got the head back on

[eishiba]

I got it all put back together, new gasket, new head. I don't think its timed right. I set cylinder 1 on compression stroke, lined it up with the marks on the side of the engine. The intake cam shaft was just moving the "point" off the lifter so that the valve was just closing. The marks on the camshafts were lined up with each other. The only thing I may not have right is the distributor is turned all the way one way. The engine tries to start really fast so I guess I have it advanced. How do you know if your 180 degrees off vs a tooth or two off? Would having the timing advanced all the way cause it not to start at all?

[Donald]

There are two timing dimples on each camshaft gear, 90 degrees apart.
Each one on the intake should match each one on the exhaust. One each should be straight up, when the other two are against each other, with #1 at TDC.
Intake cam should have one at 12 O'clock and the other at 3 O'clock.
Exhaust cam should have one at 12 O'clock and the other at 9 O'clock
It is easy to align the wrong dimple of the intake cam so check that.

[eishiba]

Originally Posted by Donald

There are two timing dimples on each camshaft gear, 90 degrees apart.
Each one on the intake should match each one on the exhaust. One each should be straight up, when the other two are against each other, with #1 at TDC.
Intake cam should have one at 12 O'clock and the other at 3 O'clock.
Exhaust cam should have one at 12 O'clock and the other at 9 O'clock
It is easy to align the wrong dimple of the intake cam so check that.

Intresting, cause the dimples, or dots or whatever on the cam shafts, when I took them off were about a tooth away from each other. One at the 3 and the other at the 9 o clock position. HOwever the intake cam did have a second and larger dimple. Are you supposed to bring #1 to TDC on the compression stroke? How can you tell if your 180 off while doing that?

[Donald]

Originally Posted by eishiba

Intresting, cause the dimples, or dots or whatever on the cam shafts, when I took them off were about a tooth away from each other. One at the 3 and the other at the 9 o clock position. HOwever the intake cam did have a second and larger dimple. Are you supposed to bring #1 to TDC on the compression stroke? How can you tell if your 180 off while doing that?

The cam position in relation to the crank is what determines what stroke the engine is on.

The other important thing in the cam installation, is the intake cam has a split gear. Actually a main gear and a sub gear.
These two gears are spring loaded out of sync when not engaged with the exhaust cam gear.
There is a hole that you need to stick a 6mm thread screw through, to keep these gears synchronized before removing either of the cams.

If you don't keep the sub gear and the main gear synchronized, you could possibly install the intake cam "off" by one tooth, because the dimple is on the sub gear, and the main gear is the one that is fixed to the cam.




The alignment dimples are at 12 O'clock and 3 O'clock positions. The hole for synchronizing the main and sub gears is at 9 O'clock position with a bolt in it from the back side.

Before cam removal, to install the screw/bolt to hold the gears, you need to rotate the cams so the dimples on the intake cam are at 3 and 6 O'clock position. When you reinstall the cams, have them at this position also and the exhaust will be at 9 and 6 O'clock position.

After clamping down the cams, remove the keeper bolt then rotate the cams to check that both sets of dimples align.
Then set the timing hole in the exhaust cam pulley in the correct position, then install the timing belt.

If the keeper bolt was not used before cam removal, you can use a pair of channel lock pliers to diagonally grip the teeth and align the holes, so you can install the keeper bolt before cam installation.

[eishiba]

Originally Posted by Donald

The cam position in relation to the crank is what determines what stroke the engine is on.

The other important thing in the cam installation, is the intake cam has a split gear. Actually a main gear and a sub gear.
These two gears are spring loaded out of sync when not engaged with the exhaust cam gear.
There is a hole that you need to stick a 6mm thread screw through, to keep these gears synchronized before removing either of the cams.

If you don't keep the sub gear and the main gear synchronized, you could possibly install the intake cam "off" by one tooth, because the dimple is on the sub gear, and the main gear is the one that is fixed to the cam.




The alignment dimples are at 12 O'clock and 3 O'clock positions. The hole for synchronizing the main and sub gears is at 9 O'clock position with a bolt in it from the back side.

Before cam removal, to install the screw/bolt to hold the gears, you need to rotate the cams so the dimples on the intake cam are at 3 and 6 O'clock position. When you reinstall the cams, have them at this position also and the exhaust will be at 9 and 6 O'clock position.

