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Here we go boys, cam adjuster upgrade with Ti bits
Finally got my upgraded camshaft adjuster phaser plates with skeletonized covers and decided to get all the fasteners in titanium from 63 Motorsports.
They look beautiful and the ti bolts are shockingly light, way lighter than the steel bolts I usually work with at work. Not sure about any performance impact but it probably won't hurt.
Will be doin these together with new injectors, spark plugs, thermostat, coolant, and all gaskets with new bolts for the valve cover. Ill take some photos along the way once I crack the engine open.
So I ran into my first snag, apparently my model year uses a a "rear bolt method" to get the lash gear to come together with the lash locking tool. I'm totally unfamiliar with this, so the lash gear locking tool doesn't seat all the way on the cam adjuster. Anyone know what is needed to get these cam gears locked so I can remove them?
Also the dork who owned the car before broke the thermostat and didn't replace it, so there's that.
for some reason the previous owner opted to just....ghetto rig the coolant over flow line to the snapped off plastic piece instead of just replacing a 70 dollar part. So my thermostat replacement is delayed for now till the part gets ordered
Spark plugs have some lean looking tips Valve cover off Cam lobes look ok Previous owner installed ARP head bolts 40 degrees top dead center
Rebuilding bank 1 adjusters Phaser plates wear not to bad but this is wear on new OEM adjuster the previous owner replaced 3 years ago. New plates and skeletonized covers installed Old thermostat was definitely bad, finally got that resolved too.
After reinstalling my rebuilt camshaft adjusters then torqing everything down, I removed the rear locking tool on the camshafts and the exhaust cam rolled forward several degrees and the intake and exhaust cams are now out of time. Any advice? Crank is still at 40 degrees tdc. Or is this normal and I should just turn the crank with a wrench to check for resistance? Too paranoid to just roll with it. At this point I cannot reinstall the locking tools.
You should first try to determine how much it rolled and why it rolled. Is there chain slack? It shouldn’t roll since the adjusters are held onto by the gear sprocket in the middle assuming everything is all torqued down properly
edit I do not think ARP made headbolts for these… they made studs.
After reinstalling my rebuilt camshaft adjusters then torqing everything down, I removed the rear locking tool on the camshafts and the exhaust cam rolled forward several degrees and the intake and exhaust cams are now out of time. Any advice? Crank is still at 40 degrees tdc. Or is this normal and I should just turn the crank with a wrench to check for resistance? Too paranoid to just roll with it. At this point I cannot reinstall the locking tools.
Not normal, it shouldn't have budged. You need to retime it.
Was that adjuster stuck in the advanced position possibly and the pressure on the cam lobes broke it free?
I would remove that adjuster and inspect then retime it.
Not normal, it shouldn't have budged. You need to retime it.
Was that adjuster stuck in the advanced position possibly and the pressure on the cam lobes broke it free?
I would remove that adjuster and inspect then retime it.
That's what I'm thinking, I probably forgot to set the adjuster in the locked position and when the lockbar was removed the valve spring tension allowed the cam to snap forward. I am planning to remove and retime, but the issue is the since the exhaust cam is now in the wrong position I can't get the locking tools back on. I'm not sure what the best way is to remove the camshaft adjust without the use of the locking tools. At the moment I'm thinking of removing the camshaft bolt while having a buddy hold the camshaft in place with a wrench, manipulate the camshaft with the wrench to the proper position, and then put the locking tools back in place.
Last edited by DarkMirror; Mar 27, 2024 at 03:47 PM.
Yup, you need to hold it with a wrench so you can loosen the adjuster bolt, then rotate the cam back so the rear bar fits in. Make sure that rear bar is in snug and hold it while fitting the front tool on. I have heard of that bar flying out and causing damage.
I'm thinking of removing the camshaft bolt while having a buddy hold the camshaft in place with a wrench, manipulate the camshaft with the wrench to the proper position, and then put the locking tools back in place.
Definitely on the right track. Assuming crank is still at 40. Get a good strong friend that can cement himself in place with a wrench while you undo the bolt in the front.
You could probably just check the exhaust cam if it’s locked while it is all bolted down. Would save you some time for reassembly. No harm spinning it now with a wrench at 40 degrees.
I would however replace that disc washer for the few bucks it cost, well worth the insurance.
Bank 1 successfully retimed, new spark plugs on bank 1, and coolant replaced. All that's left is bank 2 and injectors, been slower than I really wanted but I can only do this work on the weekends for a couple hours. Hopefully should have everything done by next weekend.
In other news I checked the intake manifold bolts and found that a shop I took it to for a PVC valve replacement reused the gaskets and the TTY aluminum bolts, broke 2 of them and replaced them with stacks of washers and machine screws. Then they had the audacity to tell me they think the manifold is warped which in turn is causing my now new trouble code of lean fuel mixture on bank one that's been plaguing me for a year since they did it. My guess is that the combination of stretched screws, reused gaskets, incorrect torque spec, and incorrect torque pattern is causing the lean codes. So I guess that's on the list next.
Last edited by DarkMirror; Apr 1, 2024 at 02:36 PM.
Finally got everything done, New camshaft phaser plates, skeletonized covers, titanium camshaft bolts, titanium camshaft adjust bolts, thermostat, valve gaskets, coolant return line, replaced the y pipe vacuum tube, spark plugs, and injectors. Still need to burp the coolant system and I left this project going on for so long my battery died, I'm due for a new battery anyways.
Old sparks were pretty bad on bank 2, the injectors looked dirty but the actual nozzle holes looked clear. They look original from factory, so it's good that they got replaced now at 70k miles. The bank 2 phaser plates had some slight wear, but they are pretty much new 3 years ago, keeping them on the side as an emergency spare for now.
I'll post up photos of the manifold later, it's in really bad shape, the fuel rail anchor locations on bank 2 are completed corroded, the rail is being head in place with zip ties, two of the vacuum line brackets are gone, and the manifold bolt hole locations look pretty bad as well. I'm actually thinking of leaving it for now of fear of more of the manifold coming apart.
Last edited by DarkMirror; Apr 22, 2024 at 06:39 PM.
So replaced the battery and topped up the coolant after running idle for about 15 minutes then took it out for a test drive. Everything seemed normal at first, no CEL and the top end noise is much quieter than before.
The only issue is now at low gear in comfort mode when shifting between 3rd and 2nd gear their is jerkiness and lurching slightly when slowing down and speeding up around 2k rpm. My assumption is that is because the battery died and was replaced and that this is just the TCU adapting to my driving habits again. Still no CEL, ran Bludriver in the OBD2 and no codes.
I also read that a camshaft position relearn might be needed from the dealer. Has anyone else done this? Is it necessary?
i would agree on the TCM just learning itself again. give it a few more miles and see if it smooths out. i believe the camshaft relearn would only be necessary if it's throwing a code for unknown cam position. if no codes then i wouldnt worry about it.
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