Beginner Friendly Step By Step Guide On How To Degree Camshafts + Lift, Duration and Lash Explained

[@d4a]

Dial indicator with stand: amzn.to/3QEktIo Degree wheel: amzn.to/3pjdc5e Crankshaft adapter: amzn.to/3bTYvCw Complete degreeing kit: amzn.to/3dt3Yk6

[@doctajownz8307]

I was just looking up useful videos to degree my camshaft yesterday, and coming up short. Then like an angel from above D4A magically has the perfect video this morning. Hats off to you sir. Truly out here doing gods work. Also, as always, another well thought out, well spoken, easy to follow video for us less than literate car folk.

[@svetliosf3477]

very well said 😊👍

[@shahrcasm1759]

'Less than literate' is the wrong label, let's replace it with 'upcoming/future car experts💪'

[@aw6545]

Same bro!! Been looking for a nice detailed video for a couple weeks!!

[@michalbaca8165]

wooooow , i was in the factory several weeks ago where was your holder for dial indicator made , factory is near my city (BYTCA ) SLOVAKIA , factory is full of very old green czechoslovakian mechanical only machines with very old operators ( average age is 75 years ) they still producing high old quality without modern materials like plastic , only steel and cast iron :) love them , greetings from slovakia

[@ericjbowman1708]

My Czech Uncle taught me a lot about engine repair one summer in the mid-80's, he was the local village mechanic working on various commie cars, and his Fiat 500 -- which was exactly like my buddy's Fiat 500 at home in America. What you said at the end of the vid resonated with me -- he had to make do with some very rudimentary tools and conditions in his shop. Despite that, and the fact he wouldn't have been fired for incompetence, he had a reputation for making cars run great. By degreeing camshafts, recurving distributors, and jetting carbs. I would've learned more from him if we spoke the same language.

[@Kowalskithegreat]

I just degreed my B18C cams for the first time a couple weeks ago, one of my friend's dad showed me a trick that saves a lot of time and is still accurate enough. Set your belt tension, lock vtec etc, set up the degree wheel as normal, find your max lift degrees on the cam card, turn the crank to that point (98° and 105° in my case) then loosen you adjistsble cam gears and turn the actual cam until you hit the highest lift on your dial indicator, tighten the cam gear and done. I did it both ways the first time and ended up in the exact same place, when I put my sleeved ramey block in over the winter i'll just use the cheat method

[@ericjbowman1708]

19:50 "Observe the point where the needle changes direction." This is exactly why I'm analog not digital. Old-school dial-torque-wrench guy, too. Craftsmanship. Keep up the good work on your vids! Can't rave enough about 'em.

[@jozsefizsak]

I remember doing that on the Mini's A series engine in the 80s. Photocopied a 360 degree protractor from a book and glued it to cardboard. Filed the key slot and shimmed it with feeler gauge pieces to correct the cam timing. It ran pretty smoothly.

[@Ni9kye]

Did that too, used a 649 camshaft, needed a 7 degree offset Woodfuff key to get the timing spot on. Although the a series if forgiving, being a 5 port head, the two inner cylinders benefit from advanced cam timing, whilst the others benefit from retarded cam timing!

[@jozsefizsak]

@@Ni9kye Ah, the race cam. I think the 731 was the milder rally cam which I contemplated but never installed. Didn't know that about the inner and outer cylinders though. Great memories. Be well!

[@AmirPomen]

Thats what we do back then when getting actual steel/aluminium sheet for degree wheel were so expensive... So printing a paper glued to thing sheet of metal is what i did too back then 💪

[@Xsidon]

As a mechanic on my 7th year of expirience this channel is a blessing for every ambitious car person. It's not allways i can say that a YT vid makes me inspired to do stuff irl. If you'd ever look for eager ppl to work with I'm on the first plane to wherever you need me just sayin lol

[@bertpomilio5029]

I have degreed my share of American v8 engines ,and I must confess the first time I was called on to degree an engine like yours I was confused by the way the cam card presented the information . After being frustrated for a while I did figure it out. If I had watched this video first I would have made sense of it right away.

[@colephillips8740]

Just finished watching your updates about your 4AFE build. Have to say you've taught me more relevant, applicable things than hours of general reading and watching on many other channels. So happy to have become a patron to help support your projects and your continued educating. Thanks, Cole

[@d4a]

Thank you so much Cole, let's continue chatting on patreon

[@smokingbatterieschannel6060]

Man that was heavy on the brain but you described it beautifully. Well done mate.

[@TheRealTomLauda]

Fantastic video, as always. Even a non mechanic like myself can understand how to do this job with this video. Very very well done !

