OKEDOKE!!! lol welp here it goes i had a crack in my timing chain cover from an idiot previous owner that decided to hit it with a hatched because he was pissed that it was in his garage for to long.....so i find out he has it and buy it only problem is i have to go threw a but load of work to fix it. I already took the little steel cover off and timeing chain and cam gears...now that i put the new plate on i need to know what cams are suppose to be set at so i can realign them thats my question....seeing if any of you know what they are suppose to be set at..........................ALSO i ordered a drift rear bumper and i was woundering if any of you have ever thought of or have seen one done with honeycomb style plastic mesh in the gap on the bottom of the bumper somewhat like a ford focus svt has....alrighty let me know asap hopefully the motor can go back in monday along with the bolt ons and i can start her up........

1) wrong forum
2) why would you take the engine out (from the way you typed it) and why would you take the cam gears and chanin off if the cover was cracked?...................


you can take the cover off of the engine with the engine still in the car........messing with the timing and cam gears makes thing a lot more complicated if you are just replacing a cracked housing.



- Cameron (CaliforniaCavalier)
- www.csc-motorsports.com (my new NOR-CAL car club site!)

Califonia Cav- You have to remove the timing chain, guides, tensioner & cam gears if you are replacing the timing chain housing... You cannot replace it without removing the components..So, thats why he removed those items- Unless just the cover was broken, but I don't think thats the case here.

To answer your questions about timing- The cam gears have an alignment hole in each one- It matches up with holes in the housing itself..

SO basically, set the crank so the key points UP to match the dot on the block.. Set both cam gears so the holes in them match up with the holes in the housing... You can use a bolt or some kinda of metal dowel to hold them in place... Whatever you use- make sure it's a tight fit, theres no room for error.

Install the tensioner, but leave the plastic chain guides out for the time being- install the chain so theres NO slack between the cam gears- you will probably have to pry one of the gears w/ a screwdriver or something to achieve this. Run the chain down & around the crank gear & waterpump...

When you have the chain set in place & you think it's right- use a large socket & prybar to spin the crank...
After 2 revolutions, the cam gears should line back up w/ the holes on the housing & the crank matches up with the dot again... Be careful when messing with the timing- you can damage the valves if they are open & youre spinning the crank, so go slow...

If everything matches back up- squeeze the plastic chain guides back into the housing to remove the excess slack in the chain... Spin the crank a few times while watching the chain to make sure it doesn't bind up, or go slack in some places- Its possible to have a tooth off. If everythings good, button it all back up..

Also-while you have the timing open, you should replace the waterpump if its old & puchase a new tensioner & possibly a chain if you can afford it. I would replace any gaskets ie- water pump & main seal behind the housing. Replace the guides if they are worn.

Lemme know if you have anymore questions- I just went through this several weeks ago...