Cam install

Copied...I personally haven't done this. And I don't plan on it. Anyone doing a Cam install take pics and I’ll update them in here.

Materials needed ( I’m not going to list them all, you don’t need to be a genius to know every bolt is metric, and you can find the bolt sizes yourself.):

Gloves1/4" or 3/8" Torque wrench1/2" torque wrench

1/2" Ratchet3/8" Ratchet

1/2" Sockets: 17mm, 19mm3/8" Sockets: 10mm, a 3" extension, a spark plug socket, and a longer extension.Open End wrenches: 14mm (or 15mm) for tensioner bolt, 24mm for cam hex (I’ll explain later)1/4" Sockets: 10mm

-One tube of red high-temp silicone RTV gasket maker-One quart of whatever oil you use.-Box cutter-Various sizes of flathead screwdrivers-One wire coat hanger-Roll of duct tape-Another person-Something small and pointy-ish, to hold the timing chain tensioner plunger: I used a voltmeter probe. It worked well.-Razor Blade-JWT Camshaft install supplement (online)-FSM Camshaft removal instructions.-Jack and jackstand-Breaker bar-Light colored nail polish-Rubber mallet-Caulk gun

Change your oil and filter before this install, and then 100-200 miles after.

For this install, we will assume the rear of the motor faces the firewall, and the front faces the radiator.

Ok. This install is a bit lengthy, and would be better with pics, but the JWT supplement and FSM diagram will be plenty to help you out.

Run the car for about 2 minutes to get a little bit of heat into the motor oil.

Jack up car. Remove Wheel and fender liner. Everyone should know how to do this. If you don’t, stop now and go pay someone to do this for you.

Disconnect battery.

Remove vacuum hose from rear of valve cover using a pair of needle nose pliers. Unscrew all of the ignition coils and remove them. Mark them using duct tape and a marker. From left to right, are cylinders 1,2,3,4. Move the coils out of the way.

Unbolt all of the valve cover bolts. Right now, you should devise a way to place all the bolts from certain parts together. This part is crucial, do NOT f*ck this up.

Remove the valve cover. The gasket will most likely come off with it. You will now see the camshafts and bearing caps.

Remove the spark plug from cylinder #1. Tape over the brass colored tube for now to prevent crap from getting in it. especially bolts. If you drop a bolt in, you're on your own.

On the left side of the engine, you will see the cover for the Timing gears. make sure you know what it is.

Get under the car and remove the accessory drive belt. Use the 14 or 15mm open end wrench to pull the bolt on the tensioned clockwise. The belt will slacken. Have person #2 pull it off the alternator and pull it out of the car.

Remove the grounding wires off the top rear of the timing cover. Move them out of the way. Using a razor blade, scrape the gray RTV off the top of the timing gear cover. Loosen a few of the upper bolts on the timing gear cover. Using the box cutter, try to get it between the cover. If you can’t, don’t sweat it.

Remove all of the bolts from the timing gear cover. On the lower rear side, you will see a plug going to a bronze colored cylinder on the cover. Disconnect it. DO NOT hit the cover with a rubber mallet to dislodge it. Try to pry it away SLOWLY with a thin screwdriver. Pull it off SLOWLY. Prior to this step, locate where the oil feed o-ring for the intake cam clutch is on the fsm diagram. It is part number 6. When you SLOWLY pull the cover off, quickly but surely grab the o-ring out of its journal. If you have heated the car up a bit, the oil will give it some more adhesion. If it falls in, you're again on your own. This is the most nerve-racking part of the install, do yourself a favor and make sure you know what and where it is.

Set the cover and o-ring aside.

Using the 1/2" wrench and 19mm socket, begin turning the crankshaft clockwise. Align the mating marks on the pulley and block per the FSM. When they are aligned, see if the cam lobes for cylinder one are facing away from each other. If they are, good. If not, turn the crank one more time clockwise. This sets cyl.1 at top dead center on its compression stroke.

If you have put an aftermarket pulley on, do the following:unbend a wire hanger. tape up the end or it will score the piston. lightly tape it. slide it into cylinder one through the spark plug hole. when turning the crank, your buddy will be able to tell you if the piston is on its way up, down, or near/at TDC.

Make sure you can see the deep timing mark on the intake cam gear. This gear is obviously on the intake side, leaks oil, and is big. The mark SHOULD be straight up. If not, turn the crank a little more to get it there. This will allow you to effectively mark the chain.

Take a small flathead screwdriver and push the plunger into the tensioner assembly. It looks like a small piston with a groove machined in it. You will see a hole in the tensioner assembly, which is where you’re going to stick the small, strong piece of metal through. When you push the plunger in, push the small object through the hole lightly until it catches on the groove that is machined into it. Make sure it locks the plunger into place. The shoe that places tension on the chain will now be loose. As will the chain.

Get the nail polish. Quick dry is good, but regular is better. It will stay on longer. Slide out the chain guide from the inside of the cam gear housing. It is a small, thin black bracket. It will easily pull out. Wipe down the chain to get the oil off the flat surface. Mark the link on the chain that the intake cam gear groove lines up with. Use the nail polish for this, duh.

