Head removal

[alfert]

I am in process of removing my head(on car, not shoulders) and have a few easy questions as it has been many years since I have done this. The timing chain is now continuous so to get it off the cams, I assume I totally loosen the tensioner and HAVE to remove the sprockets in order to clear the chain??? As I remember, the cams used to have a line scribed into them that lined up with the surface of the head when engine was at TDC. Is that typically the way it is?

What am I missing and are there any tricks to make it easier to remove chain and head and easier to reinstall?

This is progress, I usually ask after I have done everything wrong........

Thanks,
Brian

[types26/36]

Yes...fit a chain with a connecting link, despite Miles Wilkens and other prophet's of doom not recommending them I have never had a problem and that includes using the engines in mild race & rally conditions, the only time I saw problem was when a link was fitted the wrong way (not by me)
Now flame away!

[twincamman]

set the motor to TDC with #1 in fire position before disassembly ---take the car out of gear ----it makes for and easier assembly and retiming

[ericbushby]

Brian,
I have just had to do mine due to a broken valve spring.
The chain was continuous but after removing the sprockets you can just let it fall onto the water pump housing and fish it up later.
It worked OK for me.
I am a beginner at this so I followed Brian Buckland`s book to the letter.
The scribe lines line up as you say for re-assembly.
The only thing that caught me out was that slackening the chain changed its position on the jack shaft and the distributor had to be retimed. Instead of running it went pop,bang ,fizz at first.
Best of luck
Eric in Burnley
1967 S3SE DHC (nearly back on the road)

[Fred Talmadge]

You can tie some baling wire around it to hold it up, so you don't have to fish it out.

[Henry VIIII]

You can tie some baling wire around it to hold it up, so you don't have to fish it out.

I was just going to say that, though I use a bit of old insulated electrical wire.

When you put it back on you have to jiggle the chain a bit to make sure it is properly on the bottom drive cog and then on the slackened off jackshaft cog (though you can see that). then holding the tension on the electric wire, mesh in the right hand (viewed from the front, i.e exhaust ) cam sprocket keeping the chain taut from main drive cog to the exhaust sprocket and slip it onto its cam shaft, then do the left hand one (the input valves), keeping the chain hand taut at the top. Finally tighten up the tensioner and ... discover that you can't line up the marks 'cos your one or two teeth out of place, so loosen it all off and start again

Be very very careful that you do not drop the sprocket securing bolt or its washer down the chain case into the sump, because if you do that, you might get it out with a magnet on a stick, but you are much more likely to need to take the sump off..

[Henry VIIII]

PS don't presume you know the positions of the timing marks. Get the engine at TDC, then take the cam cover off, then TAKE A PHOTO of the camshaft positions, before you loosen the tensioner.

Also you might like to do what I do, before slackening the tensioner, I take the front cam bearing caps off and put a piece of thin cardboard (from a cereal box) about 1/2 wide & 2" long along the camshafts then put the cap back on and tighten down (not full torque). This stops the camshafts rotating under the force of the valve springs while the sprockets are off. Bits of card stick out both sides of the cap, to remind you to remove the card when you re-assemble the engine. Not relevant if you are going to dismantle the cams & valves of course, but a handy trick if you are just doing an inspection or de-coke.

[alfert]

OK, I think I understand. Do I really have to take off the generator and left side motor mount to get the fab headers off the head? Looks real tight either way. If I have to remove the mounts, do I take off on the four bolt side or the two which is on the rubber side?
Thanks,
Brian

[Henry VIIII]

With a lot of cussing & swearing, I usually manage to get my exhaust system off without having to undo those. I do take the Y-Tube off underneath though, so that the two bits of my headers can move independently.

[UAB807F]

Yes...fit a chain with a connecting link, despite Miles Wilkens and other prophet's of doom not recommending them I have never had a problem and that includes using the engines in mild race & rally conditions, the only time I saw problem was when a link was fitted the wrong way (not by me)
Now flame away!

Yep, definitely this ^^^. Make sure it's fitted & tensioned correctly, I would guess the only problems come with either fitting them the wrong way or more likely not being tensioned correctly so that they whip sideways. A split link makes the whole job so much easier for next time around.

[JJDraper]

Are you just removing the head, for a new gasket or do you need a new chain as well? If the chain is OK, why split it? Removing the head is easy enough, keeping the chain whole (elan-f15/rats-losing-coolant-t24742.html ) and I wholeheartedly agree with the advice to be VERY careful not to lose the cam sprocket bolts or washers down the cam chain case. Stuff kitchen towel underneath them when removing the bolts & washers. You can try and keep hold of the chain (I used a section of coat hanger wire bent round the chain). Before removing the chain etc, as has been said, put No.1 cylinder at TDC. Easy to check, No.4 cam lobes should be pointing to wards each other & look at the crank pulley timing mark. Putting it all back together is also easy enough with a continuous chain, but remember to put the ex sprocket on first, with the timing mark lined up and no backlash on the chain. Then engage the in sprocket on the chain before fitting on the cam. It helps if you remove the chain tensioner, or at least fully wind it out and pull the chain upwards to give you as much slack on the 'in' side before fitting the sprocket. It may take a few goes to get the marks to line up, (a small amount of tippex helps - see elan-f15/its-easy-workbench-t25730.html ).

Re-timing the ignition will be required, unless you have been very lucky and kept the chain engaged on the crank and jackshaft sprockets (very difficult).

Pretty straightforward if you follow the manual, but keep everything as clean as possible and don't mix up the cam sprockets! My inlet sprocket had both 'In' and 'Ex' scribed on it! The first time I took it apart I was very confused and had to check with someone else as to which it really was ('In')..

Jeremy

[ricarbo]

the last two i took off had been fitted with adjustable timing sprocket gears, which meant that when i removed the centre bolt the adjustable bits came apart and i lost the settings. if i had been more careful, i would have noticed this before i started and marked up the relative positions of the bits with a permanent marker of some sort. As it was, I had to redo the camshaft timing, adding several hours to the job and a fair bit of head scratching. I had to take the engines out to do the timing on the bench, because I had to put a 360 degree protactor on the flywheel. I suppose you could fit the protractor on the front end of the crankshaft, but i didn't have enough room and would not have been able to see it very well, even then.
Richard

[types26/36]

I had to take the engines out to do the timing on the bench, because I had to put a 360 degree protactor on the flywheel. I suppose you could fit the protractor on the front end of the crankshaft, but i didn't have enough room and would not have been able to see it very well, even thenRichard

Its quite easy to see the protractor with the radiator out which you would have had to do anyway to take the engine out