My broken cam sprocket tooth was indeed in the oil pan. Had both cam sprockets rebuilt last fall.
Your cam pads look like new color. Maybe PO already did that job? Should have replaced cam chain at same time, if the job was done right
--Michael

 

Good point you make and actually I did an oil change prior to remove the cam cover but did not notice anything unusual as I was not looking for it.

 

I believe you will need to remove the oil pan to find it, as I did. mine was blackened even on the break surface indicating it stayed there through many oil changes, and probably years.
Might be worth snaking a magnet around thru the oil drain hole though, to see if you can grab it, For the peace of mind knowing it can't cause damage by itself.

 

Its probably stuck somewhere in the oil pan baffle. Best way to find it would be to drop the pan.

 

By removing the oil pan you mean lifting the engine to get to it or removing front suspension to get access... this sounds like very involved and quite different from just an oil change...?

 

Yeah you could say it's pretty involved
Yes to both: support engine from above ($80 support from harbor freight) and remove front suspension
Great opportunity to clean and "freshen up" a lot of important bits under there, including oil pan gasket which is probably leaking if still the original one. Struts and rubber bushings too. Got any P/S leaks...?
--Michael

 

Thank you Michael, after putting the cam cover back, seems like oil pan removal and re-sealing should be next. Car does seems to leak oil as well from somewhere around the there. P/S is also leaking, just few drops but none the less I can tell is P/S fluid. - German

 

This might be a whole new different topic all together but very relevant to the topic in question here. As I read the posting and use few other reference I see that the recommended torque spec is 7 to 7.5 Ft.Lb. and it has been highlighted and many times emphasis to do not over torque the bolt as the head is aluminum and very soft. As it turn out the torque wrench I used is indeed in.lb so I have set all my bolts to ~7 in.lb and felt this was adequate and consistent with a soft aluminum receiver. Can anyone confirm having the same understanding...? 7 Ft.Lb is not the same as 7 in.Lb.

In fact 7 ft.lb = to 84 in.lb which is quite a lot

Few strokes of the keyboard into a quick Google search reveal that:

1 Foot-Pound Force: Is exactly g x 1 lb x 1 ft = to the amount of force it takes to push 1 pound-force about an axis, and/or the product of the force vector and the radius vector from the axis of rotation to the point of application of the force. "the moment of a force"

 

7 ft lbs according to workshop manual
Took me at least 4-5 timid circuits of the bolt pattern to fully compress the new gasket down to the aluminum spacers, and then to the final torque spec. (I took my time since Aluminum engines are new to me)

 

MLB968 you are confirming that 7 ft.lb (84 in.lb) is the correct torque spec vs. 7 in.lb...?

 

7lb/ft sounds right.

 

From the tech specs booklet:

 

Something that's not completely clear to me after reading the workshop manual... I had the cylinder head off my car, which of course means that I had to remove the camshafts. In the section on camshaft install, they say that the engine should be approx 45 degrees before TDC.

However, when setting the timing, it says I should rotate the engine to TDC. I'm assuming that I should install the timing belt prior to this rotation, but will that mean that the cam timing will be completely off?

 

This could be to avoid any open valves hitting the piston tops. This is an assumption. I have always locked the cam gear to TDC and have set the engine to TDC when installing.
There are a few ways to get TDC, between a dial indicator in the spark plug hole, the flywheel TDC notch etc.

 

Thank you MLB968 for the workshop manual scan, totally irrefutable....