Verify timing alignment without drping pan?
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 769
Likes: 0
From: Granbury TX
Verify timing alignment without drping pan?
We have reason to question weather or not the timing marks on my cam gear and crank gear were properly alighened during cam installation. I dread droping the oil pan and removing everything on the front of the engine just to check on, what may be, a wild goose chase.
Isn't there some way to checkwith adial indicater on a rocker arm and a full 360 deg tape on the balancer it the marks are centered or 1 tooth off? Will this work? I have the specs on my new Comp Cam, and it would seem that I could set the crankshaft to on # 1 cylinder at TDC after the compression stroke and put a dial indicater on top of the exhaust rocker arm, then turn the engine until I see evidence on the dial indicator that it is beginning to lift. There are 44 teeth on the cam gear so each tooth is seperated by 8.4 deg. My exhaust is to start to open at 74 deg BBDC according to the spec sheet that came with the cam. If the exhaust lifter startes up at, say 66 deg or doesn't start to move until 82 deg, I am probably off a tooth, right?
Any other ways to do it?
Isn't there some way to checkwith adial indicater on a rocker arm and a full 360 deg tape on the balancer it the marks are centered or 1 tooth off? Will this work? I have the specs on my new Comp Cam, and it would seem that I could set the crankshaft to on # 1 cylinder at TDC after the compression stroke and put a dial indicater on top of the exhaust rocker arm, then turn the engine until I see evidence on the dial indicator that it is beginning to lift. There are 44 teeth on the cam gear so each tooth is seperated by 8.4 deg. My exhaust is to start to open at 74 deg BBDC according to the spec sheet that came with the cam. If the exhaust lifter startes up at, say 66 deg or doesn't start to move until 82 deg, I am probably off a tooth, right?
Any other ways to do it?
Melting Slicks
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 2,118
Likes: 0
From: St. Charles, MO Route 66 Corvette Club
I do not know about your special cam...but I can tell you how to do it with a stock cam. Lets assume you KNOW when #1 is at TDC or very close to TDC. Remove the passenger side valve cover and observe when the #6 exhaust valve closes and the #6 intake opens. This event happens with very little crank rotation. If you can rotate the crank in the direction of running rotation and watch for this "rocking of the #6 valves", #1 cylinder will be at TDC in the middle of the rocking motion.......and the vib damper should be aligned with the mark on the block. If the timing line does not align witht he TDC mark, you have a problem. Hope this makes sense to you 
Melting Slicks
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 2,118
Likes: 0
From: St. Charles, MO Route 66 Corvette Club
I have used this method over the years for finding the #1 TDC when some "un-named" person would jerk out the distributor and forget to mark the location of the dist rotor. On most cars, one valve cover is always easier to remove than the other. This method will work when the firing order is 18436572. In this firing order, number 1 and 6 cylinders work opposite each other. Let us know what you find on this.
Bob
Bob
