So a while back I posted about a cloud of white smoke coming out of my air intake, i did a comp check and it was 190 across the board +/- 5.

After hearing some of u guys opinion that it could be a valve, i decided to start tearing down the head. While setting TDC, i noticed that my cam gears were out of align by one tooth.

So should i proceed in changing the head and hope that nothing happened to the valves?? Or should i just slap on a new timing belt and call it a day???

BTW how do i reset the timing since the cam gears are off??? Just remove the belt and re-align the cam gears??? Should i make sure i set the crank to TDC first though??? Help needed.

 

Show us were your crank is, i think your timing is on but your crank isnt at TDC yet.

 

okay let me go look it and double check

 

As for your cams, youre only a tooth off - thats not going to cause any physical problems with the valves and pistons
I want to say 3-4 teeth is the point at which things break...but dont quote me on that.
But yeah, where is the crank...

If thats in spec, I would throw on a new belt and call it good.

There are little holes, in the cams and the caps, when each is at TDC. Most people use those - just stick something in there (dowels, drill bits, screwdrivers, whatever is the right size) to hold the cams in place, and reset the belt.

(However, and maybe its just because I have aftermarket cams, I have never been able to use those holes and get proper timing - I use a cam locking tool instead, after I manually set each)

 

werd

 

okay cancel, im gonna have to proceed with taking the head off. everything is lined up. well hopefully nothing wrong with the pistons. its not like the smoke came out when i was driving(car running). it happened when i was cranking the car.

 

i have 5mm punches for the holes to lock the cams at TDC. im bout to finish taking the head. gotta get the crank pulley off? any suggestions?? and 2 of my friggin dizzy bolts are stripped. once i get those off, gotta go to acura to some new ones.

 

I dont understand why youre still pulling the head ??

If your crank is at TDC, and youre just one tooth off, on the exhaust, you are fine...

But, if youre just set in your silly ways, you either need air tools or a crank pulley wrench, to remove the pulley.
The latter, looks like this:

It sets into the hex inset on the pulley, allowing it to be held stationary, while the bolt is undone.

You dont have to go to acura for distributor bolts either.....just go to the hardware store and get a set that is the same size....
Use the one good one, as reference.
(I seriously dont get why people think honda's bolts are so special)

 

Most people see the grade 10.X for Honda and all the "Honda quality hype BS" and they buy into it. If you go to the hardware store you want a grade 10 bolt, not 8.8

 

its class 10.9, actually
(metric is class, not grades)

 

thanks fellas...the timing was perfectly okay. i made a post a month ago about what had happened. a cloud of white smoke came out of my air intake while i was cranking the car. after that moment, the car never started. i was told that it could be a valve. i did compression check and all was good. tried everything else so im now pulling the head.

guess i'll go pick that crankshaft tool. do autozone, pep boys, or advance carry that tool??

BTW, since i got the intake manifold, how do i clean up all of the build up in the plenums??




Modified by Xscort at 12:19 AM 7/5/2007

 

carb cleaner

 

why would you want to lock the cams in place?there's no reason

 

grind some of that **** away thats what i do but **** i get paid for my work

snap on tools has a crank pulley tool for hondas 75 bucks from the truck takes like a week to get there


no warranty tho

1 tooth off only cuases loss of power and fucked up starting....................unless your high comp and reaally on the money with performance, still thats pushing it tho


edit: it looks like this but you can order it from the truck if you're a mechanic, like most people are on this forumn




Modified by 951racer at 4:32 AM 7/5/2007

 

No, the wrench is a specialty tool - you would have to order it from a place like summit racing, snap (as suggested, or the dealership can order Honda's own tool for you (its similar, but attaches to a ratchet).
Although, it wouldnt hurt to ask the local stores if they can order it.....dont be surprised when they say "Whats that for? No, we cant get it"

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by thehondaconnection &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">why would you want to lock the cams in place?there's no reason</TD></TR></TABLE>
If you read, you would know why I use the lock tool instead of the holes on the shafts...

 

thanks for the responses, will keep u guys updated

 

if the compression was good then the valves are holding. and you still pulled the head? i woulda tried to just line everything up and cranked it up.

 

everything was already aligned. just after the smoke came from out of my air intake, the car wouldnt start up. it kept cranking but not starting.

the head is ready to come off, i just need to find a way to get my crank pulley off. i just got the swap a month and a half ago, it was running top notch until i was about to go somewhere. i had the hood open looking around my engine bay and got my brother to turn the key and when he did, POOF, a cloud of smoke shout out of the air intake. since then, it never started, just kept cranking.

i might as well change the water pump, t-belt, and necessitites.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Xscort &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> i just need to find a way to get my crank pulley off.</TD></TR></TABLE>

poor man's way of taking off the crank pulley...

works like a charm

 

if its a standard you can put it in 5th with clutch out and stomp brakes , go at it with a 3/4" drive ratchet and 4 foot bar. if its an auto , that will work^^^. i made a pully tool of my own , works great.

diggity , this is nothing against you , but dont tell people its ok to be off a tooth on your cam/cams , thats just the most retarded thing i ever heard. stupid advice.

i wouldnt have pulled the head either , i dont see where its warranted here at all. i wouldve tried another dizzy and new plugs first.

 

it probably is the dizzy...oh well, might as well go ahead and change the belt and pump since its never been changed!!

yeah its a 5spd. i picked up that 50mm hex from the dealership. $66. now i gotta find a way to hold that tool and wrench that b!tch loose. i got it in 5th already, now ima have to get my lil brother to mash the brakes.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by blackKready &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">if its an auto , that will work^^^.</TD></TR></TABLE>

worked on my friends DA (5 spd) no problems just had to put it in gear. did not even have to stomp on the breaks.

one quick kick and it was off, just a little extra work getting the shield and brackets off though.

 

well i guess it should work for me cause i got a ls swap/5spd.

 

that puff of smoke you saw may have been the intake valves being open slightly during the exhaust stroke.open intake side,exhuast stroke comes,whoose backfire smoke through the intake.no what I mean.try getting the timing right before you rip **** apart.if it still acts up check your valve lash and make sure your have lash at all.if you find one with zero lash its making the valve hang open.if all is good and it still acts up then pull the head.

 

the snap-on crank pulley tool works good but the moroso one is the shiznit,zero flex!!