Well, I F'd my car!!!
 

I did my revolver cams and springs over the last 2 days, and when I started it, the cover around the timing belt blew off, and the part of the valve cover that the cover bolts to also broke. I turned the car over like 5 times before I started it, and the timing was perfect. I have no idea what I did wrong. The only thing I can think of is that my timing belt slipped, but I have no idea why. I'll tow the car to a local machine shop on Monday that specializes in Mitsubishi and find out what the damage is. This is going to get expensive. I'm so pissed at myself right now.

Good luck and I learned this lesson a long time ago rebuilding a rotary engine :mad: 4K later I sold the car. I hate rotary engines to this day for other reasons, but learned a valuable lesson. I'll be honest ever since then I second guess my work alot even though it's usually dead on.

I just hate not knowing what I did wrong. I thought I did my homework, but obviously not enough.

Any chance this was just contact between aftermarket cam gears and the cam gear cover?

Man, story's like this makes me even more leary of doing anything to the motor that involved taking stuff of the head. Instead of saving money and not paying someone knowledge to install the cams, you end up with a nonrunning car and possible going to pay way more in the end. When I get my cams installed I going to Road Race or TT for sure, rather pay to get it done right the first time.

good luck.

should have paid that guy in socal that does the $125 cam installs ..............

I agree with the cam gear question, are they stock or aftermarket?
Did you have all 4 bolts in the cover?

Unless something fell in the front cover and got into the belt it doesn't sound like you really done any damage if there are cam gears on the car.

And I was looking forward to installing cams myself. Now I'm having second thoughts. Please keep us updated on what went wrong.

Happened to me on my Galant Vr4. I hate mitsu's interferance motors. I would never try to change my cams myself.

Yea, I wasn't trying to save money, I just like learning new things and wanted to do it myself. The gears are stock. I know it's f'd because now when I put the crank at tdc the cams are not even close to the marks on the valve cover. The valve cover is salvagable, it only broke off the part that the plastic cover bolts onto. I could probably have both wings cut off completel and have the whole cover polished or something like that. I'll probably just take this opportunity to get a built head if I need to do head work. Hopefully I didn't mess up the cams, or springs.

I just thought of something. I also installed JAM lifters with the cams and they were about 2-3 mm longer than the stock ones. I didn't even think too much about it and I went ahead and installed them. Maybe with them being a little longer they make the valve open a bit more and it hit the piston. That's the only thing I can think of.

wow that sucks dude! probably would have been ok if you just did cams! why did you do the lifters???

A lto of people say revolvers need them, and mine hade 60k miles on them so I thought it couldn't hurt. I'm still not sure if that is what happened though.

I can't imagine why this would blow off the cover though?