Camshaft Install For R33

[Rasi]

Hey all,

I am looking at the option to install Tomei intake and exhaust camshafts in my R33 myself.

I have been searching for any details on how to do it on the website, but am unable to find any details.

I assume some of you have installed cams and could give some pointers.

How hard is it? does the head need to be removed? Is there a how to install thread?

Thanks for your assistance

[Rasi]

Surely someone has done a camshaft install into an R33...

Anyone??

[T04GTR]

ok... asuming you know your way around an engine..

the only advise i have is once you have the cam sitting in the journals tention the bearing caps down really slowly and in an evan staggerd way.

(dont do one cap up all the way as the cam WILL snap!!!)

hand start all the caps before you slowly tension up each one abit at a time..

paying atention to the caps that sit near the valve buckets which the lobes are trying to open...if that makes any sence..

(should only be 2 at a time)

the tension on the caps is 10nm. (just niped up) same with the 4 pully bolts there done up to 15nm max.

[shanef]

Pull rocker covers off. You'll have to take off the top pipe going across the engine. You'll also have to undo the throttle body to get at one bolt underneath it, once undone just slide it out of the road.

Unplug the CAS plug, remove the CAS. (make sure u mark on the CAS itself and the timing cover where it is currently sitting)

Remove the timing belt cover.

Remove exhaust cam. Be very careful you dont pull it out too far as the belt will come off the teeth on the bottom pulley. Support this up by using some rope and securing it to the bonnet, this will keep it from dropping down.

Start undoing the bearing caps from the centre out. Start with the centre one, then do one to the front of the engine, and then the back, and so on til all of them are out. (make sure u know which ones sat where)

Remove existing camshaft, and place new camshaft in.

Refit all the bearing caps from the centre out (i snapped a cam once doing the caps up from the back)

Then refit the exhaust camshaft.

Then move to the inlet side and repeat these exact steps.

Then refit the rocker covers and double check EVERYTHING to insure you havnt forgotten anything. (you should be able to reuse the rubber seals for the covers, if they havnt gone all dry and hard.)

If you have any more queries, send me a pm or post in here.

cheers

Shane

[saliya]

You need to find the workshop manual for your engine. There's a whole lot of extra stuff other than

removing bolts, inserting new camshaft, doing bolts back up again. My manual was $500ish from

importdriver.com.au but you _may_ be able to find a .pdf floating around the Internet somewhere.

If it's an RB26, the manual on pp EN-71 - EN-76 describes the camshaft removal/install procedure. You

of course need to _get_ to the cams first, via removing a whole bunch of other things

ACCORDING TO NISSAN:

REMOVAL (for RB26)

EN-71 has a diagram showing the cam bracket removal order. Mark the cam brackets to indicate

position and direction. Then remove the cam bracket bolts by loosening them gradually in several stages

(the do-up recommendation is 1.5 turns at a time, so I'd use this for removal) in REVERSE OF THE SEQUENCE

shown below.

FRONT 1 5 9 13 11 7 3

2 6 10 14 12 8 4

(whole bunch of other stuff snipped, read it in the manual).

So according to the manual, to undo, you start in the centre and work your way out a little at a time,

to do up you start at the ends and work your way inwards 1.5turns at a time.

Regards,

Saliya

[predator]

What's with the caps themselves? There seems to be some sort of liquid in there (doesn't seem to be oil?)

I removed a cam from my old rb20, and there seemed to be a liquid that bubbled out?

[T04GTR]

for christ sake dont tighten the caps just from the center out..

you need to tighten them down moving away from the loaded lobes..

[LBR33]

hmmm........sounds like a job for a mechanic to me

[R33S2]

Make sure you have the cover on the CAS when you bolt it up or shorter bolts.

[SPOOLN]

I would like to know this question myself. Its hard when people are telling you two completly different ways. I think this is a question for the guru himself sydneykid.

[BHDave]

I had always assumed it was clock wise from inside to out, but to be honest when you think about it, the lobes that are trying to open valves are under the most strain when you are tightening it all up. Makes a lot of sense to me to worry about those caps rather than a set order.

Which valves would be trying to open with number 1 at TDC on the firing stroke anyway?

I have always been more worried about the timing belt slipping to be honest

[wrxhoon]

Before removing anything put the crank pulley to TDC . After you remove the rocker covers make sure that the cam gears are linning up with their marks while the crank pulley is still on TDC. If you are going to re-use the timming belt you dont need to take the bottom cover off. Put 2 marks on the belt, one on each camgear mark . Take the camgears off and somehow hold the belt tight on the crank gear to make sure it doesn't jump any teeth . When you re-install the cams and the gears, the marks will make it easier to put the belt in. Check to make sure all the timming marks are linning up still.

The brackets should be undone from the outside towards the centre. So start from the front bracket next the rear then back to number 2 and so on, Make sure you only undo the 6mm bolts a little at the time so you dont snap a camshaft . Instalation is in reverse order, again in several steps and tighten to 12 nm .

Make sure all the cambrackets go back where they came from and in the same direction too. Use new can seals and depending on condition i would use new rocker cover gaskets too .

Take care when installing the CAS to make sure the half pins line up. I would mark the CAS before removing and put it back in the same spot then check timming with a light .

If you havent replaced the timming belt its a good idea to do that and while you are at it tensioner, iddler and water pump.

[shanef]

yes but to do the timing belt you will need a harmonic ballancer tool also

sydneykid has done a how to on this (click on his name, and view all of his topics)

[Rasi]

Thanks all for your reply's... they will help heaps with the install. Is there anyone out there who could copy the relevant pages from the manual (should not infringe the copyright laws to do a couple of pages).

Any idea of how many hours to allow to install?

Thanks again,

Mike

[C_DawG]

hmmm........sounds like a job for a mechanic to me

A lot of people trust themselves over a mechanic, especially over the apprentice that will be doing the work half the time.

[Craved]

no mention of dropping the crank back off TDC so if the cams are not lined up correctly that you do not bend a valve or 2 like i did

but very simple install otherwise..