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

    • TurboTapin
      Jacks that fit under GTR lips that can reach the subframe?

      By TurboTapin · Posted

      For these last 7 years of ownership, I've always had to use a small scissor jack under one of the front tow hooks to raise the front just enough so my low-profile jack fits under to reach my subframe jack point. I'm beginning to get annoyed of always having to do this. Are there any lower low-profile jacks that fit under the gtr lip on a dropped car?
    • The Bogan
      NC MX5

      By The Bogan · Posted

      Seat of the pants assessment of the new intake: The car is way less "doughy" when hitting the loud pedal, especially off idle when stopped or in traffic, I did use a cheapo lazer thermal thingo to measure the temp around where the pod filter got its air, it was between 55 - 60°C, in saying this the car was shut off and not moving, so the OEM intake pipe was not supplying any fresh air to where the pod was when the car was at least moving A weird bonus was induction noise on the throttle in the cabin increased a bit,  I was worried that I was actually going to lose some of that induction noise I love so much, outside though, when I got the daughter to do a WOT drive by pass for me, the induction noise has increased alot when on the throttle, not quite ITB doort, but well up there I'm extremely happy with the results and have been exploring the country roads in the region  As for house mods: 1.New front fence is up and is awesome, it really upgraded how the joint looks from the street, and the added security is nice 2. Electricians have replace some interior lights, and with more lighting in the garage, a few new motion detecting lights out the front above the garage, front room, and at the front door, which I have already found heaps helpful coming and going, also now has fancy pants CCTV all round the house The only hold point for power though is the solar and batteries due to supply issues, although this will happen over the next few weeks 3. I have done a heap of landscaping out the front and I'm almost ready to do a new small retaining wall with some nice blocks to replace the brick and cemented in rocks around the raised garden beds cemented in river stone "was the fashion at the time" the house was built. I currently have a pallet of retaining wall blocks and 2 bulka bags of 20mm blue metal to replace the wood chip that is in the raised garden beds around the house 4. I now have 3 big raised garden beds for out the back to grow some vegetables, about 70cm high, 200cm long and 100cm wide 5. My 2 compost bins are already pretty full with brown, green and kitchen waste from the landscaping I'vedone so far, but they will probably take a few months to break down, so anything else that gets chopped, trimmed, and kitchen waste will just start filling the base of the raised garden beds to about 30cm before I start throwing 40cm of good compost, and stuff, for the vegetables to grow in, I'll need a few ton of compost and soil, but the local supplier can sent me bulka bags of the stuff Basically the logs, wood chips and a few strategically placed rocks for drainage, will give the beds some good organic materials down low to break down over time, and they will hold moisture during the warmer months to save the water in my big arse water tank if we don't get alot of rain So, all in all, the car and house mods are going well, and I'm really enjoying being retired, I sleep in too 0700 and slowly plod around inside until I feel like actually doing anything, and only work in the yard for as long as want, which has actually been alot over the last few weeks,  although when you look at it, it seems that not a huge amount of work has been done,  until I look at the before I started the work pics Happy days and good times indeed 
    • Dose Pipe Sutututu
      new 1.5 LSD issues/concerns

      By Dose Pipe Sutututu · Posted

      This everytime 
    • DraftySquash
      Looking for someone with a R34 front bar

      By DraftySquash · Posted

      hahaha yeah. Plan is to get side skirts and probably just rear pods. But going to do them one-by-one. I've got a set that I really like from RHDJapen, but that one isn't shipped to AU. So need to find someone who can get it for me
    • MBS206
      new 1.5 LSD issues/concerns

      By MBS206 · Posted

      Here's an idea, answer the questions I asked you as they are trying to work out WHY the LSD will be binding up in a straight line.
×
×
  • Create New...