So i recently went thru an overhaul of my engine and beefed it up a little bit. To save costs and gain knowledge...i opted to do everything myself. Did tons of research and relied on some good people (thanks James, Richard, Brian, and Nick).

Well somewhere in the mix off all the info i was acquiring, i must have missed the fact that the bolts that hold the cam gears to the cams were TTY (torque to yield...aka...one time use). So I installed all my parts and started the car. Ran like a champ. But was throwing a P0011 code (intake camshaft performance). Went threw the steps to fix that and the final step if nothing worked was to replace the camshaft actuator (the cam gear assembly). Took off the valve cover and noticed this VVVVVVV




The intake cam gear was crooked as ****. Basically since i didn't replace that bolt with new ones, it backed out and was causing that gear to wobble and not link up with the actuator solenoid and wouldn't allow me to be tuned correctly. Luckily for me, nothing catastrophic came of this situation. Which is crazy since i drove the car for a few weeks throwing this code (grandma driving...never even went into boost).

CL/

replace TTY bolts or **** will break

 

You're the first I've seen this happen to. Did you do the 22ft lbs + 100 degrees when installing the bolt?

I agree though, should replace them. I didn't replace mine the first time (per verbal from two reputable sources) but opted to when I put the stock cam back in.

For the money though, anyone would be crazy not to replace it. The bolts are like $3 each.

 

yes they were torqued. but the thing is, i torqued and untorqued them a few times during the install. probably just stretched them out. I probably would have been alright if i only did it one time lol

 

I think i did this when installing my sc kit...prolly have a leak somewhere that ive been blaming on damn 60's lol. i torqued and untorqued several times

 

How do u keep the gear from turning when u tighten them?

 

Magic

 

cams bolts are one time use, reusing them will result into broken parts.. you should have purchased new one's..

Based on from the pictures - this is what you need to do - remove them and inspect them for wear and damage..
- NEED to replace the chain b/c it's stretched. Once it's stretched you'll snap it and break more stuff..
- Chain guides - remove and look for "chain wear or stretch marks" on the guides - all of them may need to be replaced?
- Intake cam actuator - remove it and look for wobble.. it's possible the internal guts are broken or "rounded"?
- Intake cam bolt galley - look at the threads inside on cam- it may have stripped or stretched? if so you need a new intake cam.. rethreading it will cause more problems than good..
- check for missing teeth on all gears [water pump/ balance shaft/ oil pump].. if teeth are missing - replace the part..

a $70 part may turned into $1500 repair job..

 

I'm not sure if you're kidding or not but I'll answer you... You put a wrench on the cam to hold it still while you use a socket to tighten the bolt. There's a little section right at the front of the cam (far left) that has squared edges where the wrench can grab. The gear won't move as its independent of the cam and bolt. You can see it in FrossB's photo actually.

 

you can also use this tool to stop the cam from moving while you torque the bolt into the cam.. used for all ecotec engines..

Link: Kent-Moore J-43655 Camshaft Sprocket Holding Tool

 

Unfortunately that won't work. I have that exact tool. Its meant for cam gears without phasers or non-vvt engines such as the lsj. Its made to fit in the holes in the cam gear. Now there is a phaser holder which is non adjustable but it works...

 

which tool was it?

got it - Kent Moore EN-48953 Ecotec Cam Holder

 

Yeap, thats it!

 

Glad you got it fixed. I didn't have enough room with the torque angle meter on mine so I torqued them 22ft-lbs, then 90 degrees and a bit more, lol.

 

Alot of engine internal bolts are like this, the head bolts on my ls1 are the same way

 

i have been reading a ton trying to get ready for my ported head and forged piston swap and figured I better check what else is TTY, then I came across this and many other threads. I HATE GM sometimes.