I have a '97 Contour Zetec and need to retime my setup from scratch. Both cams are totally out of alignment with each other and with respect to the crankshaft. I dug through older posts and the FAQs about timing, but they seem to deal mostly with belt replacement, slight timing adjustment, etc.
So where do I start? I figure I need to get the crank the motor till the #1 piston is at the top of its stroke and then adjust the cams individually from there. How do I align the camshafts correctly - ie, turning them so that the alignment grooves are vertical is one thing, but how do I ensure that one is not 1/2 a revolution off? Use this image as a reference? http://econtent.autozone.com:24991/...00c152/80/0a/89/b9/small/0900c152800a89b9.jpg
I'm lacking many of the helpful tools in this situation: dial gauge, degree wheel, etc., not to mention full knowledge of exactly what it is I'm doing, so I might just end up sending this to a shop. But with a new timing belt and pulleys already in hand and being the stubborn guy I am, I'd like to try to pull this off myself.
Suggestions, advice? Anything would be a huge help. My car is on blocks right now and a thunderstorm just rolled in, so I'm going to give it a night to sleep on it before I set out to work on it tomorrow.
So where do I start? I figure I need to get the crank the motor till the #1 piston is at the top of its stroke and then adjust the cams individually from there. How do I align the camshafts correctly - ie, turning them so that the alignment grooves are vertical is one thing, but how do I ensure that one is not 1/2 a revolution off? Use this image as a reference? http://econtent.autozone.com:24991/...00c152/80/0a/89/b9/small/0900c152800a89b9.jpg
I'm lacking many of the helpful tools in this situation: dial gauge, degree wheel, etc., not to mention full knowledge of exactly what it is I'm doing, so I might just end up sending this to a shop. But with a new timing belt and pulleys already in hand and being the stubborn guy I am, I'd like to try to pull this off myself.
Suggestions, advice? Anything would be a huge help. My car is on blocks right now and a thunderstorm just rolled in, so I'm going to give it a night to sleep on it before I set out to work on it tomorrow.