Put Engine Out Of Time? Have I Bent A Valve?

[Noco92]

I have began to remove my camshafts without first putting the engine to no.1 tdc . I removed the timing belt and when removing the vct gear the camshaft turned a small amount.

What is the possibility I have pushed a valve into a piston and damaged it?

I felt resistance that I am assuming is just compression but want to be certain I haven't damaged a valve..

Also now that the engine is out of time how am I to get it to no1 tdc without and valve/piston interference

[Duncan]

You almost certainly haven't hurt it already if you were just turning it by hand, valves are pretty tough.

To put it back you just need to time it like always.....have the balancer and both cams on the 0 degree markings. If it was nowhere near the 0 marks when you took the belt off you made it hard for yourself, so turn both cams and the crank evenly and in small increments until you get to 0.

[jiffo]

You don't want your cams on their timing marks/engine at TDC when removing or installing cams.

You should deliberately take the crank slightly passed TDC so all pistons are down the bores, check with a screw driver down the plug holes.

Then there's no chance of interference as cams do like to find their happy spot, and it's not exactly where their timing marks are.

(No 1 firing at TDC has No 6 changing over inlet/exhaust. If you're winding down cam caps and things move a touch, you can push those valves into the piston)

As Duncan posted, it's just a matter of turn and check to get things aligned again when fitting the belt.

[Noco92]

Would I be righto to remove the cams how it sits then wind over to tdc ( or just past) and install the new cams?

[Duncan]

Sorry I didn't pay enough attention to your first sentence If the cams are out you are fine.....just turn the crank to where you want it (on the timing marks, or as jiffo said just past if you want a margin of safety) the put the cams in and turn them to the same place. You wont have valves touch pistons until the cam caps are tightened down, until then the valve springs will hold every valve closed (up)