Cams w/o the Tensioner Tool
Cams w/o the Tensioner Tool
If ANYONE can shed some light on what to do in this situation of not having the Timing Belt Tensioner tool and how to install cams. The only guides I can find require me to use the tool. But after a week "yeah you can borrow mine" from members and dealers telling me they dunno where to get it (not spending 80$ on Lancershop). For a tool im gonna use once. Any one know how to do it minus the tool?
Get it from AMS.. it is the best constructed tool period and cheap!! Don't risk breaking a homemade one .. that is a real PITA to get out if you do that.. and make sure to use anti-seize on the threaded end of the rod!
you should be able to use a m8x1.25 grade 8 bolt with a head on it or use two nuts. it is more simple than you think. and don't be scared when doing the work. tighten the tool untill the t belt is loose enough for you to slide the belt off the gears. make your marks first. and everything goes back on the same way it came off, and dont forget to bled you lifters
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I was pretty pissed about it and havn't dealt with AMS since
I have seen a couple of Evo's now with a timing belt tool broken off in the threads. The only way to do cams without being able to use the tool is to pull the accessory pulleys off and timing covers off (time consuming) and loosen the timing belt tensioner. With tension on the belt I would imagine it would be possible to get the gears back on to the cams with a pry bar and an extra set of hands but I wouldn't recommend trying it.
I broke one of those.big pos.had a homemade one for dsms and never had a problem.used ams on evo and bam it broke.
Just would like to mention. I had this tool overnighted to me so I could install cams while I was home from school. When it arrived it would not thread in, I called ams to see if they could have sent me the wrong one or something and they said the tool has been unchanged for 17 years and they could not imagine what *I* was doing wrong, no refund. Took the tool to cbrd and they confirmed it was because the tool was slightly bent. never got my money back and still have a very long worthless bolt That AMS so graciously sold to me!! I was pretty pissed about it and havn't dealt with AMS since
I was pretty pissed about it and havn't dealt with AMS sinceI was better off spending half the price and buying the tool off ebay.
i got the Jays racing combo kit for like $50
I did bend the tensioner tool though and had a ***** getting it out. I rebent it back and were ok then. Scary situation though at the time.
I did bend the tensioner tool though and had a ***** getting it out. I rebent it back and were ok then. Scary situation though at the time.
I broke mine off in there too 
Anyways, I did the cams without the tool after it broke, it was fairly time consuming but overall not to bad, might as well through a new timing belt on there while you're at it.
1. Jack the car up, take off the front passenger tire,
2. Take of the plastic piece covering the Harmonic Balancer
3. Loosen the 4 bolts that are on the harmonic balancer
4. Get an engine hoist or transmission jack and jack the motor up a little, take the passenger side engine mount bolt out. and remove the 3 nuts holding the engine mount on, take the mount out (for easier access to the waterpump pulley bolts)
5. Take the bolt holding the a/c line to the fire wall out ( just for added safety so it can move around a little) And there should be 2 bolts holding the Powersteering pump reservoir on, take those out
6. Take tension off the serpentine belt but leave it on for now.
7. Now comes the pain in the *** part, take the 4 bolts holding the water pump pulley on off, it helps to wrap the loosened serpentine belt around the pulley to keep tension on it, then as you loosen that let go rotate the pulley and grab the belt hold the pulley in place with it. (it helps to kinda jack the motor up and lower it down as needed, you're going to need a 10mm wrench for the bolts, BE CAREFUL NOT TO STRIP ANY!!)