You will see there is a painted mark on the exhaust gear as well. Mark the link on the chain that this lines up with. This will allow you to easily set the timing.

There are 3 top bolts on the first bearing cover (aka thrust bearing cap. this cap is on the opposite side of the timing gear cover. remove any RTV you can. DO NOT drop any into the motor. Loosen and remove the bolts as per the FSM loosening sequence diagram. Follow this diagram like your life depends on it. While your life may not, essential parts like bearing caps will.

Look at the timing gears from the side of the car. You will notice that 4 10mm bolts hold the thrust bearing cover on. Remove them. The thrust bearing cover will now come off with a bit of effort.

Looking between the valves for cylinders 1 and 2, you will notice a hex spot machined onto the camshaft. Use the 24mm wrench here. Use the 1/2" ratchet and 17mm on the exhaust gear bolt. Try VERY hard not to rotate the camshaft or put extra tension on the chain. Loosen the bolt by turning the bolt counter-clockwise and applying equal pressure on the cam hex clockwise. Got it? Good. For now, just break the bolt loose. Do the same on the intake cam gear. You may or may not need a deep well socket to slide it in. since the intake gear is basically a hydraulic clutch, the bolt is inside a bit.

NOTE: ONLY USE 6 POINT SOCKETS. DO NOT USE 12 POINT SOCKETS.

Now that both bolts are loose, remove them completely. Pull the cam gears toward you (away from the camshaft ends) at the same time. Wiggle them if they are being gay. Have your helper grab a bolt from the timing gear cover. Put it into one of the top holes so you can hang the chain on it. Only 4 or 5 threads in are needed. Take the gears off the chain and hang the chain on the bolt. This is shown in JWT's supplement.

There are 8 bearing caps holding the cams into their journals. Loosen them as per the fsm's sequence.

NOTE: the intake lobes on cylinder 3 may be engaging the lifters and cause the cam to c*** or bend upon loosening the bearing caps. Using the cam hex and 24mm wrench, you may want to turn the cam slightly clockwise once the gears are off to relieve any pressure. Not too much though.

The caps are marked 2, 3, 4, 5 on the intake side and A, B, C, D on the exhaust side. Standing in front of the car, you will be able to read them. This is how they MUST go back on. Line them up on a paper towel if needed. Actually, I suggest you do it.

Remove the camshafts. They will pull straight up.

Install the new cams into their journals. Pay attention to JWT's supplement. They clearly mark the exhaust and intake cams. Pour some oil on the lobes and bearings. Place them in into the exact same position you removed them.

Put all the bearing caps back into position. Finger tightens the 2 bolts on each cap evenly, so the cap seats even and no bolts crack. Tighten the caps per the FSM using the 1/4" torque wrench. If you don’t have one, just tighten the bolts SNUG. NOT UBER TIGHT.

Do NOT put the thrust bearing cap on yet.

Get the 2 timing gears, and place them on the chain, lining up the marks you made. The small dowel on the exhaust cam will slide into the provided slot on the timing gear. Since you have adjusted the intake cam after gear removal, the intake gear will not line up correctly. Using the 24mm wrench again, spin the cam counter-clockwise while lightly pushing the gear on. It will catch the dowel on the new cam, and you're all good.

Tighten the bolts for the gears down a bit to hold them in place. You must remove ALL old RTV from the grooved channels on the cap before installing it. Make sure all mating surfaces are free of oil. Using the caulk gun, fill the channels with RTV. Replace the thrust bearing cap and tighten per FSM.

Replace the 4 bolts from the opposite side of the thrust bearing cap to hold it onto the gear housing. Remember those? Good.

Place the 24mm wrench on the intake cam hex, and the 17mm socket with 1/2" torque wrench on the bolt. Torque per FSM. Then do the same for the exhaust gear.

Replace the black chain guide plate at the top of the cam gear housing. It will slide back in.

relieve pressure on the tensioner plug and remover the object you used for a stopper pin. You are almost done.

Scrape any old RTV off of the gear cover and mating surface on the housing. Fill the channels on the cover with new RTV.

Place some oil on the o-ring and push it back into its groove. Quickly place the gear cover back onto the housing. Bolt it down.

Replace valve cover and tighten per FSM. If you want, use some black RTV on the bottom of the gasket (so it seals between the cover and head better).

Replace the grounding wires to the cam gear cover.

Replace/ re-route the accessory belt.

Replace the fender lining. Replace the wheel.

Add about .25 quarts of oil to make up for any that is lost.

Wait about 30 minutes for the RTV to begin to set. Start the car and let it run for about 3 minutes. This will put heat into the RTV and allow it to cure faster. Let the car sit for an hour. Follow that by about 15 minutes of light driving below 30 mph to re-lube everything and put some more heat into the RTV. Let the car sit until the visible RTV has developed a good skin.

Drive lightly for the first 24 hours, and then follow normal new-motor break in for 100 miles. Do not exceed 4000 rpm.

After 100 miles, come back here and thank me for taking my time for helping you guys out.

Remember, be careful. I may have missed some minor details that only some people may encounter during installation, but as of yet this is the best install how-to out there.

If you find any errors, please let me know.