Locating dimple on timing gear

[BillLee/Chandler, TX]

Originally Posted by alexiskai

If your camshaft gear is placing the dimple under the timing pin hole at the top of the exhaust stroke, the gear has been installed wrong. The camshaft gear rotates at half the engine speed, so the dimple will only come around to the correct position on the compression stroke.... that's the whole point.

How would this be possible? The cam has two pins that align the cam gear. They are NOT symmetrical with the cam mount and the cam gear will only fit over them in the correct orientation. (I suppose there is a way for a ... to misuse a fool-proof system! )



The correct method has been listed above:
1. Take out the spark plugs
2. Transmission in neutral
3. Turn the engine by hand, either with the fan/fan belt (if you're comfortable doing that) or with the engine crank or with the special wrench available from the vendors.
4. Holding the pin in place, when the #1 approaches TDC on compression the pin will drop into the dimple. Yes, it doesn't move very far but it is obvious. If you go past the dimple slightly, just back the engine a bit, it will not hurt anything.


If you don't like the "feel the dimple with the pin", look at the vendors for the little devices that will visually tell you when the dimple is encountered.