as much as 1/2 tooth off the TDC mark. Choose the belt position that gets it the closest, whether advanced or retarded. This is not an issue. You'll be adjusting the cam timing with the PorKen tool, so that will not be affected.

mark kibort

vice grips on the driver side cam hex and tension the belt tight as Bill says. have some hold it or use a bungie cord to keep it from moving. then, feed the belt over the passenger cam, with another vise grip holding the other cam pulley bolt. wiggle it around until it slips over and is aligned perfectly.it doesnt matter if the belt has tension, the distance is really from the cam to waterpump to other cam. thats how I do it and its a joy to do and Ive done a lot of them this way.

davek9

I'm sorry Mark but "Vice Grips" and eng work don't belong in the same sentence IMHO.

You can use proper wrenches to rotate the cams (slowly) as needed.

In the second pic I am showing a "notch" at the 45 deg setting that I placed on my gears with a small triangle file (so you can count the teeth) and get yours correct. However w/o indexing the gear to the cam using the WSM method or a Porken 32vr you will be off a bit.

And yes... that is a Gates Racing Timing Belt

Formula94lt1

Thanks guys!

I have a writ up that explains how to use the 32v'r from TDC, but I am trying to get my cams and sprockets adjusted so that I can rotate the engine with the cams close to good enough to not damage anything at 45 deg BTDC. I guess what I am asking for is instructions to set up the cams and sprockets at 45 deg BTDC using hte 32v'r ,which is unlabeled, or anything really. Then I will set the cams at TDC. These procedures are extremely confusing to me, I feel after reading the 32v'r instructions way over my head so your help is invaluable.

Formula94lt1

Sorry I just saw the other posts made. I also had an epiphany. Thank you guys so much its coming along well.

Bill Ball

So, you had an Aha moment?

Formula94lt1

Absolutely, it all became so simple and clear suddenly. Now I am having trouble getting consistant readings when I turn the crank and take measurements. Do I need to remove the spark plugs so there is a more consistant strain on the belt? I made another post about this.