nick91

just finished performing and ims update on a 02 911. locked at tdc during job but did not lock the cams. started it up and made valve noise, turning the motor by hand it locks at tdc. i pulled the cam plugs and it looks like the cam has shifted. can i re time it or am i looking at pulling the motor?

Pac996

I think the cams just need to be turned to their proper location while the crank is at the locked position. I've heard a couple guys were off not locking the cams at the proper place for when the crank is locked. It seems like a money saving idea till the money loss aspect rises. Somebody on here made up his own cam holders. Shouldn't be hard to find.

On possible damage and such. I hope it was just noise from bad valve timing and not contact or it might be just as bad as an ims failure. If you didn't have the plugs out while turning the crank by hand its probable its just the compression stopping rotation.

Macster will let you know the evils. Good luck.

nick91

do you know the processes of timing the cam?

Pac996

The process is locking the crank at the factory designated setting and having the cam holders locked at the position that the cams lock at and thats it. The cam holders don't just hold the cams in but position them at the proper setting for being a proper timing for factory specs. The actual configuration is shown and explained on the site some place.

ivangene

did you remove the tensioners?

Dharn55

If you have not jumped a tooth on any of the sprockets setting the cam timing can be pretty simple. This method will work on both a 3.4 VarioCam engine and a 3.6 VarioCamPlus engine and does not require any special tools. First you will need to remove the green plugs at the non-driven end of the exhaust cams and both the oil scavenger pumps. In removing the pumps make sure you not the orientation of the pumps, there are markings on the pumps showing 1-3 and 4-6, the pumps are interchangable, and you need to reinstall them with the numbers in the same orientation. This means that the 1-3 marking need to go toward the crank on the 1-3 side and the 4-6 marking needs to go toward the crank on the 4-6 side. Now rotate the engine to TDC and look at the end of the exhaust cams. If you are at TDC for the 1-3 bank the slots on the end of the cam should be straight up and down, with the narrow side toward the outside of the engine, the slots are slightly off-center. It is handy, by not absolutely necessary to have a tool to lock them in place. For TDC on the 4-6 side it will the narrow side will be on the outside on that exhaust cam.

If the cam slots are not quite straight up and down then your timing is slightly off. Here is how to correct it. Remove the lock on the crank that hold it at TDC and slowly rotate the crank ( I use a socket on the nut on the pulley end of the crank) until the slots are straight up and down. You can align them with the joint between the head and the cam cover. Remember that 1 degree at the cam is 2 degrees at the crank so you need to be pretty accurate with this. Once the slots are aligned loosen the four bolts on the sprocket on the other end of the exhaust cam, where you removed the pump. Once the bolts are slightly loosened rotate the crank to TDC and lock it in place. The cam slots should have stayed aligned. Now tighten the bolts on the sprocket. That cam should now be properly timed. Rotate the crank 360 degrees and check the other side. Use the same procedure for this side. Then I would rotate the engine twice checking he alignment of the slots on each side again. It took me a couple of minor adjustments to get them right.

If you are satisfied with the alignment them I would use some blue Loctite on the sprocket bolts, at least this is what I do.

The hardest part of this method is getting the cam slots perfectly straight up and down without a tool to hold them in place. The tools fit into the slots to hold them in place.

The alignment between the exhaust and intake cams is controlled by the number of links of chain between them so if you have not jumps a link the intake cams should be fine.

This method has worked on both 3.4 and 3.6 engines. If you need more info PM me with you email address and I can send you some pictures, etc.

garrett376

if the chain didn't jump a tooth during the install, why would the timing be considered to be off?

Dharn55

Cams can be off from chain stretching. Not sure how else they can get off without loosening the sprocket or jumping a tooth. If they jumped a tooth on the IMS then this can be adjusted with my method. If they jumped a tooth between the cams then it can't be reset with my method. With a 3.4 VarioCam engine, which is a 5 chain engine you can't really jump a tooth between the two cams with the advance tensioner in place. On a 3.6, VarioCamPlus engine, which is a three chain engine it is possible, but not likely that you could jump a tooth between the cams.

Don't really understand how you could have enough slack in the chains to jump a tooth at the IMS sprocket but all instructions for replacing the tensioners and for the LNE IMS bearing replacement have you lock the engine at TDC, and for the IMS bearing they also have you lock the cams in place.