top dead center?

[bens250ex]

ok im in the process of puttin my 440 kit in and i have the velve cover off and i guess im about to take the cam off but i need to know what about the top dead center.? i cant figure it out. on the flywheel i see what looks like this l l l (sideways f) l(side ways t) can someone help me with this so i can get it dont also when i take the cam off i just lift it up or what? any help would be nice thanks

[bens250ex]

also another question do i need to take the sproket off with the cam and what do i do about the chain when i do this

[medicdude]

i believe TDC is with the cam lobes pointing directly back.

[GPracer2500]

The "T" mark is the TDC mark. The "F" mark is an ignition timing mark you can ignore. When the lobes are facing down you're at the compression stroke TDC (i.e. all valves closed). But if you're disassembling for a piston install it doesn't really matter where the piston is at during disassembly. Just take it apart. Only after the new piston is installed and your ready to install the cam do you have to be concerned about getting the piston to TDC prior to putting in the cam. Until then the only consideration is unloading the valves (by getting to TDC on the comp stroke) when you take the valve cover off--but you said you already have that off.

Yes, it's easiest to remove the cam if you remove the cam sprocket. You can use some wire or something to attach the cam chain to the frame to hold it up and out of the way.

If you don't have a service manual (and I gather you don't) then I'd recommend getting one. At the very minimum it will provide you with the torque specs you will need to complete your project.

[NacsMXer]

Pull the plug out if you haven't already. Line up the "T" mark on the flywheel with the notch in the sight hole. Ensure that you are on the correct stroke by verifying that there is slack in the in the rocker arms where they contact the valve stems.

As far as the sprocket, have one person hold the crank at the flywheel while you remove the 2 cam sprocket bolts. Now you can take the sprocket out and remove the cam.

Be sure to not to turn the motor over or drop the chain! It is helpful to tie a piece of wire to the chain and tie the other end to a point on the frame to keep it secure.

Next the cam will lift straight out, one bearing on each end. If it is stock it will have a decompression mechanism on one end. Also look for the plunger/spring in a small hole in the head next to the timing chain "valley". Use a strong magnet to extract these out of the hole if you intend to use an aftermarket cam w/o decompression. Be sure not to drop these small parts into the crankcase.

When you put it all back together, put the cam in with the lobes facing down, slack in the rockers, T-mark aligned, and the sprocket aligned with the head. If you look at your sprocket, you will see this marking: _ I _ Have the middle mark pointing straight up and the other two completely horizontal to the top of the head. Don't forget to set your valve clearance to spec!

Darn you GPracer2500 haha beat me to it. :blah:

[dariusld]

If you remove the two cam gear screws, I would replace them with new ones.

[bens250ex]

well i got it all apart to day and took the cylender to get the sleev put in but i didnt hold the cam chain tight since i really couldnt but i did make notes of were everything is lined up and such so if i put it back the way it cam off i should be good right? and also if i do get off a tooth on the bottom sproket of the cam chain what do i do? what all do you have to do to replace the stock cam chain with the hd one i was considering doing this mod.

[JOEX]

Originally posted by bens250ex
well i got it all apart to day and took the cylender to get the sleev put in but i didnt hold the cam chain tight since i really couldnt but i did make notes of were everything is lined up and such so if i put it back the way it cam off i should be good right? and also if i do get off a tooth on the bottom sproket of the cam chain what do i do? what all do you have to do to replace the stock cam chain with the hd one i was considering doing this mod.
To replace the timing chain the right side case cover and clutch assembly need to be removed.

Being off a tooth on the bottom doesn't matter, there's nothing to line up just make sure the chain and gear mesh properly.

As long as the motor doesn't rotate you shouldn't have anything to worry about for reassembly.