Cam gear install FAIL

[Xacto]

My buddy and i installed the cam gears two days ago, and im not gonna lie, it was much longer than expected.
Anyway, we established the proper strap pattern, and i was sure that i got the correct tooth and dowel lined up under the yellow strap.

Passenger side tensioner is apparently stuck on the upper part, so that was pretty annoying to discover.

Regardless, put it back together, fired her up and....

Rumble rumble rumble.

Idol was real rough, puffs of dark smoke came out, and the engine, particularly drivers side, smelled like gas.
Drove it around the block after the idol got a bit more smooth and it stopped puffing.

My God. Totally fubar.

Checked the hoses and connections, they all seem to be there, so i currently have the intake manifold ready to remove, and will be going back into the cams today or tomorrow.

One thing i noticed is on the new cam gear the dowel didnt line up exactly with the dot...

I just hope i didnt bust anything :dontknow:

 

[T0LLPHR33]

i got tons of pics to if you need help in reassuring yourself that the the cam gears are lined up correctly...

 

[DERRIXRYD]

Good luck...it took Kev and I about an hour or 2 to turn over the motor to get all the stars aligned. That is one critical part about that install that must be correct. When it gets there it's like a beam of light from the heavens. You just have to put the new ones on as you took off the old ones. It doesn't sound like you are too far off.

 

[Xacto]

Anything and all helps. Where can i find those pics?

The pattern that at least we established was both sides had the two yellows lined up with the notches on the bearings. On the forward most timing chain, an orange strap on each one almost lined up with the adjacent yellow strap on the following timing chain. The dots on both cam gears were under their respective yellow straps. Pretty sure this is what you want?

Also, i talked to Allan from APR. Real nice guy. Said he can walk me through checking everything and setting it all straight. He thinks that i may have installed one of the gears retarded by one tooth, which would launch gas BACK into the intake...yikes.

 

[MORT-RUNNER]

i got tons of pics to if you need help in reassuring yourself that the the cam gears are lined up correctly...

Please post pics. Gonna do mine sometime in the next couple days. Thank you...haha!

 

[DERRIXRYD]

Here is my link with a couple of photos...

http://www.xr-underground.com/vb3/showthread.php?t=34321

 

[Torspd]

The APR cam gears sit just a few degrees off from stock. So to get the notch to line up, you have to clock the cam just a bit. That is psrfectly normal.

 

[DERRIXRYD]

Tear down to where you can take some photos of where you are at. Get the chain lined up to where they should be and take photos of where the dots on the cam gears are in relation to the chain link at their alignment marks. Then we or Torspd will tell you what you need to do.

 

[T0LLPHR33]

Please post pics. Gonna do mine sometime in the next couple days. Thank you...haha!

here's the thread i started when i was installing my x-1...let me know if you need more detailed pics...I got tons...:top:

APR X-1 Cam Gears Help

 

[5000XD]

Why did you go and drive around? I wouldn't even risk running the engine if it sounded so bad.

Good luck man. Best thing is you need to go back in there and recheck everything.

 

[Xacto]

Yea it wasnt terribly smart to drive, but like i said, it began to calm down, until i drove it.
Also like i said, the intake manifold is ready to come off, just waiting for it to stop raining (i dont have a garage).

Will post pictures.

 

[5000XD]

Just take your time! Check it and recheck it.

Be sure to torque everything correctly too.

By the way did you place the gears correctly on the dowl pin (or however its called)? It can only fit on there one way.

Like this:

 

[Xacto]

You're right, gotta be real methodical.
Yes both sides were sitting on that post through the gear's dowel. However it didnt really want to sit on it like that. i had to bolt it down to get it in place.

 

[Vince77]

Damn Will, hope you didn't bend any valves. The threads of previous installs and the pic on the APR website helped a lot. I made sure to double and triple check the alignment before doing the gears.
I know once we thought we had it. I think all but one link was lined up, so nope... keep cranking. :argh:

 

[CaliKnightRider]

i dont think u bent any valves. i was off by 2 teeth on both sides and i drove it kinda hard. i didnt have any engine damage so dont worry too much about it. if you need help fixing it, gadget will help you out. he helped with mine and i had mine up and running in no time.

mine rumbled the same way yours did and ran really wierd. just line up the intake sides and start from there again

 

[jaxchrisfla]

wow two people in one post come out of the wood works together.

if you have to put the gear back on the cam with the bolt, theres a chance it didnt slide onto the key fully and has since spun. i think thats what killed gtmoy's motor.

 

[blackx-runner]

wow two people in one post come out of the wood works together.

if you have to put the gear back on the cam with the bolt, theres a chance it didnt slide onto the key fully and has since spun. i think thats what killed gtmoy's motor.

I was thinking the same thing. You should be able to slide the new cam gear onto the dowel. Shouldn't have to force it on there using the bolt.
Hope nothing is fubar, but check and recheck everything when you get in there again.

 

[Murderface]

When I did mine I thought I had it all aligned but said PHUCK IT!! started to turn the motor around some more and after a few more revs it was where it needed to be. I was worried I was gonna find that the paint had worn off from the chain but that wasn't the case at all.

Good luck and keep us posted:top:

 

[Torspd]

You're right, gotta be real methodical.
Yes both sides were sitting on that post through the gear's dowel. However it didnt really want to sit on it like that. i had to bolt it down to get it in place.

That is what I was talking about when I said you have to "clock" the cam a little. Rotate it to get the gear on just right.

Also, to make things easier, there is a small hole on the tensioner that you have to remove. Fully depress the tensioner, and you can slide a paper clip into the hole. That will lock the tensioner in place. It will help out in aligning the gear so much better.

 

[gosaints420]

When I did mine I just lined up the timing marks and put a little dab of paint on the chain link over the mark on the gear. I don't think I even turned the crank 2 revs. Did I just get lucky? Why does no one else use this method?