[mmasse]

TimT

What do you think about this procedure for retiming the exhaust camshaft. Might this work? Is there anything on the VarioCam vane system that might complicate this.?

"The relative position of the exhaust cam (lower cam) to the IMS, and there fore the crank is fixed and does not change. It is only the relative position of the intake cam (upper Cam) that changes. So if the bottom cam is not straight up and down (use a straight edge and the joint between the cover and the head to check this) than the timing of that cam is off. I can give you a fairly simple way of adjusting this. To turn the crank take off the serpentine belt and use a socket on the main pulley. The engine rotates clockwise looking from the rear of the car. Try to turn it in that direction if you are going more than a few degrees. First get the engine close to TDC for Bank1. Then rotate the crank until the exhaust cam is straight up and down. Now loosen the 4 bolts on the exhaust cam sprocket (this assumes you have removed the scavenger oil pump to have access to these bolts). Now you can rotate the crank to TDC, this should only be a few degrees, without rotating the cam. Once the crank is at TDC and the cam is still straight up and down re-tighten the bolts on the sprocket ( I tighten two of them, then put some Loctite blue on the other two and tighten them, then remove the first two and put Loctite on them and put them in. The torque for these bolts is in the manual."

Best