- The tools required for accurately degreeing a camshaft are relatively simple and they
definitely don't need to break the bank.
The first tool you're going to need is a degree wheel, which is simply a large
diameter aluminium disk with 360 individual degree markings on it.
We're going to be using this to read the cam timing events and hence it's a
critical component.
These degree wheels are available from a number of suppliers and the one we're using
is from Moroso.
They're also available in a range of different diameters and it's actually an
advantage to use a larger diameter degree wheel since this has the effect of providing
finer resolution since there's going to be a greater distance between the degree
markings at the outside edge of the wheel.
In order to read the numbers off the degree wheel, we'll also need a pointer that
attaches to the engine block.
This can be as simple as a piece of welding wire or similar, that's bolted to the block
temporarily and then bent into location.
To help improve the accuracy of reading the degree markings we want to use
a thin piece of wire or alternatively you can sharpen the end to a point.
Next we're going to need a way of measuring the cam or valve opening
and this can be done with a dial gauge.
These gauges use a small plunger which turns the dial and hence we can
accurately read the amount of valve or cam lift.
These dial gauges can be purchased in metric or imperial scales, so it's up to
your preference as to which you choose.
You'll often find that the camshaft specs are given in imperial units,
so despite us using the metric system here in New Zealand, I'll still often use an
imperial dial gauge.
You also need to make sure the dial gauge has sufficient travel to suit the valve
lift that you need to measure.
Some dial gauges for example only have a range of perhaps 0 to 10 millimetres,
so these will be of little use if you have 12.5 millimetres of valve lift.
Dial gauges can also be used for a range of tasks in the engine building field
and hence are a pretty universal design.
For our purposes for measuring valve lift, we'll also need an extension that
screws into the base of the dial gauge and allows us to access down into the
cylinder head to locate the dial gauge onto the valve spring retainer or the bucket.
We'll also need a way of attaching the dial gauge to the engine or cylinder head,
and this can be achieved with a magnetic base.
These use a strong magnet and a variety of adjustable arms to allow the dial
gauge to be accurately located and orientated as required.
Since a lot of the cylinder heads we're likely to deal with are alloy and hence
not magnetic, I also keep a piece of steel plate in my toolbox with a variety of holes
drilled in it that can be temporarily bolted to the head to act as a place to locate
the magnetic base.
In some particular engines such as Honda's VTEC range, you can purchase specific
tools for dialling in the cams which bolt into location on the head and include
permanently mounted dial indicators.
While these simplify the process, they aren't essential and the techniques we'll
look at shortly will still cross over to these products if you choose
to purchase them.
Next we're going to need some way of limiting the piston travel when we go
through the process of finding true top dead centre.
This can be done with a couple of different tools including a positive piston
stop that screws down the spark plug hole to limit piston travel or if we're
finding true TDC with the cylinder head removed, this can be done with a plate
that bolts across the top of the engine block and has an adjustable stopper
that screws down against he crown of the piston.
That was just one of the modules taken out of our cam degreeing course.
If you're interested in learning how to correctly degree the cam or cams on
your engine then this course is perfect for you.
You'll learn about the different styles of valve train actuation used on various engines
and how the cam timing is measured and adjusted.
You'll learn how to read a camshaft spec sheet and what details you'll need in order
to accurately degree your cam.
You'll learn what tools you'll need to degree your cam and how to install them and set
them up on your engine.
You'll also learn all of the practical skills you'll need to know, such as how to find
true top dead centre, how to read a degree wheel and how to check piston
to valve clearance.
Finally, you'll learn the HPA 6 step process which can be used to accurately degree the
cam timing on any engine, regardless whether it's a pushrod V8 or a quad cam V12.
Once you've learned the 6 step process, you can watch it being applied on real
engines in our library of worked examples.
If you want to find out more, click the link in the description.