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02 TL Type S...As I was pulling my new timing belt (gently) from the rear cam (under water pump) to the front cam--the rear cam moved incredibly fast (like it was under pressure) and is now 7-8 teeth off the TDC mark. See attached pic. How do I realign the rear cam? I can't move it back because it feels like it's under pressure. I'm now paranoid my timing will be off. Any help is appreciated.
The cam is under tension from valve springs on cylinders 2-5. As long as the crankshaft pulley is still at TDC you should be able to turn the cam back to it's proper position with the cam bolt.
You just need to realign the cam marks without moving anything else. The other cam gear should also be at cyl 1 TDC, and the crankshaft timing gear should be aligned with it's mark.
Like you said, it is under pressure from the valve springs. Not a big deal to overcome, and you won't damage anything by going back a bit. However, if that bolt loosens while you're going back (super unlikely), you're going to have to slowly advance all three gears until they come around again.
I just did this the other day, and it's common and easy to do. I would pretty much expect it to happen to everyone, especially if you also removed your spark plugs to help cranking the engine by hand. Setting the rear cam on the mark is like balancing a ball bearing on the top of a basketball. You have to find the sweet spot or it'll bounce forward or back.
10-27-2019, 02:49 PM
