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[grifter]

Hi

Decided to tackle setting up the cams and crank today before removing belt. Watched the DVD to refresh my memory then set about it. First thing I noticed was upon pulling the crank round to near where I can place the lock on, and bringing the alignment marks up on the cams, when the right pulleys were aligned with the marks, the lefts were ever so slightly out. I could get the cam locking pins in to the right but not the left. I then tried putting the crank lock on before going any further and I can seem to get it to sit straight on the crank hub and have the bolt screw in. If I sit it flush on the crank the screw twists in at an angle as you can see in pic below.

I'm also looking at the cams again it seem there is other marks on it and am now wondering what ones are what. There seems to be one of the large notch marks aligning and on the other cam the large notch is way out.




Right cam, large notch aligns on left one, but smaller one on right aligns, larger notch is out.



Left cams, large notch on left aligns, right cam the large notch is out and smaller notch aligned with large notch miles out.   



Any ideas where I've boobed? I'm just using ballpark alignment right now, not dead spot on until I can figure out what is the correct notches and to be sure I have crank locked correctly. To me it looks like the large notch on left cam and small notch on right cam are the ones I'm aligning. The initial concern was that the one side looked slightly out as compared to when other side was aligned accurately.

[grifter]

Here's part of the problem with the crank locking tool:

The hole for the locking bolt is out


Once the bolt starts feeding in the shoulders of the bolt starts trying to push the locking tool off the notches cut out of crank pulley thus I can't get it to screw in neatly home.


The kit I have is a Nielsen locking tool for V6 opel ecotec engines. Wondering if this might be for an older version of engine perhaps? THe bolt hole in the crank is more offset than what is on the locking tool. On the tool it is right in the centre.

[TheBoy]

Ignore notches in backplate, you should have a double horseshoe timing tool in the kit, how does it look on that?

[Doctor Gollum]

I would get another locking kit... Clearly a cheap copy

[Migv6 le Frog Fan]

I would tend to agree.
If the crank isn't lining up properly, your on a hiding to nothing.

[grifter]

Ignore notches in backplate, you should have a double horseshoe timing tool in the kit, how does it look on that?

It looked ok with that.

[grifter]

Tending to agree about the kit, something not right with it. Refund and wasted time cause of a turd in the toolbox!

[YZ250]

As for the cam positions, each cam number should line up with its respective cam. Cams 1 and 2 are straightforward enough but cams 3 and 4 should line up as per your photo's.
Cam 3 shows the left notch as 3 so line cam 3 to the left notch and cam 4 shows the 4 as the right hand notch so cam 4 should be lined up with the right hand notch.

Hope that makes sense. 

[tidla]

http://www.lasertools.co.uk/product/3302

butterfly tool with the red dot/handle does the cam timing.

[Stige]

If the tool is bad then just do it without.

You can get the cams lined up without any tools easily, then turn the crank about one tooth anti-clockwise, when you set the tensioner right it is gonna turn the cams that way a little so then you turn the crank mark to align, everything else will align with it and you will have the timing set right.

It is really easy to do even without tools.

[Doctor Gollum]

If the tool is bad then just do it without.

You can get the cams lined up without any tools easily, then turn the crank about one tooth anti-clockwise, when you set the tensioner right it is gonna turn the cams that way a little so then you turn the crank mark to align, everything else will align with it and you will have the timing set right.

It is really easy to bollax the engine without tools if you get it wrong...

Fixed

[Lazydocker]

If the tool is bad then just do it without.

You can get the cams lined up without any tools easily, then turn the crank about one tooth anti-clockwise, when you set the tensioner right it is gonna turn the cams that way a little so then you turn the crank mark to align, everything else will align with it and you will have the timing set right.

It is really easy to do even without tools.

This is the kind of shitty advice that causes people to damage engines!

DO NOT LISTEN TO THIS!

[Stige]

Wow. it feels like people are from 'murica here.

With some common sense and Autodata, it is impossible to do it wrong really and damage anything.

I was skeptical too at first cause everyone seems to praise like it's the word of god that you can't do it without tools but that is obviously not true and it isn't even hard without.

[Doctor Gollum]

If a steak is cooked right, you can cut it with a butter knife... Get it wrong and you starve...

Just because you can, does not mean that you should...

[Doctor Gollum]

Yes the backing plate and crank and pulleys are all notched... Yes they can be made to line up without tools. Yes it might run well afterwards...

But, and it's a doozie , you forget one little, itsy witty detail which will cause an error in the setting...

Parallax.

Whilst they might look OK, without locking the crank and cams, they can move, and where they end up might look OK from a given perspective, you could end up with each cam progressively a tooth out... First time you start it you'll destroy the valves on the fourth cam closely followed by the rest.

Therefore the ONLY reasonable advice in a place like this, is to use the correct tools of proven quality. That way there is no risk and you can see EXACTLY where everything is without error