timing belt help hekp

[natturbo3.4]

hello to all this is actually my first post so please bare with me, i own a 1997 z34 , i was racing a civic when i down shifted and my belt called it a day , well my question is when i put the motor on tdc , do i put both front and rear flats up with the hold down tools at the same time?
what is really the reason to loosen the cam gears ?
do i put the hold down tools with flats up , loosen the cam gears put on the belt and call it a day? am i missing something else please help i am lost first time doing this to this vehicle

[jmgtp]

read this, should clear things up...

http://60degreev6.com/content/Cam_Timing_Picture_Walkthrough

[natturbo3.4]

i did but i still dont know why it has to be rotated , does it has to be at tdc when u put the cam hold down tools,is that the way its done .
is it a must to loosen the cam gears? does the motor has to be rotated for any reason ?

[jmgtp]

A breif rundown:

The right way to do it requires removing the lock rings from the cam gears so the gearsncan spin indepentdently from the camshafts. Mount the belt and all components and then spin the crank to seat everything. Then put the motor at TDC and lock the cams down with the hold down tools.

So at this point the belt is on, seated, crank is at TDC and the cam flats are locked. Now reinstall the lock rings on one bank, doesn't matter which. Torque to spec. Remove the hold down tool from just that bank. Spin the motor 360 clockwise. You should be back at TDC and the cam flats on the bank you secured should now be face down. Install the lock rings on the other bank, torque and remove hold down tool. Consider your motor timed.

[jmgtp]

The motor has to be rotated because if you have all 4 cams locked in flats up the timing will be 180 degrees out on 1 bank.

[natturbo3.4]

A breif rundown:

The right way to do it requires removing the lock rings from the cam gears so the gearsncan spin indepentdently from the camshafts. Mount the belt and all components and then spin the crank to seat everything. Then put the motor at TDC and lock the cams down with the hold down tools.

So at this point the belt is on, seated, crank is at TDC and the cam flats are locked. Now reinstall the lock rings on one bank, doesn't matter which. Torque to spec. Remove the hold down tool from just that bank. Spin the motor 360 clockwise. You should be back at TDC and the cam flats on the bank you secured should now be face down. Install the lock rings on the other bank, torque and remove hold down tool. Consider your motor timed.

when u say lock rings do u mean the lock washer on the cams?
when i spin the motor 360 degrees do i keep the front bank with the cam hold down tool still on ?
u see u explain it diffrent than the walk through.thanks for every thing i will let u know how it went, sounds very easy now that u answered all of my questions.

[Sonyman]

where can you find a tool to hold the cams in place?

[jmgtp]

yes, rings = washers.
91-93 used rings that are pressed in, 94+ used the cone shaped washers.

if you have locked a bank of cams down, then you need to remove the hold down tool before spinning the motor or you will break something.

you can make your own cam flat hold down out of 1/2" steel keystock - I think there are directions on the site for that. Otherwise ebay is probably your best bet for a set of the original tools

[walterdude]

http://60degreev6.com/forum/showthread.php?t=24973

Here's instructions for making the hold-down tool... It has been posted that you should use 2 pieces of keystock, as just 1 has bent... I can't vouch for that tho,,,, I have an adjustable tool...
Hope this helps,,,
Tom.........

[natturbo3.4]

A breif rundown:

The right way to do it requires removing the lock rings from the cam gears so the gearsncan spin indepentdently from the camshafts. Mount the belt and all components and then spin the crank to seat everything. Then put the motor at TDC and lock the cams down with the hold down tools.

So at this point the belt is on, seated, crank is at TDC and the cam flats are locked. Now reinstall the lock rings on one bank, doesn't matter which. Torque to spec. Remove the hold down tool from just that bank. Spin the motor 360 clockwise. You should be back at TDC and the cam flats on the bank you secured should now be face down. Install the lock rings on the other bank, torque and remove hold down tool. Consider your motor timed.

if i just do any bank wont that be of timing ?how exactly does this work?

[pocket-rocket]

The reasoning behind setting one set up and one set down (180* on cams, 360* on crank) is so that you don't have 2 cylinders firing at the same time making it run like a double 3 cylinder. The reason behind loosening the cam sprockets is to make sure you have the cams set exactly where they are supposed to be set in relation to the crank by way of the cam flats and hold down tools. When jmgtp says lock rings, he is referring to the old style cam gears (91-93, 94+ have tapered collettes like you see in dremel tool shanks. The old style required cam gears to be removed to remove the lock rings to have the gears freewheel, 94+ you loosen the gear, grab a 2x4 and place it on the back side of the gear and smack it with a hammer to free them up.).

[natturbo3.4]

`well guys thanks for the info u guys gave me , i got my uncle to make the tools for me , every thing worked great just like u guys explained , what can i say the hardest thing was probably putting on the tensioner , i just dont know how u guys put a paper clip in it , it is in possible to get the rubber back in . car is running great . thanks guys for all the help

[jmgtp]

You stick the paper clip through the rubber plug.