So I'm doing a diy adventure with cams. I went to the auto hobby shop today but only had 1 hour to work. I got there late. The guys at the shop suggested I give myself more time.

I also diy'd the tensioner tool which turned out nicely! Now the question is how many people have done a cam job using zip ties. If not zip ties what was your experience? Every mechanic or enthusiast freaks out and goes on about skipping a tooth and blowing the engine. I mean I plan on zip ties being very tight. Is that enough or should I be scared because I'm not.

 

by zip ties, im assuming you mean the belt to the cam gear? ive done it the zip tie way when i was putting my S2s in, you shouldnt have any problems as long as you keep the tension on it so it doesnt jump teeth down on the crank. i zip tied it to an A/C line and just made sure it was tight. just check your timing constantly and rotate the engine by hand after your done a couple times over, then check your timing again!

everything was going smoothly until i went to go change the springs by compressing the cyl. the gears were zip tied already and hanging on the side. well stupid me, i got ahead of myself and went ahead and put air compression into the cylinder... without locking the crank with a breaker bar. well since it was TDC it shot #1 cyl down. the zip ties/ cam gears stayed put but the crank pulley jumped about 7-9 teeth... so i just had to re time after that. a huge set back that could of been avoided by just slowing down and noticing my crank wasnt locked.

just take your time and you will be solid the last thing you need it some bent valves

 

yes i used 3 zipties (1" apart) to hold the belt down as well. I made a homemade tensioner tool from a rod bought at home depot and it got stuck inside for a little and scared the living $hit outta me but a little bit of wiggling and she came out, all morphed and broken. But i remade it and put the tool back in and by the time i was done with the job, it loosened itself out -_- luckily i had no problems from that incident. Also be very careful when taking out the camshaft sprocket cap on the mivec cam, its made of weak aluminum and i stripped mine cranking it too hard and fast, so i had to order and wait 3 days for an oem one ($7). No biggie. Just make sure to antiseize every bolt and seal up the cams real good! of course be sure to take your time

 

And what about the two cam angle sensors and aligning them? An Evo 9 thread says to take a picture of them and note their positioning upon removing them. Did you guys run into anything of interest while getting them off of the sensor? The 8 has jus the exhaust CAS but we have one on the Intake as well.

I just want to increase my chances of success. I'm going to go back to the shop either tonight or Friday.

 

yea i only have one on my ex. cam i just remembered the the "larger" side to it was facing aft when it was at TDC. then replaced it the same way if i remember correctly there is a little dowel on it as well so there is only 2 ways to place it in. dont quote me on that though, i would definitely take pictures though, i used to do that alot when i would be taking something apart that looked confusing. good luck! and always torque everything to specs!

 

don't forget to bleed the lifters after

 

Yep! Have used the zip tie method. Lots of techs do it. Just don't tell anyone, ok.

 

I won't say a thing.

 

how did it turn out???

 

All I am gonna say is if your gonna learn to do cams take the time to do it right. Zip ties are cheap new head components and machine work aren't. Don't cut yourself short do everything being you should be replaceing everything anyways when you do the cams.

 

I'll post the results tonite. Curedsm, u are making me worried. These are drop in cams. I'm not adding anything aggressive. I appreciate ur concern ans I appreciate ur advice. If I had ur number and got into a bind I would be calling u trust me. I'm doing the work at the auto hobby shop on base. The staff will help and field questions albeit they are not evo experts.

I'm going to make sure the zips are tight, the rockers are lined up, the cam position sensors are correct, and no oil on the belt. 1 cam at a time to keep the crank sprocket and belt in time. Am I missing anything?

 

So, I went to the shop today to attempt this and I ran into all the little nasty things that only experience as a mechanic can avoid. I dropped wrenches, battled stripped bolts, learned several things and now realize that being a mechanic is not all fun lol. I got there at 330pm and was there until 800pm and was told to pack it up and start again tomorrow. I had to leave her there. I was not finished.

Taking the cam gear off of the intake cam was hell. The real hassle was getting at the bolts that hold the Cam Trigger Sensor. The lower most of these was worn and it just absorbed so much time. The guys were lots of help but I'm still not done. I took some pics too; I'll post them. I'm sure I can do it but it's going to take me two days.

Also the zipties were not working for me. They got oil from my hands on them and just wouldn't stay zipped lol. I went with needle nose vice grips..... four of them, two per cam gear. The DIY tensioner tool worked well. I just lubed it with anti-seize and worked it in. You should work it in and back it out and then in again. Be sure to zigzag the bolts out of the brackets that hold the cams in place. That cam will jump out of you don't, trust me.

Okay, I'll be back with more tomorrow.

 

I am not tring to make you worried I have just been there with all the dsm's and the evo's I've done and there no fun. One thing I will tell you is be patient, take your time and make sure everything lines up correctly.

Ok with this now you understand what I was trying to say. Good luck and honestly once you get the idea of how everything lines up and works in conjunction with each other it gets easier. You just have to learn how it all works and what things you can and cannot do.

 

I just went with the tech and had him do it all. Thank you for the advice though I do appreciate it man. I have a new issue that I'm putting in a new thread though.

 

Mine as well keep it all in one spot so people who have similar issues can read about it