[@djosbun]

Most mechanics don’t know how to properly degree a camshaft. This type of knowledge is typically mastered by automotive machinists/engine builders.

[@joshuastephens894]

You are a very proficient teacher. Thank you for breaking down something I didn't completely understand even after tinkering with engines my entire life. Building and customizing motorized carts or bikes as a hobby for the last 15 years I sadly never completely took the time to understand timing entirely. I knew how to use a timing light and understood magnetic coils. But for some reason always put off learning advancing or taking out degrees and mentally put that knowledge picture in my head. Love your channel. Subbed. Keep em coming. ✌

[@robertginsburg8113]

You're a life saver. I was looking for this info and saw that you had done a video, and having seen your other videos in the past, I knew to click on this one and you didn't disappoint.

[@ExalyThor]

I like the fact that you use wires and other makeshift things to do your engine, this is the true mechanic's way.

[@videomaniac108]

When I used to degree camshafts I would find true TDC a little differently. I would first use your method to get close, with the dial indicator and degree wheel zeroed at the indicated TDC. Next, I would rotate the crankshaft back enough to bring the piston down about 1/4" and then rotate it forward slowly, until the piston is about 0.050" below TDC and then record the degree reading of the wheel. The next step is to continue rotating the crank forward until the piston is about 1/4" below TDC again. After that I would rotate the crank backward slowly until the piston is again the same distance below TDC as before, 0.050" in this case. I would record this degree reading and then compare it to the previous one. Finally, I would reset the 0⁰ mark on the degree wheel halfway between the two degree points of equal piston drop. The reason for doing this is that near TDC the crankpin movement is nearly all tangential, very little radial movement. This makes the motion of the piston insensitive to small changes in the angular position of the crank. The reason that I back up on the rotation of the crank to find the second position of piston drop is so that the clearance in the big end connecting rod bearing will not be a factor, keeping the top of the journal in contact with the top of the bearing shell for both readings.

[@MetairieACRepair]

You must run some loose rod bearings….

[@Winnetou834]

This must be by far the best tutorial for cam adjustment! Thank you so much!!!

[@sammieace870]

the best video available on cam degrees . I have always hired someone else to do it as i could never find the right explanation well here it is .

[@kindbrute4640]

I'm a motoring enthusiast infant compared to most yet you still make these videos interesting and easy to follow

[@SmithsEuro]

I appreciate this video and the great detail. Ive watched about 15 other videos that just make it more confusing. This is by far the best/simplest most logical explanation of this task. Thanks, my cams are set now.

[@Alexinchainss]

Dude , you are the best KZbin channel

[@Alexinchainss]

For real, thank you so much for your effort

[@ericjbowman1708]

I'm going to be referring folks to this video, for years. Two thumbs up!

[@SaxCass]

This is the best video on youtube on how to degree camshafts! Really well made and clear. Thanks!

[@mrgernade]

Thank you. My project has been ongoing for a while and you’ve introduced some new concepts for me to check. Very much appreciated

[@johnathankrausrig9237]

i will never do such works on my car, despite that i enjoyed every second of the video. just because D4A is a excellent teacher and its just enjoyable listening to him. i am sure you are already one but if not, please be a teacher. so many young people could learn from you how to be a excellent mechanic or engineer.

[@swfautoworkx5951]

Good video , although finding tru TDC needs to be done by after your first step marking the degree wheel .. you must spin the crank counter clockwise and find the highest point and then mark the degree wheel again .. exactly between the 2 marks is your tru TDC … this is because the piston stays at its highest point for a couple degrees and you need to find the point in the center of TDC

[@dirkmohrmann8960]

A piston stop made from a spark plug is another good cheap way to find accurate TDC.

[@adrianzmajla4844]

@@dirkmohrmann8960 closeish tdc, not true properly accurate tdc. Refer to comment above yours.

[@adrianzmajla4844]

Can also be done with just a dial indicator, no degree wheel needed.

[@georgevandertogt2400]

Yes you are right that was the first thing I noticed. I Do it the exact way you do it. For tru top dead centre

[@dirkmohrmann8960]

@@adrianzmajla4844 piston stop gives exact TDC. With a piston stop, you create a physical stop for example 15BTDC. Then turn the engine backwards until it hits the stop 15ATDC. Then center the degree wheel between the to. This eliminates the issue that the piston dwells at TDC

[@UltimateMaking]

Amazing video as always, thank you for being here !

[@knomis58]

absolutly brilliant. you made it so simple. i have just dialed in my 2.3 duratec engine. hopfully will be 270 bhp 👍

[@danefornash8608]

Amazing video, hands down one of the best most informative and well made videos I have found to date. Thank you so very much for sharing.

