Joined
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12 Posts
Ladies and gentlemen, I've gone and done something very stupid.
I set out to replace my timing belt today. Got the belt kit and cam locking tools. Set cylinder 1 to TDC and fitted the crank lock tool. Then set out to lock the cams. Well, I am not sure if I had something misaligned or what, but the cam locking tools weren't just slipping in on the back of the head, so I (at least I thought) carefully tightened the bolts until the plates sat flush with the head. On the exhaust side, I heard a loud metallic "KINK" noise, which I initially thought was the plate settling. Finished the belt job which was pretty straightforward, went to remove the cam locking plates, and discovered that I broke the rear toothed section off the exhaust cam, and bent the intake locking tool out of shape. Don't ask me how, I don't know. Though it would be good to figure out what I did wrong so that I don't repeat it a second time!
Long story short, I have a broken camshaft to replace; I assume the part I broke is press fit on and can't just be replaced on its own. I priced out the stock cam, it's about $266+tax/shipping. Not terrible! I know I'll need cam seals and some RTV to reseal the cam cover, but if there's any other parts or special tools else needed before I jump into this job, please let me know. I'd like to have everything ready before tearing into it. I've done aftermarket cams on my old Toyota MR2 back in the day, so it's not my first rodeo in general, but I don't know if there's anything special about the process for this car.
Option 2 would be to upgrade to the Colombo & Bariani "fast road" cams at ~$1,500. I am usually a big fan of "if it breaks you must upgrade", but right now the car is only equipped with an Alfaworks tune on an otherwise stock engine (soon to get a downpipe and intercooler) so I'm not sure the cost is worth the potential improvement? I do use the car primarily for track so I'm not worried about losing low end power in favor of top end. However it seems like very few people have done cams other than Call Me Al whom I've already messaged.
Well, there you have it. A DIY cautionary tale. It's still cheaper than paying someone else, I guess!
I set out to replace my timing belt today. Got the belt kit and cam locking tools. Set cylinder 1 to TDC and fitted the crank lock tool. Then set out to lock the cams. Well, I am not sure if I had something misaligned or what, but the cam locking tools weren't just slipping in on the back of the head, so I (at least I thought) carefully tightened the bolts until the plates sat flush with the head. On the exhaust side, I heard a loud metallic "KINK" noise, which I initially thought was the plate settling. Finished the belt job which was pretty straightforward, went to remove the cam locking plates, and discovered that I broke the rear toothed section off the exhaust cam, and bent the intake locking tool out of shape. Don't ask me how, I don't know. Though it would be good to figure out what I did wrong so that I don't repeat it a second time!
Long story short, I have a broken camshaft to replace; I assume the part I broke is press fit on and can't just be replaced on its own. I priced out the stock cam, it's about $266+tax/shipping. Not terrible! I know I'll need cam seals and some RTV to reseal the cam cover, but if there's any other parts or special tools else needed before I jump into this job, please let me know. I'd like to have everything ready before tearing into it. I've done aftermarket cams on my old Toyota MR2 back in the day, so it's not my first rodeo in general, but I don't know if there's anything special about the process for this car.
Option 2 would be to upgrade to the Colombo & Bariani "fast road" cams at ~$1,500. I am usually a big fan of "if it breaks you must upgrade", but right now the car is only equipped with an Alfaworks tune on an otherwise stock engine (soon to get a downpipe and intercooler) so I'm not sure the cost is worth the potential improvement? I do use the car primarily for track so I'm not worried about losing low end power in favor of top end. However it seems like very few people have done cams other than Call Me Al whom I've already messaged.
Well, there you have it. A DIY cautionary tale. It's still cheaper than paying someone else, I guess!
