| Civic Cam Upgrade: Installing Cam Shafts and Adjustable Cam Gears |
| Performance Cam Shaft and Cam Gears, Part 3 of 4 |
From "Tricked Out"
episode DTRK-312 |
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The adjustable cam gears, installed
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In this project, Tricked Out Andrew Totolos host performs a cam swap on a Honda Civic hatchback. In this third phase of the project, the car is almost ready for its new cams. Andrew continues the upgrade by installing a set of adjustable cam gears onto the new cams. The key advantage of adjustable cam gears is that you can dial in the cams individually and adjust the power curve of the engine for the type of driving you expect to do. Materials/tools used in this phase of the project: set of camshafts
ratchet
vice
assembly lubricant
valve cover gasket kit
high-temp RTV silicone
fresh camshaft seals
gasket sealer
standard shop tools Safety Alert: Always wear eye protection and ear protection, and follow proper safety precautions, when working with power tools or pneumatic tools. Also wear eye protection any time you are working underneath a vehicle. Safety Alert: As a standard safety precaution, always disconnect the vehicle's negative battery cable before you begin work on any electrical or mechanical components.
]Adjustable Cam Gears Most adjustable cam gears (figure A) allow enough range to hit the valves against the pistons if they are adjusted incorrectly or they slip. Be sure to get gears that won't slip. The ones used for the project have five bolts to lock in the adjustment instead of three, and they use hex-head bolts instead of regular Allen-head bolts, which means you can use a standard ratchet to tighten them easily. - Wrap the new cam in a towel for protection, and then lock it into a vise (figure B).
Remove the factory securing bolt (figure C), wiggle the cam gear loose and retrieve the key.Swap the new cam into the vice, and then apply a light coating of assembly lubricant to the cam seal. Place the cam seal on the cam (figure D).
Set the key in place (figure E) and slide the gear onto the end of the shaft (figure F).
Apply some light oil to the cam gear bolt before installing it, and torque the bolt down to 25-foot pounds on each cam (figure G). When you're finished, adjust the cam gears so that their timing marks are set to zero (figure H) and tighten all five of the adjustment bolts to 15-foot pounds each. Take the cams to the engine for installation.
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