Saturday, January 25, 2014
How to Measure a Camshaft Lift
A camshaft controls the height and the duration of lift for the valves in the heads of your engine. The distance a camshaft lifts the engine valves depends on the size of the camshaft lobes. As the camshaft turns, a pushrod moves along the lobe in an elliptical pattern. When the pushrod sits on the rounded section of the lobe, the valve sits in its closed position. As the pushrod moves over the tapered section of the lobe, the valve opens. Knowing the camshaft lift--lobe length--allows you to setup your engine for maximum performance.
Instructions
- 1
Spray carburetor cleaner on the camshaft lobes. Allow the cleaner to sit on the camshaft for five to 10 minutes. Wipe the oil residue and carburetor cleaner from the camshaft with a rag.
2Open the jaws of a Vernier caliper. Slide the open jaws over the round end of a camshaft lobe. Close the caliper jaws until each jaw sits tight to one side of the lobe. Write down the measurement.
3Open the jaws of the caliper. Place the bottom caliper jaws on the rounded end of the camshaft lobe. Push the top jaw tight to the top point of the lobe taper. Write down the measurement.
4Subtract the rounded lobe dimension from the taper dimension. The difference between the two measurements equals the lift of the camshaft.
Saturday, November 16, 2013
The Method for Removing Camshaft Sprockets
A camshaft sprocket is in the center of the timing belt of a car engine. It is a round shaft driven by the timing belt that opens and closes the fuel and exhaust valves of an engine. The camshaft supports are in the front and rear of the engine crankcase. Camshafts sprockets often need to be removed to have their gear teeth cleaned or to be replaced when they wear down from use.
Instructions
- 1
Remove the A/C compressor belt by loosening the pivot and locking belt on the belt idler pulley until the belt is loose. Flip the A/C compressor belt up over the lip of the pulley, and remove it.
2Loosen the pivot nut and locking nut of the alternator/water pump belt. Turn the alternator adjusting bolt counter-clockwise to loosen the belt, and remove it from the pulley.
3Loosen the locking nut and pivot bolt of the power steering pump belt. Turn the adjustment nut counter-clockwise, and remove the belt. Loosen the nuts and bolt of the air pump belt, and remove its cover. Remove the locking bolt and pivot bolt, and pull the air pump until it is out of the way.
4Remove the nuts on the valve cover studs of the engine and the 10 mm bolts on the underside of the engine mount. Pull off upper belt cover.
5Place a car jack underneath the right (passengers) side of the car. Jack up the car, and lock the car jack. Using a socket wrench, take off the bolts that secure the right front wheel, and lift the wheel off its mount.
6Detach the plastic wheel well shroud at the back of the wheel well. Using a socket wrench, remove the four or five bolts that secure the main crankshaft pulley onto the engine. Do not remove the center bolt.
7Remove the 10 mm bolts holding the lower belt cover on, and pull the cover off. Place a car jack under the drivers side front. Jack up the car to take the weight off the right side of the car.
8Remove the nut and bolt of the center mount and the large nut directly underneath it. Unscrew the two bolts that attach the engine mount to the frame of the car. Lift off the outer half of the engine mount, and set it aside.
9Loosen the timing belt idler pulley bolt, and rotate the pulley 180 degrees with a large wrench. Remove the bolt that secures the camshaft sprocket at the center of the pulley onto the engine. Slide the camshaft sprocket off the camshaft.