8. Lower the engine down, remove the idler pulley bolt and take the idler pulley off.
9. take the timing belt cover bolts out, cant remember how many their are, but one i couldnt get at so i cut the timing cover there, little trick for when you get the timing belt cover off, I cut mine right by where it slip around the engine mount, it was kinda a PITA to take off and put on maneuvering the whole thing around, and once it goes back together you cant tell it was even cut, this makes it easier if you ever need to remove the cover, just the bottom piece can come off while the part above the engine mount stays on. it came in handy many times for me lol
10. Loosen your cam sprocket bolts if you dont have new ones
11. once the cover is off, take the spark plugs out to ease turning the motor over, set it to TDC, Look at the timing mark on the balance shaft, make sure it lines up, your cam gear marks line up, and your oil pump marks line up, double check! they line up every 4th rotation so dont be to worried if the first couple times they dont line up. double check the timing marks
12. Loosen the 2 timing belt tensioner bolts, I removed mine since I just decided to change it. that should've taken the slack off the belt
13. do one cam at a time, makes it easier that way. I started with my exhaust since it had the CAS and what not on it. Then on to the Intake, Bleed the lifters. make sure the rockers are in place as your putting the cam you just lubed up in.
14. once you got that done reverse the steps. MAKE SURE YOUR TIMING IS DEAD ON, the first time i had a friend help me, found out my balance shaft timing was 3 teeth off. had to do all that over, and putting the water pump pulley back on will be a *****, again, i hate that damn thing
all that was off the top of my head, i may have forgotten something, so if so someone chime in
Anyways, I did the cams without the tool after it broke, it was fairly time consuming but overall not to bad, might as well through a new timing belt on there while you're at it.
1. Jack the car up, take off the front passenger tire,
2. Take of the plastic piece covering the Harmonic Balancer
3. Loosen the 4 bolts that are on the harmonic balancer
4. Get an engine hoist or transmission jack and jack the motor up a little, take the passenger side engine mount bolt out. and remove the 3 nuts holding the engine mount on, take the mount out (for easier access to the waterpump pulley bolts)
5. Take the bolt holding the a/c line to the fire wall out ( just for added safety so it can move around a little) And there should be 2 bolts holding the Powersteering pump reservoir on, take those out
6. Take tension off the serpentine belt but leave it on for now.
7. Now comes the pain in the *** part, take the 4 bolts holding the water pump pulley on off, it helps to wrap the loosened serpentine belt around the pulley to keep tension on it, then as you loosen that let go rotate the pulley and grab the belt hold the pulley in place with it. (it helps to kinda jack the motor up and lower it down as needed, you're going to need a 10mm wrench for the bolts, BE CAREFUL NOT TO STRIP ANY!!)
8. Lower the engine down, remove the idler pulley bolt and take the idler pulley off.
9. take the timing belt cover bolts out, cant remember how many their are, but one i couldnt get at so i cut the timing cover there, little trick for when you get the timing belt cover off, I cut mine right by where it slip around the engine mount, it was kinda a PITA to take off and put on maneuvering the whole thing around, and once it goes back together you cant tell it was even cut, this makes it easier if you ever need to remove the cover, just the bottom piece can come off while the part above the engine mount stays on. it came in handy many times for me lol
10. Loosen your cam sprocket bolts if you dont have new ones
11. once the cover is off, take the spark plugs out to ease turning the motor over, set it to TDC, Look at the timing mark on the balance shaft, make sure it lines up, your cam gear marks line up, and your oil pump marks line up, double check! they line up every 4th rotation so dont be to worried if the first couple times they dont line up. double check the timing marks
12. Loosen the 2 timing belt tensioner bolts, I removed mine since I just decided to change it. that should've taken the slack off the belt
13. do one cam at a time, makes it easier that way. I started with my exhaust since it had the CAS and what not on it. Then on to the Intake, Bleed the lifters. make sure the rockers are in place as your putting the cam you just lubed up in.
14. once you got that done reverse the steps. MAKE SURE YOUR TIMING IS DEAD ON, the first time i had a friend help me, found out my balance shaft timing was 3 teeth off. had to do all that over, and putting the water pump pulley back on will be a *****, again, i hate that damn thing
all that was off the top of my head, i may have forgotten something, so if so someone chime in