Fidanza adj. cam gear trouble shooting.

[born2drv]

Hey guys I know you're much better at answering these questions then I am, so I was wondering if you could help out our friend pimptrizkit, he sent me this message:

His inquiry:
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is any one running these cam gears yet besides me?

my instructor, my self, sevral class mates all observations where my "noise concern was" and we finaly agreed it was in the topend and i wasn't having any bottom end problmes (thank god i just spent 1500 down there and i asembled the motor..

well, after hearing my instructor thought it was topend i started thinking aloud to my self , cause it always helps to figure stuff out when you make your self sound stupid..

but i went back to the gears and used the stetiscope like we have been using all along looking for the noise. and i felt the backing cover with my hand and i could feel what feels like a snag. and we listened to the plate, and we got the loudest noise from here,
found a little bit of dust in the bolt ends ??
and when we put the ears to the cam bolt and and let it snag with the inside endgest of the bolt, you can hear how it's super loud, and at the same tempo as the backing plate.

im pulling them off hopefully today to fix this.
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My response:
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Honestly I really don't know, I'm not worried about you posting this in the forum, I think they can help you better then I can. I'm not really a hands on kind of guy. Why don't you post online and see what everyone else says? I know Fidanza will stand behind their product. I also have another set for me personally that has not been installed, I don't mind sending to you in case yours are defective, then you can just send those ones to Fidanza and they can send me the replacement ones instead.

Let me know, take care.
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Please help him out, I'd like to get a solid answer to this problem I know Fidanza said their can be problems if people over-tighten the bolts, I'm sure they'll still replace them if they're defective or even if over-tightened. If someone knows the proper torque spec please let me know, I'm going to inquire about this with Fidanza as well. Thanks for your help everyone

 

[oscolivar1]

im scared now....
i havent installed mine either

 

[born2drv]

i'm pretty sure a few ppl have installed them already... and they're the same as the titan ones (fidanza makes them) and no problems with those i've heard of. i think it was either over-tightened or some fluke manufacturing defect, i wouldn't be worried

 

[pimptrizkit]

well here's a little more info about the noise..
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well, i poked around her for a few hour's today with a stephiscope listenin for the noise that sounded aluminum on like, instructor comes over to lend an ear, and points out it's at valve speed, and then keys me in on why, ie pokes my stephiscope into my cambolt and shows me the tempo i was hearing audibly,

after probing the valve covers we dont come up with where the noise sounds like it's coming from,

i spend some more time thinking and remembered i had a fitment issue with the adjustble cam gears.

so i poke the backing plate with the stephiscope, bingo, loudest we have heard the noise,

i had thought i had clearence on the bolts when i shaved them down and installed, but i goobered up the threads on one bolt and left it out (closest to cps)

well feeling better about it, i decide to make the small repair at home, rip it apart and inspect the gears, weird, no new damage has been created, (please do note that the stock bolts to hold the black backing plate onto the head interfers with the fidanza cam gears, )
i had shaved them down to eliminate this problem, but like i said goobed up one bolt,

i have 2 theories to what may be happing,

1- the bolts some how where still hitting the cams and i didn't shave enough material out.
2- the vibrations cause the backing plate to rattle.

im falling more towards number two right now,

and i have removed the backing plate completly to kill out both possiblities,

what i found weird though, i brought my car in cold, and while listening to the motor you could not hear the sound, as she warmed up, rhe sound became more aduible, till it was just about making noise every time cylinder one fired.. or apeared so (cam speed)

 

[Larry_A]

MUST USE LOW-PROFILE FASTENERS FOR BACK PLATE.

I used rounded Allen screws.

 

[thedave925]

Torque spec is 40-45 inch lbs. says the paper included with the gears.


These instructions are pretty specific:

-You follow OEM install instructions, but you put each of the Adj. cams gear washers UNDER the factory washer

-Use lock washers on all 5 adjustment bolts and torque down to evenly set the gears, before adjusting your timing

-You may have to shave down the ends of each of the adjustment bolts due to clearance issues, as they are intentionally "long"

-Make sure you don't time the valves to hit pistons or each other, especially if your engine valving is of the "interference" type

-Use loctite on the threads, semi permanent formula blue 242

-And torque to 40-45 INCH lbs when you are happy and have applied the loctite



I elaborated a bit for clarity

-Dave

 

[NashMan]

try thsi just do not use all of the back bolts there really not need in less you lie to lean on you timing cover

 

[pimptrizkit]

well the backing plate is tooken off and i left all the bolts out for it, the knock is only there when the motor is at operating temp, when it's not quite there it doesn't do it,

and yes still goes it with plate removed so
either it was snaging and just transmiting vibrations well or it was and now i hear the noise of valve lash.. and bad alt bearings..