To bolt or not to bolt cams down ???

[Slippi84]

Ok here's my situation. First off I have a 420a motor not a 4g63 motor just to clarify in case there is a diffrence which I doubt but anyway I just toruqed down my heand and am about to put the cams back in but the timing betlt is off the car. The pistons were at practically the verry bottom of the travel(I want to call it BDC but i'm not 100% sure if that's how they refer to it). Anyway I'm not doing the timing belt because I don't want to mess it up cause that's probably the most important step I think. My question is if I just put the cams in and bolt down everything and seal up the head and put everything back together so all my guy has to do is the timing belt will I bend valves when he goes to rotate the block and cams to TDC to set the timing belt. I know nothing will hit if I bolt eveything down right now because of how low all the pistons are but when he goes to rotate the crank to get the marker for TDC to line up with the marker on the block will it hit the valves that are open and bend them or am I missing something

 

[g_ferg]

What you could do is rotate the crank yourself so the timing mark is close and when you put the cams in the head put them in so that the timing marks on the cams are basically lined up. It makes it much easier also to get everything lined up before putting the tbelt on.

sorry that sounds like crap how it was typed out... I'm at work and don't have much time

 

[Slippi84]

What you could do is rotate the crank yourself so the timing mark is close and when you put the cams in the head put them in so that the timing marks on the cams are basically lined up. It makes it much easier also to get everything lined up before putting the tbelt on.

sorry that sounds like crap how it was typed out... I'm at work and don't have much time

Yeah but the problem is that the marking for TDC is underneath the timing cover which looks like a PITA to take off as the passenger engine mount goes threw and what not. So I wouldn't know where TDC is without taking everything off(which by the way would also include the Crank pulley) and if I was gonna do all that I might as well do the dam timing bolt myself. Avoiding all that stuff is part of the reason I"m not doing it.

 

[Slippi84]

Maybe this will make it more clear for the non 420a guys. My main question is will the pistons just push the valves up without the timing belt on or because of the cams being bolted down would it bend them?

 

[g_ferg]

OK sooo rotate the crank till the #1 cylinder is at the top of the block if you need you can use a screw driver and stick it down through the spark plug hole. OR use a flash light and shine it down through there and tell when its up...orrrrr just put the cams in with the marks lined up and when you rotate the crank the pistons should clear the valves just fine. Does with my 4g63 but its been forever since ive messed with the 420a :\...and just rotating the crank by hand isnt going to bend the valves unless someone is well a moron about it and keeps trying to force it to go..

ok put the cams in with the marks lined up you will be fine. the valves should be closed with the timing marks lined up. and if not closed all the way they will be closed far enough to rotate the crank.Go put them in stop worrying so much about it

 

[Slippi84]

ok put the cams in with the marks lined up you will be fine. the valves should be closed with the timing marks lined up. and if not closed all the way they will be closed far enough to rotate the crank.Go put them in stop worrying so much about it

You have given me the best advice a under 100 post member with a negative level has ever given me. If I knew how I would give you a green star

 

[g_ferg]

it was negative for answering a question about the airbag comp under the center console from like a year or 2 ago haha and i hardly ever post anything usually just read if i need to figure something out. and i use to work on my rs eclipse all the time and lately its been the gsx..im not completly dumb just because that thing says so