Topic: cam timing...grrrr

[davesee]

the picture is worth a thousand swear words.

when my cam mark lines up, my crank lines up slightly past the 1.4 T mark, just a bit off but noticeable. if i walk a tooth in the other direction i'm off by the same amount. all told i'm half a tooth out.

i'm assuming my cam chain has stretched and needs to be replaced. i'd like to do that at a later date. what will the effect on the bike be if i button it up as it lies?

is being out one way preferable to the other?

[lucky]

the picture is worth a thousand swear words.

when my cam mark lines up, my crank lines up slightly past the 1.4 T mark, just a bit off but noticeable. if i walk a tooth in the other direction i'm off by the same amount. all told i'm half a tooth out.

i'm assuming my cam chain has stretched and needs to be replaced. i'd like to do that at a later date. what will the effect on the bike be if i button it up as it lies?

is being out one way preferable to the other?

You should line up the cam the way the workshop manual says.

The electrical timing is independent.
That plate the points are on can rotate. So just get the cam in right and don't worry about it.

Is the cam lined up correctly?  That is the main thing.

Then set your points.

[davesee]

okay...i used a pencil through the sparkplug hole to find TDC, and i moved the cam chain back one link on the sprocket, and now the cam timing mark is positioned correctly. am i right in assuming that the timing plate position will be corrected when i set the ignition timing?

[davesee]

wait, no, i'd be wrong assuming that. i retensioned the tensioner and spun the crank a few times, and now things look a lot better.

[UFgatorEE]

the crank turns 2x for every 1 turn of the cam.  So if you were one tooth off on crank, it would throw the cam off half a tooth.

[lucky]

okay...i used a pencil through the sparkplug hole to find TDC, and i moved the cam chain back one link on the sprocket, and now the cam timing mark is positioned correctly. am i right in assuming that the timing plate position will be corrected when i set the ignition timing?

Was the #1 piston at TDC on the compression stroke?
Cam lobes both pointed down at 45º angles when you put on the cam and chain???