After doing Engine work such as changing the cylinder head, swapping cams or replacing the cambelt, it is handy to check the timing before turning the key for the first time. A lot of this is a copy / paste from the cam changing thread, but I searched for static timing setup and didn`t really find a thread that covered it all, so apologies for reusing some pics Things to Check are in blue Jack up the drivers side, remove the roadwheel, put car in Neutral. Fit 19mm Socket onto crankshaft pulley with a couple of extension bars and a long ratchet. Remove No1 Spark plug insert dipstick into plug hole. This is assuming you don`t have access to a dial gauge, which makes the first part a bit easier Now, turning the engine clockwise (when viewed from drivers side wheel), turn the engine until the dipstick we inserted into No1 Plug hole is at it`s highest possible point. I hold the dipstick between my finger and thumb, resting on the rocker cover. Your fingers can feel the tiniest movements. You`ll feel the piston move upwards then at the top of the stroke, it slows down, pauses a second then starts going back down. Rotate the engine backwards and forwards until you are certain the piston is at the very top of the arc. NOW you can check everything else is aligned. Do NOT rotate the engine again. So long as you`ve made sure the piston is at TDC, everything else should line up, if it doesn`t then it needs adjusting. Now we will check everything is where it should be. Start at the timing belt end. Look for the V on the rocker cover and see if it is aligned to the notch in the cam pulley. The cam checks mean removing the rocker cover, details below: Remove HT Leads. unplug engine breather from inlet undo jubilee clips and remove short length of intake pipe Remove the 5 x 13mm nuts that hold the 2 halves of the inlet manifold together. (My fingers are pointing to 2) Unplug Throttle switch Remove bolts holding rear manifold mounts to engine block. Remove the vaccuum pipe from the rear of the inlet manifold I left the throttle cable connected and `flipped` the inlet manifold to one side. You could easily unclip the cable and remove the manifold totally If fitted remove 2x10mm nuts / bolts to remove top cambelt cover Top cambelt cover removed Undo the 8 nuts holding the rocker cover in place and then remove the rocker cover Check the Cam pulley mark on the back of the pulley lines up with the top of the cylinder head Check the lobes on the cams are pointing `upwards` on cylinder No 1 Check the 2 `Dots` on the cam`s are pointint to each other at 9 O`clock and 3 O`clock. Remove the Distributor cap and check the rotor arm is pointing to the mark on the distributor casing Remove the bung on the gearbox and check the Timing mark on the flywheel is lines up with the mark on the casing If all those are lined up, everything should be OK. If not, it needs adjusting. Reassembly is pretty much a reverse of the above.
This should be a sticky, excellent write up for the mechanically challenged amongst us (i.e. the likes of me).
Thanks. I did it today just to check everything was OK on mine as part of my diagnosis of an ongoing issue and thought I may as well take a few photos and share them.
Stickied! Good work Nige! I'm going to rename the Sticky Section "NigeP Corner". The missus is going to kill you though, if she finds out you're wearing that nice jumper to work on the car All, please suggest minor changes and improvements. One thing I'd suggest, is using marking paint or tippex to highlight the cam timing marks, and also to mark up the position of the crank pulley before you start. There are a couple of minor differences from KR/9A engines because you've got an ABF lump here, like rocker cover bolts on a KR/9A head, compared to nuts on the ABF. Nothing that detracts from the usefulness of this thread.
Good job Nige. There is no doubt that timing scares a lot of people into taking on engine work, due to the damage that it can cause by being wrong. We could do with someone writing a guide like this for all the engine types covered in this forum.
and usually turn bottom pully two full rotations by hand before you even touch the key! one of my mates left a rag in number one cylinder (to soak up water!) and forgot about it!
excellent stuff, i take it this will be more or less identical to the timing on the ABF engine? Mines due a cambelt change, so this will prove useful for reference.
Hi Nige, away to do a timing belt change, everythings clear aprt from the bung part on the gear box, where is that located ?
It's on the top of the gearbox, directly below the distributor - you won't miss it. See my reply to your other post though - you shouldn't need it.
Popped into see what was best way to check TDC without gearbox and flywheel fitted. Guess I'll have to bring the dial gauge home from work!. I have aftermarket accessory pulley, is there no marking on the cambelt crank pulley?.
