Cam Gears

[SiR_RB]

hey guys

im getting afew bits n pieces together so when i get my safc and go to get it tuned, they can install an exhuast cam gear for me while im there,,

anywhos ive been lookin on ebay and you can pick up just an exhaust cam gear (rb25) for like $75

has anyone used one? they state that its made from billet aluminium with most having metal teeth to prevent wear.

how good are they? last thing i want is for the teeth to wear, or cause timing issues. how accurate are the markings? eg. 2degrees = 1 mark ?

any info would be great

[mr33gts4]

dont buy any cam gears from ebay if you know whats good for your engine....

[super_s13]

A mate has brought the spool ones off ebay and has been running them for the past couple years. I have just ordered some. They are pretty good. The only thing i would recommend would be to do what my tuner does and replace the screws that you tighten into place when the desired timing is found thus stoipping them slipping in anyway.

People always say shit like the post above but they never say why. There can be some good buys off ebay as long as the proper precuations are taken. Although if your that worries you can buy tomie and greddy off ebay so it cant be all bad.

Good luck and keep us posted.

[R31Nismoid]

If you cant find the brand listed/used here - i wouldnt touch it.

Simple.

[Bakes]

When I get mine Ill be going for HKS

[badgtr34]

just get a set of GKTECH for $150 or so i think, all you need to do is change the screws, thats where they lack in quality, the rest of the product is fine.

[abu]

GKTECH gears look to be good quality

That's what I was planning to use next week for my GTR, what screws do you need to change to and where are they available from?

Thanks

[Angus Smart]

os giken set are pretty cheap..

[trel]

IMO, anything timing related, don't skimp. Just go get a decent set of tomei or hks gears for like an extra $100 dollars and know that you'll never have issues. I got a Tomei gear in mine but I paid $200, im SURE you can get it cheaper elsewhere.

[badgtr34]

GKTECH gears look to be good quality

That's what I was planning to use next week for my GTR, what screws do you need to change to and where are they available from?

Thanks

Just take the original bolts that come with the cam gears, go to any bolt shop and match them up and grab them. Not much involved at all. Aparantly the bolts that GKTECH provide you with are of very poor quality which tend to break. Bolts that you would buy from any hardware shop like Bunnings or an actual bolt shop will be fine. They've been good in mine!

[SiR_RB]

i was abit worried about the quality of fittings and the teeth/geers wearing.

if i do decide to grab one from GKtech im make sure i change the bolts - chuck on up stainless steel ones

hows the JJR cam gears? they looks good and r only $149, anyone used these?

[rev210]

WARNING ____ Anything that is a part of that timing belt setup can foobar your engine if it causes failure of that system.

For sweet FA you can get a quality product. Trying to save $100 on cam gears if so stupid when you think about how much fuel you use in a month.

Having to modify something because it comes out of the packet shite?

[heller44]

I have always used decent equipment, and I would have to say that I have a tool fetish, so don't think that I don't totally understand.

Looking at the differences between the varied cam gear sets I can only see the differences being the fasteners, the colour and shape and the material used..

Fasteners aren't a problem as lots of brand name equipment I have had to modify out of the box to make it serviceable to my standards.

Colour and shape, who gives a toss, as long as clearance is ok and the design isn't weak but from what I have seen that shouldn't be a problam as they all seem to be copies of tried units.

This just leaves the material. HKS cam gears of old are known to wear badly, with a change in the gear metal this has supposedly been fixed.

What type of material was this?

What do other manufacturers use?

All the ebay ones seem to use aluminium alloy either T-6061 or AL7075-T6.. Is this an inherent design flaw?

It looks like cams and cam gears will be on my list sooner rather than later, so I would like some information to make an informed decision, rather than having to base my decision on whose has the bigger price tag for the name rights.

James.

[money pit]

Bolts that you would buy from any hardware shop like Bunnings or an actual bolt shop will be fine.

Not sure that I'd be using bolts from any hardware store, especially bolts that are under tension/strain. Bolts are rated by tensile strength and range from soft alloy crap to stainless steel and high tensile steel. Take your old ones to a proper bolt shop like "Universal Fasteners" and the bloke behind the counter should be able to take one look at them and tell you exactly what tensile they are.

[rev210]

Colour and shape, who gives a toss, as long as clearance is ok and the design isn't weak but from what I have seen that shouldn't be a problam as they all seem to be copies of tried units.

This just leaves the material. HKS cam gears of old are known to wear badly, with a change in the gear metal this has supposedly been fixed.

What type of material was this?

What do other manufacturers use?

All the ebay ones seem to use aluminium alloy either T-6061 or AL7075-T6.. Is this an inherent design flaw?

It looks like cams and cam gears will be on my list sooner rather than later, so I would like some information to make an informed decision, rather than having to base my decision on whose has the bigger price tag for the name rights.

James.

Hi James,

Looking at the gears they may appear ok but, If you have ever machined something for yourself on a lathe you will know that you can get it spot on or miss the mark. Part of it is how skilled the operator is and part of it is how good the equipment is. I've made a few pulleys before and a balanced one of even measurement requires a tiny bit of care. Care you find little of out of the factory these come from.

I mean if they gave a damn, why are you getting bolts that are unsuitable? Maybe they don't know what they are doing?

I've chucked a few of those cheap gears away for people, after showing them the gears are of a poor measured quality. The faults that I have seen include (but, I'm sure aren't limited to);

* Crap bolts (we have a fix for)

* Incorrect thickness

* Un-even thickness

* Incorrect tooth pitch and hieght for belt

* Incorrect markings

I picked up the issues both before installing and another due to a friend having some noise on operation, unlike stock gear (due to above issues) a guarenteed issue down the track.

It also machined off some material from the Cas/mounting. Great having little metal filings on your timing belt. If anyone has had that on one of these gears and still has it on thier motor my advice is to throw it away quick smart.

So take out some measuring tools and check these things if you must be cheap ass about it. Your eyes aren't good enough and like I said this little cog can root up your engine if it causes failure. Cheap insurance = quality control.

For the extra $100 I'll let some band name factory do my quality control. I can't be stuffed for the time it takes to check properly. So here HKS have my $100

The old HKS gear issues are not proven by the way. I have had a couple and they don't have a problem. I consider it an old wives tale.

[R31Nismoid]

You can also get your stock gear modified to become adjustable... cheaper than buying one.

It's OEM material, its gonna work for years... it just doesn't have nice colours

[heller44]

Thanks for that reply, rev210. That is exactly the sort of first hand experiences and information that I needed.

[rev210]

too easy

Good call R31Nismoid, modifed stock gears would be the pick for the budget minded