AEM 23-850BK Tru-Time Adjustable Cam Gear - Manual (Page 4)

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b) Remove two bolts at the bottom of the timing gear
cover
c) Move the cover away from the front of the engine
and lift upward and away from the area of work.
11) Check the cam timing. Align all the timing marks before
you remove the belt. The diagram shows the position of
all the pulleys when the marks are properly aligned.
See
Figures 8 & 9
a) Loosen the cam gear pulley bolts but do not
remove them at this time.
b) The factory manual suggests removing the
tensioner and resetting it using a bench vise prior
to installation.
i) You can bypass the tensioner resetting
procedure by inserting a 3 /
64
(0.0468”) lock pin
into the top of the tensioner to hold the
tensioner shaft in place.
ii) Ensure that the lock pin goes through the side
of the tensioner and through the plunger and
protrudes out on the other side.
iii) If you are able to do this you can loosen the
tensioner bolts and let it drop to the bottom of
its adjusting range.
iv) If the pin comes loose OR of you are not able
to insert the lock pin then the resetting
procedure for the tensioner must be followed
according to factory procedures.
12) Resetting the cam belt tensioner
a) With the tensioner removed from the engine it is
necessary to compress the plunger into the
tensioner body.
See Figures 10 & 11
b) Place the tensioner into a vise and slowly
compress the plunger.
i) CAUTION: Index the tensioner in the vise the
same way it is installed in the engine. This is to
ensure proper pin orientation when the
tensioner is installed in the engine.
c) When the plunger is compressed into the tensioner
body install the lock pin through the body and
plunger to retain the plunger in place until the
tensioner is installed.
13) Remove the cam belt from the camshaft drive pulleys
and install the adjustable cam gears in their places.
NOTE: The DOHC engine has a staggered dowel pin
arrangement. The intake cam alignment pin will be
below the cam center bolt (6 o’clock position) while the
exhaust cam alignment pin will be above the center bolt
(12 o’clock position). The gears each have two pin slots
in the center hub, which are used in different
applications. Install the cam gears 180 ° out from each
other with one gear facing up and one gear facing
down. Ensure that the cams (and pins) are in their
proper respective positions before you install the gears.
Check all the adjustment bolts on the pulleys to
make sure that they are tight (15 ft-lbs) and that
both gears are set to 0. Install the center pulley bolts
and snug them down.
a) Set the camshafts in their proper position with the
horizontal marks lined up.
b) Set the crankshaft at TDC for the number 1
cylinder.
c) Install the timing belt on all the gears and idler
pulleys.
d) Apply 25 ft-lbs torque to the center nut of the
tensioner pulley.
i) While the tension is being applied to the pulley,
push the tensioner up against the tensioner
pulley bracket and tighten the bolts.
ii) Check that the proper tension is being applied
to the belt. This can be determined by feeling
the resistance on the lock pin as you try to slide
it in and out. The tension is right when you can
slide the lock pin in and out of the tensioner
easily.
iii) When tensioner is set remove the lock pin.
14) Check cam timing
See Figures 8 & 9
a) Rotate the crankshaft through three complete
cycles and verify that the timing marks come back
to the proper position. It is important that the marks
come back to their original position. If they do not
line up as before repeat the belt installation making
sure that the marks are all lined up when the belt is
installed.
b) On some vehicles there may be slight interference
between the timing belt inspection cover’s lower
tabs and the tops of the cam adjustment bolts. If
you experience this interference you can trim the
ends of the bottom tabs of the timing belt inspection
cover.
i) NOTE: Having a camshaft out of proper time
will result in very poor performance and could
also lead to serious engine damage.
c) Once cam timing is set you can proceed to re-
install all the items removed for the installation of
the adjustable cam gears. Follow the reverse order
of the installation.