Hello all, I am finishing up a timing job and going to reinstall all 24 followers. I want to make sure I get the crank position correct and cannot seem to find a definitive answer.
It makes perfect sense to reinstall the initial three followers per side at the 12 o’clock position just as when taking them out (intakes on cylinder 1 at 11 o’clock).
I just want to confirm that for all the others I can install them after rotating the crank to six o clock (neutral position). My concern is that I don’t know actual cylinder position, when compressing a valve I don’t want to push it into a cylinder head that may happen
to be at the top of its stroke and bend a valve. Thanks to anyone who knows!

 

1. If your timing chain is on and the timing is correct, there is little danger of a valve colliding with a piston head. In fact, I don't think you should be installing roller followers until you have the timing chain on, and it properly timed.
2. I discovered that it is very hard to install the rear-most roller follower if you've already installed the middle one on cylinders 4 and 8. Nightmare scenario where the roller follower got wedged and I had to remove the cam towers and the cam to get it unstuck. Put the rear-most roller followers in before the middle ones on cylinders 4 and 8.

 

Thanks much!

One more question. I bought the OTC crank alignment tool from Amazon but it doesn’t quite fit the dowel it is supposed to rest on. OTC won’t have any replacements in stock until January so I had to eye ball 6 o’clock.

I may or may not be overthinking but if I am off of 6 o clock by a degree or two is that going to affect anything? The roller followers are out and the cams are moving free in their journals. Here is a picture of how I have it now.

 

Oh, yeah. I ground down my alignment tool until it fit. I had the same problem 😅

 

Yeah you are overthinking it, as long as you have the marks on the chains aligned with where they are supposed to be on the sprockets you are good.

 

Thanks!