Need help with timing

[violacleff]

OK I diligently serached so please forgive me if this has been previously posted.

 

I took my head (E88) in for resurfacing while changing the head gasket. I paid close attention to retaining the timing by using a smooth wood wedge to keep the tension. Well the shop informed me that it was fine and didn't need to be resurfaced. When I picked it up they gave me a bag with the water neck in it. 2 weeks later when my friend and I got to putting it on we noticed that the shop had removed two of the valve guides. Why they did this I don't know. As we were putting them back on we realized that in order to get them off they probably would have had to turn the cam resulting in a loss of the timing. I called the shop and they confirmed this.

 

So the question is does anyone know of a link that gives some steps on timing? Or would someone be willing to write them out? I'm not a mechanic but my friend is very knowledgeable and said he could do it if he got some instructions.

 

Thanks a lot.

[JMortensen]

First off, get a manual.

 

Did you put the engine on TDC #1? If not, for future reference, ALWAYS put it on TDC #1 when you pull any timed component off the engine. If so, then you will see a notch in the cam gear which should line up pretty close to a dash which is on the plate that holds the cam in. The dash should be centered over the notch or offset slightly to the left. You have to kinda stick your head down in front of the radiator to see the marks, they are offset to the passenger side inside the "spokes" of the cam gear. Any Haynes/Chilton type manual will have pictures of this.

 

If you did not put the engine on TDC #1, then you're pretty much screwed. It might be possible to turn the engine over to TDC, but you'll have to keep a lot of tension on the timing chain to prevent the chain tensioner falling out. If the chain tensioner falls out, you'll be pulling the timing cover.

 

The valve guides are pressed into the head. I think they took the valve springs and retainers off to check the guides, but I really doubt they pulled a guide out and put it back in.

 

HTH,

 

Jon