Changed Cams Acting like no compression now.

[tsd123]

I have a 1990 eclipse with a stock 6 bolt motor. I just recently resealed the oil pan, the front case, and oil filter housing. I also put crower 272 cams in while I had everything apart. I am very particular when it comes to working on my car, so I double check everything. I accidentally put the cams in with the wrong marks lining up. I noticed it after I tried to put the car in time with the timing belt. The marks wouldn't line up. I wasn't thinking and started to turn the intake cam over. Thinking I could just spin it over, but it hit the piston. I put pressure on it before I realized, but I'm not sure if I could have hurt it. When I got everything back together, and tried to crank it, it just spun over really fast like there was no compression, and back fired.
After that I took the head off to check it out, and I cant tell that there is anything wrong with the head.
I'm going to take the head to get it checked, but does anyone have an idea of whats going on?

 

[Colt4G63 also]

There's a spring inside the lifters, and they would have fully extended when you pulled the cams off.

If they have oil in them, they won't compress back down fully right away, causing the valves not to seat until they have sat in the assembled head for several hours or a day. It's happened to me at least a half dozen times on various makes of engines. It's usually when you're feeling really proud of yourself, and thinking, "Well that went together nice and quickly".

Or you bent the valves.

 

[Chaosweaver]

There's a spring inside the lifters, and they would have fully extended when you pulled the cams off.

If they have oil in them, they won't compress back down fully right away, causing the valves not to seat until they have sat in the assembled head for several hours or a day. It's happened to me at least a half dozen times on various makes of engines. It's usually when you're feeling really proud of yourself, and thinking, "Well that went together nice and quickly".

Or you bent the valves.

+1, I usually let the cars sit for 6-12 hours before trying to start them up after a cam install. If you tried to start the car and the timing was off then you destroyed your valves, lets home that wasn't the case. Take off the head and inspect it, its the only real way to know.

 

[MichaelSuch]

Are you positive firing order was correct?

 

[tsd123]

Thanks for the reply. Yeah it is driving me insane, because I had everything perfect. I will get it checked out anyway, but I hope thats the problem. If not I have a few good head laying around. I wish I would have known before I took the head off, but I wanted to check the valves. I cant tell anything by looking at them. They seem to be fully seating. I put the cams in yesterday evening so its not looking good now that I think about it.

I'm sure it was right unless I looked at the wires wrong. I know its 4-1-2-3, but wouldn't it still have some compression if the order was off. It is acting like there is none. When I turn it over it spins way faster than it would normally.

 

[ed1380]

I had the same symptoms when my timing marks lined up on the cams, but both dowel pins were not pointing up

 

[tsd123]

Thanks, that could have been the problem. Do you think I could bend the valves by hand because they look fine. It was only the intake side also, but I don't see me being able to bend two valves at once. I'm not that strong.

 

[phunny]

Hope it's not too late for you, but after I do anything with the timing belt I turn it over by hand just to make sure nothing is touching (I'm paranoid, but rather safe than sorry)

 

[tsd123]

I went out side to check it out, and the intake cam dowel is straight up but the exhaust is pointing down. How could you change that when the marks line up there.

I turned just the cam itself with no timing belt. I had lined my cams up on the wrong notches. So I was going to turn the cam over. So I started with the intake cam, and went to turn it over "not thinking" about hitting the pistons. So I had to take the cams back out, and put them in right. When I put it all back together everything was in line as far as I could tell.

 

[ed1380]

no it'll be fine. I cranked mine so many times with the cam 180* out of sync and valves were fine. you wont bend them by hand either unless you use a breaker bar or something.

you will need to take the timing belt off and make both dowel pins point up and redo the timing. just make sure the pistons are not at TDC when you rotate the camshaft. the timing marks will still line up. there's 2 sets of marks on one of the cams

 

[tsd123]

Okay, I took some pictures showing the problem. The marks will line up when the exhaust dowel is down. These cams came out of my friends car, but I know he lined the marks up when he put it in time.

You must be logged in to view this image or video.

You must be logged in to view this image or video.

 

[BogusSVO]

look 180* from the painted marks should be other marks there also.

so rotate the exhaust cam 180* so the dowel is up and mark the factory groove in the gear and all should be fine

 

[tsd123]

The other mark is between the gears instead on on a gear. So what should I do about that?

The picture on the bottom has the marks in the gears lined up, but the exhaust is forward a little because I'm not holding it.

 

[donniekak]

The other mark is between the gears instead on on a gear. So what should I do about that?

That's how they line up.

You must be logged in to view this image or video.

 

[BogusSVO]

the exhaust cam gear mark will be in the "valley" and the intake gear mark will be on the "hill"

they will line up.

when set like that, both dowels will be up /@ 12 o'clock position

 

[tsd123]

Okay, thanks alot! that had to be the problem then. I was thinking the notches on the gears lined up. Thanks for the help. I gotta go put this head back on.

 

[ed1380]

the easiest way to make sure the marks are perfectly lined up is to count 16 teeth between the same spot on the cam gears

 

[tsd123]

Thanks, I got it running now. It sounds nice