Cam Gear Install Question

[Dirty Hands]

I replaced all the front cam seals and o-rings but do not remember how far the cam gear went on the camshaft. Does this look right? Seems like the gear should fit flush with the end of the cam. I have had it apart too long and don't remember!

Thanks,
Pete

[5l32v4c]

I think it goes on way further than that. I have mine apart right now so I'll see if I can find a picture from the disassembly.

[Dirty Hands]

Thanks!

Pete

[Mrmerlin]

once you put the bolt in the cam it will pull it forward ,
the cam will slide backwards some without the cam pulley and bolt in place and if its pushed.

[riber.bentsen]

Sure it's not flipped?

[Mrmerlin]

Ahh from the picture the cam pulley does appear to be flipped around ,
the faces are the same but the hash mark should be facing the engine

[riber.bentsen]

[Dirty Hands]

I checked and the part number and MWU mark are visible from the outside. The timing notch on the teeth are on the side facing the engine. I think this means the gear is mounted correctly. At this point I will pull the flange and re-check assembly order. If nothing is out of place, should I torque it to spec and see if goes into place? Thanks to all who have answered.

Pete

[riber.bentsen]

If the timing notch is on the inside, it is indeed mounted correctly. Strange?

[Pete R]

I seem to remember mine sitting like that. If it sat flush, with all the tolerances of the parts in there, it could actually bottom out the washer on the cam and not the gear which would leave it all loose.

[qdac]

I just assembled mine this weekend. I also see the slight protrusion of the gear past the cam. I did some research, and I *believe* that this is correct.

[qdac]

Please tell me if you find this next suggestion helpful!

When I first did this a few months ago, I had SERIOUS issues with the cam tower bolts that are INSIDE the housing. I kept dropping them and having to remove the cam tower to get them out. After a couple of tries, I came up with an idea that I have not seen anywhere else.

The idea is to make a sleeve out of a 2" strip from a 3x5 note card (paper size 2"x3"), insert the sleeve into the cam tower bolt hole, and then feed the bolt through that sleeve. This worked great for me and made it trivial to get the bolts into the holes without any drama or stress. A picture of the cam tower with the card stock sleeves:



Unfortunately, with all of the handling that I did the first time around, the gasket slipped and I ended up doing it all over again. The engine is almost fully back together & hopefully I didn't screw anything else up this time. However, installing the internal cam tower bolts was a snap when using the paper sleeves.

I found that you need to cut the 3x5 card into strips that are about 2x3 - the card stock cannot overlap in the tower bolt hole or the bolt/washer will not fit through easily. I left a small gap in the top and rounded the paper using my pinky finger before inserting the bolt.

Good luck!

[Pete R]

You could have also filled the allen hole in the bolt with thick grease before you insert the driver, the suction will hold it on. Do the hard bolts first incase you knock it off on the hole on the way in. I've had good luck removing fallen in bolts with a small telescoping tool with a tiny magnet fixed to the end.

[Danglerb]

I use Wiha magicring long shaft hex bits. The tip has a ring like on a impact wrench to grip and hold the inside of the fastener.