might be a dumb question, but i need to know for when i do my cam swap...How do you know when its at TDC? I know my mechanic knows but im going to be doing most of the work myself with his oversight and i dont know how to tell.

 

I believe there's a TDC mark on the timing cover so that'll tell you TDC for cylinder one. For the others, you need to make a piston stop (bolt w/ the same threads as a spark plug) that you screw in where the spark plug goes and then you turn the engine over until the piston touches the stop.

 

but you can do the installation without doing the TDC method right? Just make sure to keep the pressure around 150 right?

 

Simpley put since the cams are out of the motor at this point you can just move the piston in cylinder your working on to the top. Trust me this is such a easy step to do for the saftey of a dropping a valve.

Do you really want to post on here "how do i pull my heads off and are my bolts reusable?". Not worth it.

 

so just turn the crank until TDC...but when you screw in the bolt, how far are you supposed to screw it in? How do you know when the bolt is in as far as the plug would be? Sorry if im asking too many questions, but its helping me and GreRrg out...i really dont want to make the post "damn, i dropped a valve..HELP"

 

Stick a screwdriver or a long wooden dowel down the spark plug hole after removing the spark plug and turn the crank. When the dowel/screwdriver is as high up as it'll go, you're at TDC-ish. Valve won't drop through. After you finish 1 cylinder, do the next the same way.

 

this is the most primitive way but it works. just turn the crank till the stick or screw driver stops movin and your at TDC.

 

ok cool...thats sounds alot easier than the bolt method...THANK YOU! Man the days are going slow as hell now out here. I just want to get home, be with the wife, get the new on base house going and get the CAR FINISHED!! lol

 

Exactly.

 

do you need to remove the fuel rails to remove the COP's?

i looked on ALL-DATA and it says you don't have to

Csledd did it though....i think i will try to remove the least amount of parts as i can....haha

 

Nope they will come out from under them without removal.

 

 

I used a compression testing kit and pumped air into the cylinders to hold the valves up when I did my cams. It worked fine as well as the TDC method. COP's come out fine without removing fuel rails.

 

i removed mine they are easy to get off

 

To help clarify..

I did a lot of things that wasn't necessary during the install. I had planned for my car to be down for an entire week, and wanted to take my time and have as much stuff out of the way as possible. Which is why I did some of the things I did