Installed Crane cam, car won't start, 100% confused!

matt89sc

Registered User
This might get long and emotional but here goes....

I start with the heads off, and the #1 piston at TDC, but my harmonic balancer was WAY off. I figured it was TDC on the power stroke so I turned the engine over until the piston was at TDC again, but still the harmonic balancer was WAY off. No matter how many times I turned it, it would never line up. Well, I marked the cam censor housing's position and pulled the front cover (broke it too), and with the #1 pistion @ TDC the notch on the cam gear was pointing straight down and the 1/2 moon key on the crank gear was postioned straight up pointing right at it. So I go through all the swapping put everything back as I found it, and replaced the timing cover and installed the cam censor housing as marked, asseble the rest of the engine and no go. I got the red "check guage" light but the tach was moving with the cranking and I was getting spark.
Next I followed Dr. Fred's write up on the censor housing installation. I pulled the valve cover to see the both the #1 cylinder's valves close, and got set the pointer to the TDC mark, then proceeded to the notch in the balancer. I installed the cam censor just like the picture, and though for sure I had it. But still nothing.
I pulled the timing cover back off, and set the marks on the cam and crank gears inline again, and can feel compression building in the #1 cylinder as I approach this point. I slid the balancer on, and its still WAY off. I found one of my other 2 balancers, and compared it to this one and its different. I put it on the crank shaft and the TDC mark looks like its where the pointer would be. Why are my balancers different? The one that was WAY off, came off the engine. when it was running. If anyone that takes the time to read this can see what I'm doing wrong, please let me know! This is becoming extremely frustraiting! Thanks for any help!
 
confusion

I feel your pain. I just did heads and cam and now my car runs like dudu. I'm chasing ghosts.

Anyway, about your car, use the balancer that lines up with TDC or mark the other one to where TDC is. The cam sensor installation is supposed to line up like the picture when the 26 ATDC (yes, AFTER top dead center) mark is lined up with the pointer on the timing cover. It is the deep groove cut in the balancer about an inche or so from the TDC 0 mark on the balancer. I don't know why your balancers are different but I do know that if the marks on the balancer don't line up with what the crank is doing, your gonna have problems. Maybe you could get a degree wheel and make your own marks.
 
I guess thats all I can do. Put it back with it at TDC and if the other balancer lines up at TDC, just move it to the notch @ 26* ADC. I'm assuming that I have the housing at a 30* angle with the front of the engine, because it does look like Dr. Fred pic. It wouldn't be so bad, but you have to put it together, try it, fail, pull it back apart and repeat! Thanks for the advice.
 
Back
Top