Quote:
Originally Posted by kav
This update is a long time in coming.
Unfortunately we lost our beloved Father Peter to lung cancer in January this year. He was diagnosed with stage four cancer while I was working in England over the summer of 2018. Needless to say the news was devastating and we spent as much time possible together over that summer. He wasn't a car guy but he loved following the progress of The Canary and probably contributed to most if not all of the YouTube views. I got the call to get on a plane and come home days after New Year and we lost him two weeks later. He was my true hero and someone I try to live up to everyday. Working on The Canary has been a great distraction but updating the posts and editing the videos is something I've found hard to get back to, so this is my attempt at that bridge.
Here we are at The Black Horse pub car barn together over that summer near my parents house.
Next task on the engine rebuild was probably the task I was most nervous about, timing the cams. Not sure why but it felt like a very difficult and complicated procedure. It turned out to be less complicated but more difficult / frustrating. I made a video about the experience.
Setting up for the Cam Timing. The clamps on the idler arms need to be extremely tight! I should of invested in some mechanical chain tensioners.
Installing RSR rocker shaft seals to help prevent oil leaks from the cam housing.
I installed the rockers for intakes 1 & 4 and set the valve clearance to be 0.1mm
The engine crank is at Z1, top dead center. I'm using some blue painters tape to help me easily see the Z1 mark against the case halves.
Both left and right cams with the keyway / dot facing up as a starting point. I install the dowel pin the corresponding sprocket hole and tighten the 46mm nut to 110ft lbs.
I invested (I say that but it was only $25) in a digital dial indicator. I set it up with the Z block on intake #1.
After much frustration I finally end up with the left side at the desired 3.15mm for my E cams.
Right side is at 3.16mm
Once the timing was set I could depress the valves 1.5mm on the intake and 2mm on the exhaust and check my valve to piston clearance by rotating the engine 720 degrees slowly checking for any interference, all was good. After I was completely satisfied I tore the whole thing down ready to add my sealants and do this all again!
Cheers!
-Kav. |
I just watched your video of the cam timing. Unless you did this for practice, you did a huge amount of un necessary work.
Piston to valve clearance checks. I think I have this written up on our web site about doing this.
This can be done when you first have the case bottom together. Fit up one cylinder with one piston and one head. No piston clips required at this stage. You will need a degree wheel fitted and before you fit the one head, TDC the degree wheel with your dial indictor directly on the piston.
Now fit the one head with the valves loose in the head. No springs. Hold the valves in place with a rubber band or similar. Don't worry about them falling , they will stop at the piston. Exactly what you are measuring.
Turn the engine until you have 20° BTDC. With the dial indicator on the tip of the valve, zero the indictor with the valve up against the valve seat. Now drop it slowly until it touches the piston. Record this number. Repeat this every 5 or 10° until you go past TDC and are at 20° ATDC. Do the same for the Exhaust valve. Now call your cam supplier and ask them for the valve lift at those same crank degrees at the timing you wish to use. They will know the Intake and Exhaust centerlines at the lift at TDC you may be wanting. They will also be able to tell you the valve lifts at those crank degrees. You subtract the numbers they tell you from what you measured and this is the clearance at each degree mark you used. If its too close, change the cam timing to suit or machine the pockets/change pistons.
This may seem long winded, but I promise you its far quicker than doing a full assembly, then taking it apart again. Once you have done the math on paper and established you have clearance, you build up the engine one time.
As for the cam timing way you did it, another way is to place the cams where the rocker is on the backside of the lobe, or I guess with the cams you are using, where the dots are up and down. Fit your rocker arm and do the lash as you did. Now turn the engine until you are approx. 90° BTDC. The more valve lift at TDC may require this position to be further from TDC. Put the pin into any hole and turn the cam until the dial indictor reads the lift you want. The engine wants to be BTDC. Pull the pin and slowly turn the engine until you are just before TDC. Find a hole close and insert the pin. Now turn the engine until you feel you have taken all of the play out of the pin in the hole. If you are not at TDC, try another hole. If you go past TDC, do the same but turn the engine back past TDC and then turn the engine clockwise making sure you take all of the chain slack out. This way, you are up against the pin in the hole and the cam is where you want it.
Another simple tip when turning the engine, use a long breaker bar. It makes the job a lot easier.
Hope this makes sense. Cam timing is the easiest part of building these engines and these engines have to be one of the easiest to time. Too much is made of this and has put unneeded fear into many. Just have to make the process easier and eliminate repeating, trying to get the number you want.
nh