Camshaft sprocket bolts

[dpancer]

Hey guys,

Need too double check something:

engine is out and heads are disassembled in order to put in new valve guides (since I blew the head gasket @ 20K might as well prevent the head tick later on). Are the camshaft sprocket bolts the only TTY bolts for the head assembly? Since the sprockets have not been removed I should be able to put it all back together using the same bolts right?

Thanks in advance

 

[cozmo2806]

I beleive the factory head bolts are tty also. You will need to replace those too. If you keep the cam gears on, no need to replace those bolts. Might be kinda hard to get the cam timing set tho...

 

[dpancer]

I know the head bolts are ttyt. I have a new set of ARP head studs for that already. What im struggling with now is whether i need to degree the cams, especially since my heads are being resurfaced now. Further more, I need to find out how this degreeing change will need to be incorporated into my tune.

 

[Quick Strike]

Decking the block or surfacing the heads will retard cam timing - Not sure how much. If you did not degree it the first time, how will you know where to put them this time? There was variance in timing right from the factory as none of them were degreed there. A litte in this keyway a little from that adds up to a few degrees or more before you know it. You may want to get the reusable ARP cam bolts and set about putting the cams where they are supposed to be.

 

[badcobra]

Hey guys,

Need too double check something:

engine is out and heads are disassembled in order to put in new valve guides (since I blew the head gasket @ 20K might as well prevent the head tick later on). Are the camshaft sprocket bolts the only TTY bolts for the head assembly? Since the sprockets have not been removed I should be able to put it all back together using the same bolts right?

Thanks in advance

Do yourself a HUGE favor and replace the cam bolts with ARP. They are about $21 per, but so worth it while the motor is out.

 

[dpancer]

You may want to get the reusable ARP cam bolts and set about putting the cams where they are supposed to be.

Ok ARP added to my shopping cart. Now, will there be any problems degreeing using the stock cam gears? People have been getting adjustable cam gears, but I have also heard of people who file the key for adjustment. If filing them is still a safe way to do it I guess ill go that route.

would something like this be worth while?
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/tfs-51800505/overview/

 

[Cobra03SC]

Ok ARP added to my shopping cart. Now, will there be any problems degreeing using the stock cam gears? People have been getting adjustable cam gears, but I have also heard of people who file the key for adjustment. If filing them is still a safe way to do it I guess ill go that route.

would something like this be worth while?
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/tfs-51800505/overview/

I ended up going with the mmr version which i believe is only like 15 bucks more. I would spend the small chunk and save the headache of filing the stock gears.

 

[Torrance]

Degree the cams while youre at it, Michael at L&M gave me the specs, 112 & 116, I believe.

We used these in my bulid...

Comp Cams Adjustable Mustang Cam Gears (4.6L/5.4L) 10254 - Free Shipping!

I'f you get a cam sensor code when you fire it up, it'll be the sensor reading the bolts on the gear. I have a hand full of spacers machined to cure the problem. 0.045" fixed mine. If you need some, let me know.

 

[badcobra]

Degree the cams while youre at it, Michael at L&M gave me the specs, 112 & 116, I believe.

We used these in my bulid...

Comp Cams Adjustable Mustang Cam Gears (4.6L/5.4L) 10254 - Free Shipping!

I'f you get a cam sensor code when you fire it up, it'll be the sensor reading the bolts on the gear. I have a hand full of spacers machined to cure the problem. 0.045" fixed mine. If you need some, let me know.

Those things are garbage and you will more than likely break one and bend a shit ton of valves in the process. The hardware does not have the tensile strength to hold the timing in place properly. I destroyed one of these same gears back in 2007 and wrecked a bunch of parts. :fm:

 

[Torrance]

Those things are garbage and you will more than likely break one and bend a shit ton of valves in the process. The hardware does not have the tensile strength to hold the timing in place properly. I destroyed one of these same gears back in 2007 and wrecked a bunch of parts. :fm:

What failed? When? How?
I've not heard any other horror stories. Now I'm freaking out...
You can PM me if the OP doesn't want the thread jack.

 

[badcobra]

I wish I still had the pics, but it happened so long ago I don't have them any longer. The Comp timing gear just simply broke...on the dyno. I investigated after it happened and found numerous other people have had issues with these gears from Comp, Fidanza etc breaking and damaging engines in the aftermath. I hope your going to be OK, but I would be real concerned about it. Maybe they have improved the design, but they look to be the same design to me. Good luck.

 

[Quick Strike]

Filing is not hard, just time consuming. Stock CL are 114*/114*

 

[sabotage]

Just make sure you use red locktite on cam bolt my arp cam bolt loosened up on me last week and brome a secondary cam gear...I torqued it to 85 ftlbs and I checked for proper alignment on gears everything is good only thing I cam see it wear marks from it being loose.... luckily I didn't bend any valves. As far as the comp cams adjustable primary gears Do not run those my tuner had one fail on him as well. He told me to get the trick flow adjustable crack gear its how I degreed my cams

 

[dpancer]

sabotage,

did you degree them yourself? Are you running stock cams? Mine are stock and im trying to figure out if I would need the TFS crank gear IN ADDITION to filing the primary and secondary gears. Did you guys need to file the keyway on all 4 cam gears??

Also I was told to use 110* for intake and 118* for exhaust. Should this be used on a stock setup? Maybe the guy who told me this was thinking of cams other than stockers.

 

[Dasaliac03]

Do yourself a HUGE favor and replace the cam bolts with ARP. They are about $21 per, but so worth it while the motor is out.

x2!

a buddy of mine is in about the same spot as you.....accept he sheared the cam bolt off and he tought he could get a used one ha

 

[badcobra]

x2!

a buddy of mine is in about the same spot as you.....accept he sheared the cam bolt off and he tought he could get a used one ha

Did your buddy have any other damage to the cam gears or did the chain jump or anything? Amazing how fragile the other parts of these motors are. I have broken just about everything under the damn sun over the last many years and it gets real old.

 

[encasedmetal]

sabotage,

did you degree them yourself? Are you running stock cams? Mine are stock and im trying to figure out if I would need the TFS crank gear IN ADDITION to filing the primary and secondary gears. Did you guys need to file the keyway on all 4 cam gears??

Also I was told to use 110* for intake and 118* for exhaust. Should this be used on a stock setup? Maybe the guy who told me this was thinking of cams other than stockers.

the trick flow crank gears only allow you to degree the exhaust cams. you'll want to also get the cloyes multikeyway gears for the intake cams. no slipping, no breaking. but honestly with the 03/04 cams being so shitty why do you want to degree them anyways? just line up the timing marks and ride. I guarantee after you spend the time to degree the stock 03/04 cams you won't realize any gains and you'll wish you hadn't wasted your time. just my opinion.

 

[Quick Strike]

Also I was told to use 110* for intake and 118* for exhaust. Should this be used on a stock setup? Maybe the guy who told me this was thinking of cams other than stockers.

That is simply 4* of advance while maintaining the stock 114* lobe separation. It will raise your dynamic compression by roughly .15 (from 7.75:1 to 7.9:1) and shift your entire power curve roughly 200-300 rpms lower.

 

[racebronco2]

That is simply 4* of advance while maintaining the stock 114* lobe separation. It will raise your dynamic compression by roughly .15 (from 7.75:1 to 7.9:1) and shift your entire power curve roughly 200-300 rpms lower.

I would go with 110lc intake and 114lc exhaust. I have the 97 cobra cams degree with the above nimbers band they raise my peak hp/tq 500 rpms higher when i had me eaton.

 

[dpancer]

the trick flow crank gears only allow you to degree the exhaust cams. you'll want to also get the cloyes multikeyway gears for the intake cams. no slipping, no breaking. but honestly with the 03/04 cams being so shitty why do you want to degree them anyways? just line up the timing marks and ride. I guarantee after you spend the time to degree the stock 03/04 cams you won't realize any gains and you'll wish you hadn't wasted your time. just my opinion.

If i can avoid it I would prefer that. I just want to put the dam car back together already!!! But since I'm having the heads resurfaced, combined with how the timing is usually off from the factory, I thought it would be a necessary step to redegree the cams. I wasn't even going to do this for power gains, it was mainly to make sure the engine is running 100%.

I'm still on a stock setup with a 2.76 ported Eaton so im not pushing crazy power. probably going to be close to 500hp.

All though im trying to be proactive here and prepare for the worse, I guess step one is still to wait till its together to actually see how far off the stock setup will be.