Jump to content
SAU Community

Caution when removing cam gear cover!!

GTRgeoff

By GTRgeoff,
in General Maintenance

 Share

Recommended Posts

GTRgeoff Grand Master

GTRgeoff

Posted
Posted

Recently I took upon myself to remove the cam gear cover and run without it. The need to see things moving was too strong I suppose but have today made a discovery.....and not good.

When I was remounting the optical timing unit I noticed that the bolts were pushing through too far and would contact the cam gear as it rotated so I put in a couple of spring washers behind the timing unit to stand it off a little.

A mate of mine copied my setup almost exactly, which I noticed a couple of weeks ago when I was checking his cam timing which a quality mechanic had told him was 40 degrees out (wanker), it was spot on. What had occurred was the positive locating piece on the end of the cam had snapped off, meaning a bit of double checking befor refitting the timing unit, and I thought no more of it.

Today, after some annoying surging I replaced the fuel filter, which as usual was full of crap, but there is still a little roughness, a miss, at around 2500 rpm but it changes a little by plus or minus 200 rpm with temperature.

It is so noticeable through the gearstick I was concerned about balance in the engine......but these things don't just go out of balance over a couple of weeks so can that idea.

So anyway the plugs have been replaced, the ignition coils are running at 1.3Kohms of resistance and the fuel filter is new. The malpassi is fitted but not turned up (until tuning with the PFC) so it has no effect and the GTR fuel pump is singing and pumping strong as you can see the hoses flex under the pressure.

I decided to pull out the mechanics stethoscope and have a bit of an explore around the engine...the injectors are tapping away and everything sounds sweet but there is a little miss and it is noticeable at 2500 rpm when standing outside the car from the exhaust outlet. So then I run along the exhaust side and decide to stick it on the timing unit and it is tap tap tapping REAL loud and in time with revs even as the revs lift. Not easy to hear elsewhere but right on the module it is scary.

Now I pulled it off and discovered the same has happened to mine, the locating lug is broken and the faces at each end are shiny from rubbing.

So I think back to something strange that occurs when I fiddle with the timing....the revs pick up when I back off the 3 locking bolts for the timing unit, and drop again when I tighten them.

So I suspect that I have jammed the operating parts together inside the unit, causing the tapping and the change in idle speed. I will have to wait until the roads dry to determine if putting extra spacers in will fix it, or if I need a new timing unit from the wreckers, as in the wet it will just be a wheelspin session (yep it's raining in Melbourne) as the car is mostly making really good power past 3000rpm on stock boost...like just spinning up in second in the dry with over-enthusiastic throttle operation, but sometimes it just goes all sluggish, usually when the engine gets nice and hot after a good 30 mins of driving. But then it can change and goes wham with the power again.

So if you have done the same to your engine, and haven't spaced the timing unit far enough off the mounting bracket, just be cautious until I get to the bottom of this.

I will post back with developments.......

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/37321-caution-when-removing-cam-gear-cover/
Share on other sites
GTRgeoff Grand Master

GTRgeoff

Posted
  • Author
Posted

I had time last night to space it further off (the crank angle sensor (CAS)) and run the car and the bad tap has gone but I had the sensor off by 1 tooth which retarded it bad so I pulled full advance on the CAS but it was pretty sluggish. Also the rpm drop when tightening the retainer bolts has stopped. I'll get back with more once I have fixed this problem.

  • 1 year later...
benl1981 Grand Master

benl1981

Posted
Posted

Is there anyway to check if mine is damaged. I get vibration at low revs and there was some tapping - i thought it was the lifters though.

There is a half moon in the CAS and a half moon in the engine side and mine just slides in - havent noticed anything unusual.

GTRgeoff Grand Master

GTRgeoff

Posted
  • Author
Posted

OK to correct this at least a 2.5mm spacer/washer is required. The upside of not having the cover on is never resetting the timing advance no matter how often the CAS comes off :rofl:

With the vibration, it turned out to be the harmonic balancer. It had started moving around and even tightening the bolt more did little. Ultimately the woodruff key had started rounding off and is a crank out repair so I used loctite bearing mount which will prevent movement. The vibration is completely gone.

Clear cam covers have only ever been made for RB26 to my knowledge.

