boostedblue23

DarryCar

Are you trying to degree the type r cams, or did you get the S2P1s? I only ask because there is no need to degree the type r cams, just set them at zero. The S2P1s absolutely have to be degreed though. I just went from type r cams to the S2P1s and literally degreed them yesterday... and again today. It can be quite confusing especially when there is more than one or three ways to do it. It also doesn't help that our motors are reverse rotation. The cam degree kit I got is for a clockwise rotation engine, so that further confused things. The kits out there for our motors are ridiculously expensive. It can be done with any degree wheel though.

I ended up using Skunk2's peak lift spec to dial my cams in. The opening and closing specs either didn't match up, or I just couldn't figure them out. Also I was coming up with more duration on both cams then what was cited on Skunk2's cam sheet. This was my first time decreeing a motor, so I'm still do not have total understanding of the entire process. So the peak lift for the intake is 98* ATDC. Once I got to 98* ATDC on the degree wheel, I loosened up the adjustment screws on the intake cam gear and rotated the cam until the dial indicator stopped moving upward. This set my intake cam at +2* advanced. Did the same with the exhaust, which peak lift spec is at 105* BTDC. I ended up with -2* retarded on the exhaust. Hope this helps.

boostedblue23

DarryCar

But the 105* that Skunk2 calls for is on the degree wheel. You can't move the cam gear to change the degree wheel on the crank. So you move the crank until the degree wheel is at 105* BTDC, then you move the cam gear while looking at the dial indicator until the dial stops and starts to go the other way. There is some dwell in there, so to truly find center line I believe you note where the cam gear is when the dial indicator stops moving and then note where the cam gear is when the dial indicator starts to move the other direction. Right in the middle of those two is the true centerline. This is my understanding anyways.

I found these threads to be helpful. Maybe you have already seen them, but here you go...

https://honda-tech.com/forums/engine...ro-1s-3298713/

https://honda-tech.com/forums/all-mo...edown-2003538/

boostedblue23

boostedblue23

DarryCar

Ya, there is a couple of ways to do it. That one by Compcams is for a domestic engine that rotates clockwise and is not an overhead cam. I don't know if I would go by their instructions. There are instructions by Skunk2 on that second thread I mentioned.

boostedblue23

boostedblue23

DarryCar

Yup, watched that one many times. They turn the engine back in the opposite direction, which you are not supposed to do. They still don't explain everything. They don't even move the cams. They just show how to find centerline at 0.005". I tried it this way and wasn't coming up with the right numbers. Though I think when I tried it this way my cams were not at zero.

boostedblue23

boostedblue23

DarryCar

Funny, I've watched this video a couple of times too. Great vid and this guy is awesome. Again, its not a Honda motor so take that into account. This guy is fabbing up his own stuff, which is awesome but also can confuse things. He makes a great point though, and is what I am trying to tell you. At about 26:45 in the video he shows you that the specs on the cam card are not lining up to what he is getting on his engine. So he has to go back to the cam card and adjust his cam gears to match up. If Skunk2 calls for peak lift at say 105* for the exhaust on the degree wheel, that means you put the crank at 105* and adjust the cam gear for peak lift at that point. The peak lift of the cam absolutely has to occur at the exact position of the crank. That's where you get max performance. He also says that the cam cards opening and closing specs are "wrong" which is true with my motor. Every motor is different, so I doubt there is an engine in the world that will line up exactly to spec. It's just a reference that they give you, hence having to degree your engine.

boostedblue23

boostedblue23

DarryCar

Ya, I don't know how to better explain it without showing you. Those directions by Skunk2 make it pretty easy. You just set the cams off of the peak lift specs rather than the opening and closing specs. Doing it this way, you don't have to worry about the 0.40" value.

boostedblue23

jdblock

What numbers are you getting for your measurements and what equation(s) are you using? Without knowing this, you won't get far.

And yes, you should always degree cams. Without degreeing, you won't know if the cams have been ground correctly by the manufacturer.

DarryCar

boostedblue23

DarryCar

Yes, valve lash needs to be set at zero, meaning no valve lash at all and the rocker sits directly on top of the valve. But don't set it so tight that it is pushing on the valve and forcing it down or open. You only need to set it on the valve that you will be measuring off of. So just one ex valve and one in valve on cyl #1.

boostedblue23

DarryCar

I'm not saying that. You shouldn't have to, but if there was a lot taken off the head (and/or you really don't know the history of the head, meaning it's possible that it has been decked before), then it is always a good idea to degree the cams. If you know exactly how much was taken off of the head when it was decked, then you can use a head gasket with a thickness to make up for that loss. Then you should be able to set up the cams and crank to the factory timing marks and be good.

boostedblue23

DarryCar

I have no idea. Usually that is something the machine shop will tell you after they do it.