[@Gengarisku]

Bravo majstore, najjači kanal za motore definitivno! Samo tako nastavi!

[@AmirPomen]

Here is my suggestion... U need to measure and degree exhaust camshaft as well... But 1st... U need to find TRUE TDC by using positive stopper at spark plug hole... Step: Rotate engine clockwise until its stuck to positive stopper...measure the angle degree... then rotate the engine counter-clockwise untill it met the stopper at opposite direct....measure the angle degree as well... Divide both angle degree by 2..... Thats your actual TRUE TDC... Relocate your degree wheel at 0 TDC... The verify again using the same method... This is the most accurate method for true tdc... Then degree your camshaft put it in a drawn chart like this: Open | Close Intake yy | xx Exhaust xx | yy Since u only have adjustable intake cam pulley, then your exhaust cam timing is fixed... Do this... Get the EX-CL timing angle (yy) then align IN-OP to match the same degree (both yy angle matches) Next... Get EX-OP timing angle... (xx) and align IN-CL to the same number... (Both xx number matches) If your cam manufacturer machines a perfect set of camshaft, this will 100% match evenly... But IF it doesnt match xx and yy the same... Then u need to prioritize to keep matching xx pair... This is the almost perfect high compression screaming high rpm n.a camshaft timing configuration... Since u will be going boosted configuration, u can play intake camshaft timing advance later on the dyno... These tips will saves u a lot of time of try & error as well as headache of not matching the cam numbers from the manufacturer spec

[@itachiuchihathechosen1466]

Thank You Im 35 and i finally learn what i want it to learn

[@markm0000]

This definitely feels like a video to watch on Sunday.

[@surewhynot6259]

Thank you for the crank position sensor CAD files! Saved my behind!

[@Bull761]

excellent, but I admit to being partial to the LCA method as I think it is much less prone to measurement and valve clearance errors. I learnt on a quad cam V6 that not always do cams get timed the same on both banks...it is important to make sure they are, never assume.

[@jinayl]

Very useful content, as usual. With that being said, I find timing in general as one of the most difficult concepts to grasp when it comes to ICE. I think it'd be great if you made a series about engine timing where you'd cover, for e.g., not only what duration and lift are, but also the impact of modifying them, to what extent... How would cam timing be affected for different types of setups (VTEC, single Vanos, double Vanos...). I think it would make a great topic for a series, a bit like the one you made for turbos (the most comprehensive one I have found to date). Thanks again for your efforts.

[@matufujiwara7493]

long story short. air (airfuelmixture) does have some mass and it has some inertia. so to compansate for that mass inertia you either retard or advance valves slightly depending on where you want the power to be. overall the number figures are small but every small number in the end adds up.

[@gerrievanstaden3416]

Sweet. My Sunday just got better

[@Manuqtix.Manuqtix]

Another way to find tdc is if you have a piston stopper on the spark plug You can turn your engine both ways till it stops Then you use the 2 numbers you got work out the average and the number you get is the tdc Turn your crank to that number then you zero your degree wheel

[@RoBert-ix6ev]

I think....I think this guys knows what he is talking about! ;)

[@lucasbos3944]

Thanks im installing catcams on my racecar this video definitely helped!!

[@m2rookie]

I love these kind of videos, super informative as always!

[@ethanvink1710]

Great info that I will hopefully use someday! I would love a follow-up video on cam timing and specs such as lobe separation, duration, and lift and how they affect a car's performance!

[@mrd.808]

Cool. I assume this can be used for a DOHC V6 as well.

[@d4a]

Yes it can, thank you for your support

[@G.J.G.P.]

Hi, its me again. I promise im watching your videos and subscribed to your channel not because of hating on you, but because i like them and theyre very imformative. I will also degree mine, after i installed them. I would like to add an info about the poncams A & B. There is acctually a very comprehensive spec sheet for them, at least for the RB26. F.e duration without ramp values ( clearance substracted) , duration with 1mm and 0.05" valve lift. Also opening and closing degree from each value mentioned before, for the IN and EX cams. It has some pictures to visualize the events and also specs for required valve springs.

[@1crazypj]

It used to be far more common to use a positive stop to prevent piston reaching TDC. Measure angle on degree wheel, rotate crank opposite direction until you touch stop and note number. It's then simple enough to get true TDC and move degree wheel position. There are at least two different threads used on majority of dial indicators, 3mm ISO and 4x48 which is an American size. ( I only know as I thought I had bought a 'pair' of DTI's, same make, same box, same supplier, different threads!) Motorcycle spokes are often 3mm thread although some early Honda's had 1/8" