Installed head with the cams 180 degrees out of phase.

[gvr4ever]

I installed the head and I'm not sure what happened, but the dowel rods are facing down instead of up on the cams. The valves all looked closed when I put the head on. Its just how I got it back from the machine shop and I didn't notice till after I installed everything.

Does it matter? How could I safely rotate the cams around without hitting the valves?

 

[vr4play]

Turn the crank until the pistons are all even and then you can turn the cams without having the valves touch the pistons. Or you could just remove the cams and put them back in with the dowels up.

 

[gvr4ever]

Good ideal.

Would you happen to know what position the crank should be? A half turn from the timing mark? Aside from trying to point a light down the spark plug wells, I don't know the engine well enough to know what the half way point would be.

 

[Barnes]

Where were the pistons in the bores when you installed the head?

IMO, the easist way to make sure you are safe to freely rotate the cams is to do the following:

Get a 1/8" to 1/4" wood dowel, cut it in 4 equal lengths about 18" long ( or longer). Take out the spark plugs if they are installed, and simply insert a dowel in each spark plug hole until it is hitting the top of the piston.

If all the dowels are the same height*, or relatively close, the pistons are not near the valves. Feel free to rotate the cams until their dowels are facing up.

*Note: The pistons move in pairs, so pistons 1&4 are at the same height, and pistons 2&3 are at the same height.

If one pair is significantly lower or heigher than the other (3.46" to be exact), you may have pistons at TDC (top dead center). That's where it's possible to bend valves if you rotate the cams.

If this is the case, rotate the crankshaft with a ratchet until the wood dowels are all the same height. (At most this should be a quarter turn) This ensures there is no way you will damage the valves when you rotate the cams to the correct orientation.

 

[turbowop]

90 degrees in either direction. Or just shine a light down the spark plug hole.

 

[gvr4ever]

Quoting Barnes:
Where were the pistons in the bores when you installed the head?

IMO, the easist way to make sure you are safe to freely rotate the cams is to do the following:

Get a 1/8" to 1/4" wood dowel, cut it in 4 equal lengths about 18" long ( or longer). Take out the spark plugs if they are installed, and simply insert a dowel in each spark plug hole until it is hitting the top of the piston.

If all the dowels are the same height*, or relatively close, the pistons are not near the valves. Feel free to rotate the cams until their dowels are facing up.

*Note: The pistons move in pairs, so pistons 1&3 are at the same height, and pistons 2&4 are at the same height.

If one pair is significantly lower or heigher than the other (3.46" to be exact), you may have pistons at TDC (top dead center). That's where it's possible to bend valves if you rotate the cams.

If this is the case, rotate the crankshaft with a ratchet until the wood dowels are all the same height. (At most this should be a quarter turn) This ensures there is no way you will damage the valves when you rotate the cams to the correct orientation.



Cyl 1 & 3 is up and the crank is on the timing mark. Everything should be where it was when I took the head off (I hope).

I understood your post and using wooden dowels would be a great visual way to insure I don't hit anything.

Thanks

 

[presterone]

I thought 1&4 were paired cylinders?

 

[turbowop]

They are. 1&4 and 2&3 are paired.

If 1&3 are up at the same time, something is waaaaaaay wrong, because the crankshaft wouldn't allow that, lol.

 

[gvr4ever]

Okay, so I got it wrong. I was going by memory before I put the head on. I didn't even know the engine fired and stroked the way it did till I rotated the engine with the head off. I always thought the pistons took turns firing, like in 1/4s or something.

 

[gtluke]

If they are exactly facing down, they you are fine. Car will run fine. Just turn the crank 360deg and line the mark back up and the cams will line up again, this time facing up. The bottom end turns twice for every one rotation of the cams.

 

[Barnes]

Oops, sorry. Brain fart! Thanks for the correction guys.

Yeah, the dowel method is probably not needed, but I think for gvr4ever it would be a good visual. I think this is his first time messing with this stuff so it helps to visualize what is going on.

 

[curtis]

Hopefully the pistons were all down when you torqued the head down because you could have had valve to piston damaged when you torqued it down. Lifters are bleed down and may not have hit but you never know.

 

[gvr4ever]

The valves were closed when I installed the head. They better not have hit.

 

[rdomeck]

Quoting gtluke:
If they are exactly facing down, they you are fine. Car will run fine. Just turn the crank 360deg and line the mark back up and the cams will line up again, this time facing up. The bottom end turns twice for every one rotation of the cams.



^This^
Maybe I am thinking about this wrong as well....But he should not have to do anything, right? If you rotate the crank 360 degrees it would put the cams straight up?

 

[gvr4ever]

Can anyone confirm this? It it safe to have the crank at the right timing mark and the cams with the timing mark in the middle and just crank it over? It needs to be cranked to the right position before I install the CAS, but do the valves close half way?

 

[EHmotorsports]

Spin the crank 180 deg and move the cams to the correct locations. The crank should spin by hand if there are no plugs in. If you feel any resistance/ crank stops while turning. Do not force it.

 

[rdomeck]

If the cams are exactly 180 degrees out and the timing belt is on you should be able to rotate the crank 360 degree's and have the timing marks line up... The crank turns twice for every one turn of the cams!

 

[Barnes]

Time out: Is the timing belt on or off? Did you ever put it on after you put the head on?

 

[vr4play]

If the timing belt is on you can just turn the motor over until everything lines up the way it is supposed to. If the belt is off then just turn the crank 90º and then turn the cams one at a time till they are correct and then turn the crank back to where it is supposed to be. I assumed the belt was still off.