... The Timing Cover.

The 20R engine blew a headgasket. Had the head machined.
Will post pics when I can.

But how do I get the Camshaft sprocket back onto the cam shaft?

During disassembly, I wired the timing chain to the camshaft sproket and wiggled the now secured sprocket off the mounting peg on the end of the camshaft. But now when I try to get the sprocket back onto the mounting peg, I won't line up by a literal hair length?

What am I doing incorrectly?

The Hayes manual says to remove the timing cover and disconnect the timing chain tensioner. I really don't want to do all that work if at all possible. Are there any other alternatives?

 

you'll need to pry it up just a tad. The tensionner is hydraulic so You'll get it to move enough to allow you to install the sprocket back.
Make sure the cam angle is right on the money and you should be fine.

 

Tried to use a wood block and iron pipe to lever/pry up the Cam sprocket gearback onto the cam shaft.

That method didn't work.

A friend came over and helped me get it back on with this method:

( Put the car into neutral. You'll be moving both the cam shaft and crank shaft. )

1) Go down the the CRANCK shaft and turn counter counter clock wise.

2) The wired-in-place cam sprocket gear will turn counter clock wise in conjunction with the now turning Crank shaft.

3) At a certain point in the rotation, manually turn the cam shaft slightly so the mounting peg on the cam shaft fits into the mounting hole on the cam sprocket gear.

4) Gently turn the CRANK shaft clockwise, so the the cam sprocket gear moves in tandem/together with the now mounted cam shaft.

5) There will probably a misalignment/ off-angle of the cam sprocket gear on the the cam shaft. Move the Crank shaft just enough so that the guide hole and peg mesh together/join, and then go a little bit further.

6) Taking a rubber mallet and wood block, tap the cam sprocket gear gently until you can visually see the cam sprocket is aligned evenly onto the cam shaft.
( This may require an extra set of hands. My friend helped by lifting the cam sprocket gear from below as I tapped with mallet. We had to do this a few time to aligned the gear sprocket evenly on the cam shaft )

7) There will still be a small gap between the cam sprocket gear and the cam shaft. Now place the distributor gear and bolt into the the threaded cam shaft and gently tighten the bolt. The distributor gear and bolt will then "pull" the cam shaft sprocket onto the cam shaft for a firm and tight fit.

Much easier, quicker, and less frustrating than the prying upward with a wooden block and iron pipe for no results! ( Plus you don't dent or scratch anything).

Will post pictures later.

 

Picture Version of Cam Sprocket Gear Alignment onto Cam Shaft ( Part 1 )

Here's the pics of what I did. This is for visual reference.
( Note: I did NOT take the cam sprocket gear off for the pics. I did that removal yesterday without the camera available. But this pic recreation should give the overall idea. And engine was set to TDC Compression BEFORE dis-assembly. )

1) Place Chain Cover Bolt into head and secure onto block (12mm)

2) With Timing Chain Cover Bolt now securing headcasket, Note small guide hole on inner sprocket. This is how I determined positioning. I used this mark, and turned the wired Cam Sprocket gear one quarter turn backwards by turning the CRANK shaft with a 19mm socket. At this 9 o'clock position,the guide peg on the cam shaft went into the guide hole of the Cam sprocket gear easily. ( You'll probably have to move the cam shaft by hand and position it into the proper angle to fit the cam shaft peg onto the cam sprocket gear. )

3) Genty move the the cam sprocket gear and the now attached cam back to the starting 12 O'clock position ( aka TDC Compression ) by moving the CRANK shaft in the opposite direction ( in this case, clockwise ). The alignment might be off. The correct alignment will happen in the nextstep.

4) Now with the Cam Sprocket Gear back to the 12 O'Clock starting position, it will probably be out of alignment. Look at the back side of the sprocket: One side will probably be off, and the gap between the Cam sprocket gear and the cam shaft will be uneven and angled.

Make the adjust by manually lifting the cam sprocket gear and or gently tapping the sprocket with a rubber mallet ( That's what we did, and the alignment evened out ) There will still be a gap between the Cam Sprocket gear and the cam. Just make sure it looks even for the next step.

5) Now with the sprocket aligned onto the Cam shaft with the cam shaft peg inserted into the Cam sprocket gear guide hole , and an even alignment of the sprocket and cam shaft with an even gap, place the distributor drive gear, cover, and bolt thru the center hole in the Cam sprocket gear and into the threaded hole of the cam shaft. (Note that the Distributor Drive Gear also has a guide peg that fits into the small hole on the Cam Sprocket gear. All these pegs and holes on all the shafts and gears must be placed properly for guidance .... )

 

Picture Version of Cam Sprocket Gear Alignment onto Cam Shaft ( Part 2 )

5) Now with the sprocket aligned onto the Cam shaft with the cam shaft peg inserted into the Cam sprocket gear guide hole , and an even alignment of the sprocket and cam shaft with an even gap, place the distributor drive gear, cover, and bolt thru the center hole in the Cam sprocket gear and into the thread hole of the cam shaft. (Note that the Distributor Drive Gear also has a guide peg that fits into the small hole on the Cam Sprocket gear. All these pegs and holes on all the shafts and gears must be placed properly for guidance .... )

6) Hand tighten the the Distributor Drive Gear Bolt.

7) Tighten the Distributor Drive Gear Bolt.
( What is the torque setting for this bolt??? )
Putting the engine into gear will help when you tighten this bolt and stop all the gears and timing chain from moving... This tightening via the Distributor Drive Bolt will "pull" the CamSprocket gear securely and evenly onto the Cam shaft as you tighten with 17mm socket. This is why alignment is so critical in the last step. We had to do this three ties before getting the alignment correct

8) After tighten and properly aligned before tightening, the Cam Sprocket Gear will have been pulled onto and tightened into the Cam Shaft. The gap will be gone, and the result looks like this: No gap and in place.

 

Picture Version of Cam Sprocket Gear Alignment onto Cam Shaft ( Part 3 )

Part 3 of 3

9) Move Cam Sprocket Gear T 12 O'Clock ( TDC Compression ).

10) Remove the bailing wire that is securing the Cam Sprocket Gear onto the Timing Chain. Remove by unwinding by hand and NOT by clipping the wire. The metal wire clippings might go into the engine, and then there are more problems. Slow, patient, and steady gets the job done right!


And that's it!
This method actually worked! It was easy to do!

Summation:

Just get the cam shaft guide peg into the Cam Sprocket gear out of alignment, and then crank it all back into correct alignment via crankshaft.

This posting is for people like me who need visuals to learn. Please add your comments and perspectives. The final picture is of the spark plugs removed and replace from the blown headgasket before repair.

The first spark plug is from the number two cylinder where the head gasket
The second is from the number four cylinder that wouldn't thread properly, and the head of the plug wasn't into the inner head completely.
The thrd is a plug used to thread from the inside of the head out. and the shim got bent in the correction. Assessments of the plugs?

Next: Rocker Valve Assembly!