After clamping down the cams, remove the keeper bolt then rotate the cams to check that both sets of dimples align.
Then set the timing hole in the exhaust cam pulley in the correct position, then install the timing belt.

If the keeper bolt was not used before cam removal, you can use a pair of channel lock pliers to diagonally grip the teeth and align the holes, so you can install the keeper bolt before cam installation.

When i took the engine apart I never used a 6 mm screw to hold it. I really had no idea lol. I've had to turn the crank shaft so many times it might not matter but this is the position they were in before I took them out.

You Tube

You Tube

And this was the position of the cam shafts with the dimples.

You Tube

You Tube

I didn't know how to keep both cam shafts in tune, so I used the last video and set them inside with the two dimples against each other just as they were in the video, and rotated both camshafts together, keeping the teeth together and allowing no slipping until the "points" were where I thought they should be above the valves since the first one was at TDC. I keep thinking I'm off. On the compression stroke wouldn't the intake valves just be closing? So the "points" on the intake cam shaft should just be releasing the valves. I rotated the two cam shafts together until the intake cam shaft was at the point where it would just be releasing the valves on the first cylinder. If I was on the exhuast stroke, 180 degrees off, and tried to start the car, wouldn't it hurt the engine? Or would it even crank at all?I don't hear any metal clanging together. I guess I fail to understand the how the distributor retards and advances the timing and how setting the crankshaft pulley to the marks on the engine affect anything.

[Donald]

Originally Posted by eishiba

When i took the engine apart I never used a 6 mm screw to hold it. I really had no idea lol. I've had to turn the crank shaft so many times it might not matter but this is the position they were in before I took them out.

And this was the position of the cam shafts with the dimples.

I didn't know how to keep both cam shafts in tune, so I used the last video and set them inside with the two dimples against each other just as they were in the video, and rotated both camshafts together, keeping the teeth together and allowing no slipping until the "points" were where I thought they should be above the valves since the first one was at TDC. I keep thinking I'm off. On the compression stroke wouldn't the intake valves just be closing? So the "points" on the intake cam shaft should just be releasing the valves. I rotated the two cam shafts together until the intake cam shaft was at the point where it would just be releasing the valves on the first cylinder. If I was on the exhuast stroke, 180 degrees off, and tried to start the car, wouldn't it hurt the engine? Or would it even crank at all?I don't hear any metal clanging together. I guess I fail to understand the how the distributor retards and advances the timing and how setting the crankshaft pulley to the marks on the engine affect anything.

Don't even look at the cam lobes.
That is why they put the dimples on the gears.
As long as the #1 piston is at the top of its stroke, the engine will be timed correctly if you get the cams right, before putting on the timing belt.

You need to be looking at the gears from the right side (front side), not the left side (back side). Your videos are from the back side. The photo that I posted id from the front side so the cam shaft is hidden by the gear.

From what I see the cams were not timed properly when you took it apart.
Now what you need to do is remove the intake cam, set the main and sub gears, secure them with a screw, and then reinstall it with the dimples aligned, then take the screw out and set the cams in the correct position, then install the timing belt.

The distributor will only go in one way. The blade on the end of the shaft is off-set from center. Remove the cap and turn the rotor until it slides in, then reinstall the cap. Do this with the valver cover off so you can see what you are doing.

I am guessing that you don't have a manual. If so, now is a good time to go to your nearest auto parts store and get one.

[eishiba]

You make this sound easy haha. I'm assuming when you say "main gear" you mean the part that the timing belt wraps around and the sub gear is the gears that mesh with the neighboring cam shaft. And having the number 1 cylinder at TDC of its stroke you mean compression stroke right? Which thinking about it, it wouldn't matter. As long as the piston is at the top. So set the intake cam to 3 and 6 o clock position and the exhuast cam to 9 and 12 position. I don't really know what you meant by setting the timing hole in the exhuast pulley. Is that the one that you put the 6 mm screw in to hold the two gears in place?

[Donald]

On the intake cam the gear is split. That is actually two gears, the main gear is the thicker one and the sub gear is the thinner one.
With the cam away from you, you are looking at the sub gear.
Find a way to hold the intake cam, and turn the sub gear clock-wize until the hole for the 6mm screw open up, then put a screw through both gears. If not your intale cam timing will be off.