  • 4 years later...

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing


  • Similar Content

  • Latest Posts

    • myrbgivesmeheadaches
      RB25DET NEO Cylinder Head

      By myrbgivesmeheadaches · Posted

      Did this end up working? Did you take some pictures?
    • Duncan
      V37 Suspension change

      By Duncan · Posted

      And finally, the front lower mount. It was doubly weird. Firstly, the lower mount is held in with a bracket that has 3 bolts (it also acts as the steering lock stop), and then a nut on the shock lower mount itself. So, remove the 3x 14mm head bolts , then the 17mm nut that holds the shock in. From there, you can't actually remove the shock from the lower mount bolt (took me a while to work that out....) Sadly I don't have a pic of the other side, but the swaybar mounts to the same bolt that holds the shock in. You need to push that swaybar mount/bolt back so the shock can be pulled out past the lower control arm.  In this pic you can see the bolt partly pushed back, but it had to go further than that to release the shock. Once the shock is out, putting the new one in is "reverse of disassembly". Put the top of the shock through at least one hole and put a nut on loosely to hold it in place. Put the lower end in place and push the swaybar mount / shock bolt back in place, then loosely attach the other 2 top nuts. Bolt the bracket back in place with the 14mm head bolts and finally put the nut onto the lower bolt. Done....you have new suspension on your v37!
    • Duncan
      V37 Suspension change

      By Duncan · Posted

      And now to the front.  No pics of the 3 nuts holding the front struts on, they are easy to spot. Undo 2 and leave the closest one on loosely. Underneath we have to deal with the wiring again, but this time its worse because the plug is behind the guard liner. You'll have to decide how much of the guard liner to remove, I undid the lower liner's top, inside and lower clips, but didn't pull it full off the guard. Same issue undoing the plug as at the rear, you need to firmly push the release clip from below while equally firmly gripping the plug body and pulling it out of  the socket. I used my fancy electrical disconnect pliers to get in there There is also one clip for the wiring, unlike at the rear I could not get behind it so just had to lever it up and out.....not in great condition to re-use in future.
    • Duncan
      V37 Suspension change

      By Duncan · Posted

      Onto the rear lower shock mount. It's worth starting with a decent degrease to remove 10+ years of road grime, and perhaps also spray a penetrating oil on the shock lower nut. Don't forget to include the shock wiring and plug in the clean.... Deal with the wiring first; you need to release 2 clips where the wiring goes into the bracket (use long nose pliers behind the bracket to compress the clip so you can reuse it), and the rubber mount slides out, then release the plug.  I found it very hard to unplug, from underneath you can compress the tab with a screwdriver or similar, and gently but firmly pull the plug out of the socket (regular pliers may help but don't put too much pressure on the plastic. The lower mount is straightforward, 17mm nut and you can pull the shock out. As I wasn't putting a standard shock back in, I gave the car side wiring socket a generous gob of dialectric grease to keep crap out in the future. Putting the new shock in is straightforward, feed it into at least 1 of the bolt holes at the top and reach around to put a nut on it to hold it up. Then put on the other 2 top nuts loosely and put the shock onto the lower mounting bolt (you may need to lift the hub a little if the new shock is shorter). Tighten the lower nut and 3 upper nuts and you are done. In my case the BC Racing shocks came assembled for the fronts, but the rears needed to re-use the factory strut tops. For that you need spring compressors to take the pressure off the top nut (they are compressed enough when the spring can move between the top and bottom spring seats. Then a 17mm ring spanner to undo the nut while using an 8mm open spanner to stop the shaft turning (or, if you are really lucky you might get it off with a rattle gun).
    • Duncan
      V37 Suspension change

      By Duncan · Posted

      You will now be able to lift the parcel shelf trim enough to get to the shock cover bolts; if you need to full remove the parcel shelf trim for some reason you also remove the escutcheons around the rear seat release and you will have to unplug the high stop light wiring from the boot. Next up is removal of the bracket; 6 nuts and a bolt Good news, you've finally got to the strut top! Remove the dust cover and the 3 shock mount nuts (perhaps leave 1 on lightly for now....) Same on the other side, but easier now you've done it all before
×
×
  • Create New...