Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting cam alignment tool

can anyone tell me where I can buy/ the price of the camshaft sprocket alignment tool the one to hold both sprockets in place while putting the belt on

I'm not at home so I can't check on one of the catalogs I sometimes use. It seems like it may be Tool Shack, but the name is fuzzy. Maybe you can find it with a Google search under automotive tools or something similar.

There are at least two types. The Ford tool is just a flat piece of steel, roughly 1 1/2" x 8" x 1/4". It inserts into two slots, one on each cam, on the transmission side of the engine. The tool will not insert unless the cams are properly lined up.

The second type is more generic and can be used on other similar engines as well. It goes between the two cam sprockets and hold them in place once they have been lined up.

The Zetec engine does not have keyways on the sprockets. The best way to line them up properly is with the Ford tool, which also depends on a tool to line up the crank as well. You will have a hard time lining up the cams properly if the sprocket retaining bolts are ever loosened. If the cams are properly installed on the sprockets, the second type of tool works fine. If not, the Ford tool works better.

Sometimes the Ford factory type tools are sold by other tool companies, sometimes they are not.

Another alternative would be to visit a dealership technician (or even an independent shop) and find out which tool trucks call on them (Snap on, MAC, MATCO, etc.). That is where most professional techs buy their tools. Call the tool truck dealer and find out what he can do for you.

Anyone else care to share their experience as well?

you can get away with out using it. the cams should only rotate a tooth at the most, should be way less. just index everything, crank and both cams and make sure the lines match up when you put the new belt on, alot they might be slightly off because the old belt most likely has streched

I used a straight piece of metal slightly thinner than the width of the slots and added shims until there was no movement of either cam. This worked for me.(Maybe I got lucky)

I first tried to eyeball the slots but due to spring pressure on the cam lobes, they would not line up (about 1/2 tooth off location.) I think 2 people could probably do it with 1 person using wrenches on the hex shoulders on the cam shafts to manually line up the slots while the other person installs the belt. I didn't have any help, or the proper tool, so I had to come up with a way to align and hold the slots in place while I installed the new belt. Don't know if this will help, but it's what I did.

how can you tell if your off one tooth or you guessing?

The timing belt teeth must align with the sprocket teeth on both exhaust & intake camshafts as well as the crankshaft sprocket.
Put the #1 piston in TopDeadCenter(TDC) position, both camshafts should be positioned with slots on rear of shafts in horizontal position.(Note: the last lobe (RH side)of both canshafts should be pointing inward, toward each other.)
Due to the spring pressure on the cam shafts, they will not sit with slots perfectly horizontal (This is what the alignment tool does) If the slots are not real close in alignment, the belt won't fit over the 2 camshaft sprockets properly. (I tried to mesh the belt with the 2 cam sprockets without aligning both camshaft slots. It lacked about 1/2 tooth or so being able to mesh up.)
I used a straight piece of steel bar that I happened to have.It was thinner than the slot width, however so I added paper shims to the bar until both slots were inline (just by eye). The belt meshed up perfectly then.
I realize that this is not a professional way to do this job but it worked fine for me.
"Necessity is the Mother of Invention"