The pulley is the big wheel that the timing belt wraps around. It has a hole in one of its spokes, that you need to align with a notch in the top of the cam retaining cap that holds the exhaust cam seal. That hole should be at 12 O'clock, the intake cam dimples at 12 O'clock and 3 O'clock, and the timing mark on the crank shaft pulley aligned with a little pimple on the oil pump housing. Then install the timing belt, making sure to keep the slack in the belt to the side with the tensioner.

I can make it sound easy because I have the manual. The manual makes everything a lot easier.

If all else fails, follow the instructions

You need to go get the manual.

Get the manual

[eishiba]

Originally Posted by Donald

On the intake cam the gear is split. That is actually two gears, the main gear is the thicker one and the sub gear is the thinner one.
With the cam away from you, you are looking at the sub gear.
Find a way to hold the intake cam, and turn the sub gear clock-wize until the hole for the 6mm screw open up, then put a screw through both gears. If not your intale cam timing will be off.

The pulley is the big wheel that the timing belt wraps around. It has a hole in one of its spokes, that you need to align with a notch in the top of the cam retaining cap that holds the exhaust cam seal. That hole should be at 12 O'clock, the intake cam dimples at 12 O'clock and 3 O'clock, and the timing mark on the crank shaft pulley aligned with a little pimple on the oil pump housing. Then install the timing belt, making sure to keep the slack in the belt to the side with the tensioner.

I can make it sound easy because I have the manual. The manual makes everything a lot easier.

If all else fails, follow the instructions

You need to go get the manual.

Get the manual

Yeah I noticed about the intake cam and the hole you mentioned to line up. They are one tooth off. I tried turning by hand but its impossible. Whats the trick to holding it down and turning it?

[Donald]

Originally Posted by eishiba

Yeah I noticed about the intake cam and the hole you mentioned to line up. They are one tooth off. I tried turning by hand but its impossible. Whats the trick to holding it down and turning it?

You need a pair of channel lock pliers. Grip a tooth of the main gear and one of the sub gear, about a inch and a half apart and squeeze till the hole lines up.

[eishiba]

I can't get anything to turn the sub and main gear. I do everything else like you said. Setting the dimples to the time clock position. I just don't have the main and sub gears lined with the screw. The new head and old head, both sub and main gears were a tooth or so misaligned. Do the sub and main gears slip into the position when taking the engine apart? Unless its a concidence that they are both misaligned at the same tooth.

[Donald]

You are trying to turn it with the cam out of the head, right?

You need to do that, then install the screw to hold it in that position,

*Align one pair of dimples on both cams,
(optional: install the exhaust cam first, then align the intake and bolt it down, I think this way is easier)
*Take the screw out,
*Position the cams to get the dimples in the right location, (There are hexagonal flats on both cams. Put a large adjustable wrench on one of those to turn the cams)
*Install the belt.

It has to go in that sequence, or no go.

The sub and main gears are spring loaded into the wrong position. The reason for that is that when everything is installed correctly, the sub gear is under spring tension, which reduces any slack between the intake and exhaust cam gears. That helps the system run a bit quieter, and actually reduces wear.

[eishiba]

You Tube

You Tube

What am I doing wrong? In the video I go over everything to show what I have done. Why am I leaving out or not done? Should the distributor be turned a specific way to retard or speed the start up?

[Donald]

All this to be done before the belt is put on.

After you get the cams synchronized as you do, remove the bolt from the intake cam gears, and rotate the cams. Intake cam counter clockwize, exhaust clockwize looking from the right side to the left side of the car.

Intake cam dimples need to be at 12 O'clock and 3 O'clock
Exhaust cam dimples need to be at 12 O'clock and 9 O'clock.

There is a hole in the exhaust cam pulley (the one the belt goes on). That hole should line up with a notch on the top of the cam cap that holds the exhaust cam oil seal.

Crank shaft pulley (timing belt) dimple, needs to be aligned with the tit on the oil pump housing. #1 piston at TDC.

Then you install the timing belt, and tighten the tensioner.

Do not install the outer crank pulley until everything is aligned correctly.

Rotate the crank twice, and see if everything comes back to this position. If not, realign everything again, and rotate again.

Did you get the manual yet?

Copy and print these instructions and take them to the car with you.
You forgot what I wrote the first time.

[eishiba]

I think what I did wrong was I put the intake cam at the 3 and 6 and exhuast at 6 and 9 o clock positions. I noticed the inside of the distributor cap points at the number 2 plug wire. Is that going to make a difference in anything?