1994 se lover

Im looking for someone who has done their VE timing themselves,
i need to know the correct cam positions/rotations...in relation to the crank.
or someones own interpretation of 'how-to'
thanks

Jeff92se

iTrader: (82)

I marked everything before I took them apart. If you didn't do this, you will have to refer to the Nissan FSM for the correct marks on the chain and on the sprockets themselves. Just keep reading the fsm and make sure you do it right.

Did you take off the chain? If it has drooped, it might not be lined up on the crank sprocket anymore. Better be sure

1994 se lover

no, i knew enough not to take the chain completely off....i can see the lower sprocket lined up witht he gold chain link..
im just having a difficulty knowing if my cams are in the right spot, or if they are 1 turn out... best one out of two game..
do you know a way of i can tell if my cam with the postion sensor is in the correct rotation cuz the first time i did the timing, my light was showing i was 180° out (marks show on bottom of crank during light strope) ... maybe by taking it off and looking at it..?? ive never had it off..

Do you think it would work if i went by eye, as in #1 at TDC, and then make sure all 4 lobes on cam are up (not opening valves), then that would line up the right side,,and trhe left side i would do the same for #2,,, and in the end make sure im opening and closing valves in sync..??

i try going through the FSM again, but its so unclear when it comes to assembling the cam sprockets and VTC assemblies...arghhh..

Jeff92se

iTrader: (82)

The cam sprockets only install on the cams one way. It's indexed. So that's easy. It's getting them all lined up is the hard part. There is supposed to be a mark on the sprocket that supposed to line up with a bright link on the chain(s)

Don't believe you can be 180 deg off on the cams as one rotation is 360 deg.

1994 se lover

yeh, they can only go one way, cuz the dowels on the cam shafts...
about the 180° thing, i didnt think it was possible either, but when i was tapped into coil#1, the marks showed up underneath the pulley. This is why i thinkim going to take the shaft position sensor off, to see how it looks.

im just gonna have to plug away at it, and hopefully get it before the beers kick in... thanks though jeff,
i will defenitely be posting with a conclusion to this...

anyone else have thoughts, feel free to post, im open !

Jeff92se

iTrader: (82)

Um.. does it actually run? If you installed ANY of the cams that out of whack, the engine wouldn't run or it would run horribly. The cam position sensor only goes in one way also. It's offset indexed.

#1 coil is one back side closest to the pass side shock tower.

So:
1) How does it run? Good?
2) Make sure you are using the right coil for the timing

1994 se lover

it DID run before i worked on it.
Yepp, i got the number#1 cylinder...
the first time i assembled everything you could tell from listening to it, that their was no or little compression, hence my cams not in sync with crank..
so if i were to rotate my crank twice, the silver links would go around only once ?
FSM talks about compression stroke!, how do i know im not on intake stroke? without the cams on, its only a piston stroke... right...

Jeff92se

iTrader: (82)

You might not have had the #1 piston on TDC before lining up everything.

1994 se lover

WOOHOOO !!
problem solved, i finally fixed it.
My theory is that my upper chains skipped some sprocket teeth after the first time i attempted the timing... so i decided to make my own link references, i lined up the lower chain so i could see both 'silver' (actually only slightly faded than rest of links..) then this is where i fuct up.. at this piont without rotating anything, the upper chain 'gold' (actually just uncoated shiny metal) should be lined up with a DIFFERENT sprocket dot which is directly across from the dot you use to line up the lower chains (180° around)... because i wasnt taking off the lower engine covers, i didnt realize their was 2 marks on the idler sprockets and was turning the crank to line up the upper chain with the same mark i used for the lower. SO TAKE THE fsm FOR EVERY WORD THEY SAY..it seemed a little odd that the manual didnt specify to rotate the crank...and the picture in the manual of the idler sprockets looked like it had one dot.. Ahyhow..
i just turned the crank until i could see the dot for the upper chain on the idler, and marked the link where it engaged with nail polish (not mine!!) white-out would work just as well.. and then i just referenced the diagram in the fsm which has the amount of rollers between aligning links and counted along from my 'nail polished' one and made my own reference points.. and remember, then count rollers, so thats every pin which ajoins the links... and from then one its a peice of cake.... jus line up the cam sprockets JUST like the manual says..
and viola !!
i believe my chains skipped because when i first dismanted my car, i also drained the oil.. MISTAKE... and i think the 2-3 weeks i wasnt working on it, gave the oil time to slowly drain from everywhere... so by the time i put the tensioners on, there was no oil there to extend the guide onto the chain and thus leaving the chain to sit loosely... just my thought..i cant think of any other reason.!!
thanks to all who posted..

by the way, no VTC tick, engine sounded great..

jeff, when you rebuilt your VTC's did they operate freely inside, as in were you able to compress the internal sprocket and it would snap back by the force of the spring ???

thanks