Where should each of the pistons be when the crank is top dead center. Also where do the cam sprocket arrows point? towards each other or up?

 

If the arrows ever point towards each other, then you've got some problems. The UP arrows should always point in the same direction.

The standard alignment is at #1 TDC (end of compression stroke). The cam lobes will point away from the rocker arms, pistons #1 and #4 are at teh top of their strokes, the UP arrows on the cam gears will point up and the horizontal hash marks on the camgears will all fall into a straight line, the crank pulley TDC mark will line up to the hash on the lower timing belt cover, and the timing belt drive gear mark will line up to the mark on the oil pump cover.

Lots of ways to tell if you're at TDC.

 

Im not sure about this but take a screw driver and stick it in the vavle? Am i wrong?

 

i think you mean the piston, through the spark plug hole. IN VTEC said it best.

 

Simply taking a screwdriver or the hook tool from your car jacking tools and popping it into the cylinder will not accurately tell you when you've hit TDC.

Sure there's a dwell when you're around TDC, but the crank can still move several degrees while the piston is at this dwell point.

 

Just to be more specific on piston position at #1 TDC, #1 will be up top at the end of the compression stroke, about to start the power stroke; #2 is at the bottom ending the power stroke, about to start the exhaust stroke; #3 is at the bottom ending the intake stroke, about to start the compression stroke; and #4 is up top ending the exhaust stroke, about to start the intake stroke.

okay I really just wanted to show off some knowledge for ya, since I got to see this stuff visually while my friend and I performed our first engine swap a couple weeks ago, including tearing down the motor and replacing/installing several things.


[Modified by PatrickGSR94, 10:29 AM 4/4/2003]

 

An easy way to diagram all that is:

Firing order:
1-3-4-2

4-stroke event order:
(1)compression-(3)combustion-(4)exhaust-(2)intake

There are 4 different cylinders and 4 different stroke events. Any one cylinder will always occupy only one 4-stroke event at any one given point in time. It's a little more complicated than that b/c not every stroke ends/begins at BDC or TDC.

General rule:
The subsequent cylinder in the firing order must be 1 stroke behind in the event cycle in order to be the next in the firing order.

I'm not sure if it's simply multiplied for 8 cylinder engines, but my simple brain would probably assume it so until I worked it out fully in my head with real world examples.


[Modified by IN VTEC, 10:59 AM 4/4/2003]