6cyl CAM INSTALL - HELP!

[Vombil]

Don't even think about installing the cam without the gear pressed on!

This is a strange one..... it's normally not that hard. I'm starting to think you may have a badly machined gear.

If it was a new cam I'd be thinking that your old cam had undersized journals and oversized bearings in the block, but that can't be the case since you are reinstalling the same cam.

So lets just confirm....

Oil pump and distributor are out. YES
Lifters are out. YES
Retaining plate is between cam and gear. YES
Retaining plate screws aren't sitting in the block. YES

If all that is done, the cam should go in.....

If you have a crank gear puller, pull it and see if the cam goes in without it in place (and also then check the cam gear/crank gear meshing out of the engine). I HAVE A PULLER - DON"T KNOW IF IT'S CRANK SPECIFIC.

It's looking a lot like a bad cam gear to me...

NEW ALLOY CAM AND CRANK GEAR ARE A 'MATCHED PAIR' AND MESH PERFECTLY - PROBLEM COULD BE THAT THE NEW CRANK GEAR LOOKS NOTHING LIKE THE EXISTING OLD STEEL GEAR IN THERE

Much appreciate your input Rob. Will the same puller used for balancer be the correct puller to use for crank? I had a go at pulling crank this arvo and it felt ridiculously tight. I thought i was going to snap puller bolts so I gave up. WIll get some new high tensile bolts tomorrow and hit it again. I've read that blokes have to drill and then chisel them... even cut them with a freakin grinder. This is getting ridiculous!

please ignore caps and bold. kooked it. its late :/

[Vombil]

If its the gear meshing causing the problem, what if you try turning the crank (with your 3rd and 4th hands!) when its at that last bit where its getting stuck?

hahah dude ive never done a job on an engine where i could genuinely do with 4 hands from start to finish. i thought about getting someone on crank duties but it's not an item that move freely back and forth. by rights if it was lining up in all journals, then it should move at the gear end... meshing looks to be particularly shit

[Dick61]

The gears are helical cut and you have to rotate the cam or crank to get the gears to mesh and slide together

[Vombil]

pulled the old crank gear off today (1 hour....) the shape width and length of teeth is nothing like the new gear. anyways while the crank gear was off I slid the cam in with absolutely no problems SO.. it was a meshing issue. Fingers crossed there are no more headaches!

[Big Rob]

Excellent!
Lube the new gear and press (block of wood and a hammer) the gear back on and all should be cool.
I'm sure you already have, but ensure the journals and lobes have a nice coating of oil and the lifters are reinstalled in the original positions.
Oil everything... oil pump gears, distributor gear, between the new cam gears, pushrods, rockers.... and if you have access to compressed air, blow the pushrods out before installing them too.
Hope it all goes perfectly for you.

[Vombil]

much appreicated ROb

once i belted the new crank gear on the cam took all of 2 minutes to slide on in!

made a bit of a mess of the front of the gear but looks to be sitting well and it was moving the entire time - just hope I didn't stuff the crank but whacking it with steel pipe and not wood!