Installation of Neville Lush Racing "street" cams in 2014 Rocket III Touring

[barbagris]

That reminds me, Paul - I must incite your hobbits to mutiny and have them cast you adrift in my pool.

 

[Paul Bryant]

That reminds me, Paul - I must incite your hobbits to mutiny and have them cast you adrift in my pool.

Sure thing
Get Nev to pick me up on the way through

 

[Joesmoe]

Nightmare ? averted ?

After my daughter made a gasket for me (forgot that I would need one when I placed the order with Hermy's) for the cam chain tensioner, I started the process of turning the motor to check the timing.

Something didn't feel right, and I wondered if I had the timing off -- significantly -- when I saw other bright dots and surmised that these bright dots are in fact scratches from assembly, so I slowed down and kept turning (nothing seemed to take more force than working against the valve springs) and I looked ever more intently at the face of the crank, and finally, I saw the DOT, an actual circular impression in the crank gear face, obviously made with a tool.

Fearful, I looked up at the cam chain gears and saw that I was perhaps five to eight degrees advanced.

Here's hoping I haven't broken anything so far and will now go back and repeat the cam timing exercise.

 

[Claviger]

You should be fine with that little bit of advance and smallish cams in regard to valves striking. You'll feel it if you force through a valve/piston collision while hand turning the motor, been there, done that, bought the replacement parts

Just double/triple check with breaks to mentally change focus between checks to ensure you've got it all correct, I'm sure you'll be fine!

 

[Joesmoe]

Thank you !!!

Had my daughter, and her friend staying with us -- both women engineering students repeat the process. Screwed up the first repeat because I let the chain get caught on the wrong side of the one of the bolts on the intake cam gear. So took the tool back off, rotated the intake cam all the way around again, this time holding the chain up, and reset the timing marks, replaced the tool, and tightened the cam chain tensioner. Then I turned the motor two revolutions, and the timing looked ok, though there appears to be some lash up. Did again, and did it a third time.

As near as I can tell, I'm a tad before top dead center. I wouldn't think that would be enough to be off one tooth, and there is enough movement available in the dot to move it one way or the other a dot's width, and not change the cams.

Is there another check, like reconciling one's checkbook (dating myself) ?

 

[Paul Bryant]

By being in a calm state of mind, working in a methodical, logical manner, and doing what you are doing Paul .... you will be fine.
As Rob said if anything was colliding, you would have had to really grunt to push the piston through a valve to piston crash.
If, as you say you felt the consistent resistance of the valve springs as you turned the Engine, and nothing more than that, all is O.K.

 

[Joesmoe]

So the next step in the manual, is to check the valves.

Stated allowances in the manual are: Intake 0.10 - 0.15 and Exhaust 0.15 - 0.20.

My readings are:

Cylinder Intake Exhaust

1 0.19/0.19 0.23/0.23

2 0.19/0.19 0.23/0.23

3 0.18/0.18 0.23/0.23

Thoughts ?

I thought I had read somewhere the counter-intuitive notion that the gaps get smaller with wear, and measurements too big (as these all are) are better than too small.

 

[Mittzy]

Thank you !!!

Had my daughter, and her friend staying with us -- both women engineering students repeat the process. Screwed up the first repeat because I let the chain get caught on the wrong side of the one of the bolts on the intake cam gear. So took the tool back off, rotated the intake cam all the way around again, this time holding the chain up, and reset the timing marks, replaced the tool, and tightened the cam chain tensioner. Then I turned the motor two revolutions, and the timing looked ok, though there appears to be some lash up. Did again, and did it a third time.

As near as I can tell, I'm a tad before top dead center. I wouldn't think that would be enough to be off one tooth, and there is enough movement available in the dot to move it one way or the other a dot's width, and not change the cams.

Is there another check, like reconciling one's checkbook (dating myself) ?

Assuming you have taken the spark plugs out too, or at least one per cylinder

 

[Mittzy]

So the next step in the manual, is to check the valves.

Stated allowances in the manual are: Intake 0.10 - 0.15 and Exhaust 0.15 - 0.20.

My readings are:

Cylinder Intake Exhaust

1 0.19/0.19 0.23/0.23

2 0.19/0.19 0.23/0.23

3 0.18/0.18 0.23/0.23

Thoughts ?

I thought I had read somewhere the counter-intuitive notion that the gaps get smaller with wear, and measurements too big (as these all are) are better than too small.

Did you measure the old cams first? I would anticipate having to do shims when changing cams anyway

 

[Joesmoe]

No, I did NOT measure the stock cams.