I thought I'd share this here: This morning, in the middle of installing the rebuilt heads on my car, I was tightening the camshaft sprocket bolts when my tenstioner tool broke. The metal itself buckled and bent and one of the pegs fell out.


Not wanted to pay $50+ to get a replacement one and wait for it to arrive, I came up with this. I took an extra cam sprocket off a set of warped heads I had and got some grade 8 bolts from the hardware store as well as this flat bracket. All I had to do was drill a hole through the bracket at the center of the sprocket to give access to the hex socket needed to tighten the cam sprocket bolt, and voila! DIY timing chain tool! I rather like how steam punk it looks too!

 

That's pretty neat! Thanks for sharing.

 

I think checking suitability of the tool is critical. Thanks to OUScooby, I checked mine before using and viola, there is a manufacturing defect in the tool. I will weld mine across, maybe add some reinforcement and clamp onto the gear before use ...


Inspection before use showing crack and defect

View shows crack and defect


Based upon looking at all the different sets online, 95% of them appear on closer examination to be the same manufacturer but in different box configurations and ranging from $45 to several hundred $$$, so either make your own, or buy the cheapest set and reinforce the tool as needed for the application.

Caveat Emptor y'all.

 

 

... continuation of the Cam Tools on Ebay:
So the VVT cam tool does not fit into the opening on the VVT cam bolt access. That opening is 25.96 mm inner diameter and the VVT cam tool is 27.13 mm outer diameter.


ID of VVT Cam bolt access

OD of China VVT Cam Holding Tool

Obviously the VVT Cam Holding Tool does not fit this application

So the tool OD needs to be 25.5 mm Max, however there is a slight taper at the bottom of the hole, meaning the hardened pins also need to be reconfigured for the proper spacing to the holes inside the VVT sprocket

The supplier is being very proactive, has contacted the factory in China and they are supposedly going to send a complete new set correcting the cracked tool and fixing the too large OD of the VVT tool.

I will see what the outcome is ... but I do not have high hopes.

Fortunately I can still assemble the engine as is because I did not remove the sprockets from the cams, so chain assembly is just a little bit more tedious ,,, or I will make a custom holding tool since these bolts are hollow and do not need the too high incorrect torque of the solid bolts ... gotta love the factory manuals with incorrect torque spec information ... certainly when they mix up Nm with Ncm or Foot pounds with Inch Pounds - or get the conversion math wrong ...

 

I think all of those VVT tools are too big, I had to grind mine down to get it to fit inside the VVT, and then of course, when you do get it to fit, the pins break off!

 

We must have gotten the same kit. The same thing with my kit. I drilled out the broken pins and found drill bits that fit in the holes. Cut the shaft of the bit off to the proper length and JB welded then into the holes.

 

Okay all, On reassembling my engine several weeks back, I had removed the Valve Advance assembly VVT from the sprocket. I was reading the training manuals about how to retard the VVT before installing onto the Intake Cam Sprocket.

What I discovered is the VVT cam tool that is supplied in the kit is for retarding the VVT in the housing with the VVT assembly removed before reinstalling it onto the cam sprocket.

That tool is NOT for holding the VVT to loosen the VVT bolt!

The photos below demonstrate is how the tool is to be used ...


The tool is inserted from the BACK of the VVT Assembly when it is removed from the Intake Cam Sprocket, the tool is NOT used to hold the sprocket to remove the VVT Bolt!! The marker arrow on the VVT housing shows the normal direction or cam rotation.



VVT in the ADVANCED position when the components are reassembled together. Then, you need to RETARD the unit before bolting it onto the Intake cam sprocket as in the next photo.



Here is demonstrated the PROPER use of tool to simply move the VVT to the RETARDED position for installation onto the Intake cam Sprocket. Notice the movement of the VVT actuator assembly moves IN, and the rotation is about 22 rotational degrees +/-.

Below is the Training manual with a few notes on the VVT to support the above photos ...

When the VVT Oil Solenoid of OFF, the Spring in the assembly pushes the VVT actuator to the RETARD or normal position. When the VVT Oil solenoid is ON, Oil pressure pushes the VVT unit forward to ADVANCE the intake valves about 22 rotational Degrees.

Sometimes when a tool or a part does not seem to fit the purpose, it is time to step back and rethink how things work. That is what I did after reading the training manual and it showed the Retard and advance positions of the VVT, then the light-bulb went on.

I hope that helps!
Cheers!