I am currently trying to learn how to degree my first cam. Ive installed the cam and timing set. I have the 2 dots lined up on the crank and cam sprockets. I know how to find the TDC of #1 using the degree wheel and a piston stop. I also understand how to find the cams centerline degree. So now for my questions.
1) What happens if the 2 dots arent 100% lined up?
2) Will this show up and can this be corrected?
3) If the dots are slightly off it throws the cam out.Then what?
4) Now if the cam card shows the cam to be installed at say 110* degree centerline and after degreeing you find it shows say 114* or like 112*...how do you correct this to match the card?

Sorry for all the questions. I just want to be able to do this correctly myself. I really appreciate any suggestions or help. Thanks for your patience

Kris

 

1. You take it back apart and assemble it correctly.

2. Yes. It will show up as your intake lobe centerline being WAY off.

3. They can only be off, by an amount equal to the fraction of one revolution that one chain link takes up. There's no "slightly" about it; either they're put together right, or they're WRONG. And that will show up real quick.

4. With an ofset timing set, such as the common 3- or 9-keyway ones. Assemble it using the "0" mark; then if it needs to move, use one of the other keyways.

5. The 2 dots together isn't #1 firing; it's the other instance of #1 TDC, where the #1 exh is just closing and the #1 intake is just opening. It is also #6 firing. #1 firing occurs when the 2 dots are both at 12:00. It's harder to see that and get it set up accurately though, which is why you use "dots together" as your assembly method; then rotate the crank exactly one complete revolution, which will rotate the cam exactly ½ revolution, which will move from #6 firing to #1 firing.

 

This is from my personal experience, listen closely. Number one, you really dont need to degree your cam. I know a few guys who went dot-to-dot on theirs and they are 11 and 12 second rides. Degreeing is a good thing but not a neccesity. Make sure #1 is on TDC compression. Then on the crank keyway use the 0 degree mark, should be the middle one and it should have the dot pointing straight up. Once you do so, put the cam sproket and crank dot-to-dot. Make SURE they are exactly dot to dot, even one tooth off will give horribel results, personal experience. I just got done putting mine back together because I botched the cam job about a year ago and have done double the work. I was off 1 tooth and it was enough to throw my entire drivetrain off BIG TIME. Once they are lined up, you'll be fine. As for degreeing I dont know anything about that, as I was always told and taught by fellow older (and much wiser) gearheads that dot to dot will work fine on motors like ours. However, do it your way if youwish but thats my .02 cents.

 

I stamp my own dots 180° from the gear manufacturer's dots, but I still line up their dots gear to gear, with all the dots aligned I find it impossible to be a tooth off.

 

I did the dot to dot thing but Im not 100% confident. Im probably just over thinking it all but what is, if ther is, an acceptable amount of degrees to be off.

 

If it's dot-to-dot, only slop in the key ways, gear teeth, and chain are going to offset it. Hold one gear so it won't move, try the other if it moves you've got a problem.