Originally posted by ibatic1
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What you do want to look for is if the chain is noticeably disrupted (loose or broken) and you want to look at the cam lobes and make sure they are in 'sync'. You've seen pics of a 'in time' timing case, so if you see one cam 'ahead' or out of sync, you know the cams are out of time.
Also remove the chain tensioner just to be sure that it didnt blow up after your install. Im wondering if the retaining clip broke and the tensioner fell apart.
When I was doing my M42 rebuild, the cams would want to jump out of alignment, thats the point of zip tying the chain to the cam gears, etc. Or the point of the cam alignment tool. It holds the cams in place and prevents them from jumping out of alignment and time.
When you open the VC, theres no guarantee you will be able to see the arrows that are on the cam gear, so IF the engine isnt locked and you can rotate the engine, put cyl 1 at TDC. Then see what the cams' arrows look like. ('in time' means arrows pointing up, cyl 1 cam lobes pointing at each other at a 45 degree angle)
edit: If things look good from the top, you will need to dismantle the timing case to get a look at the other pieces, such as the idler sprocket and timing rails.
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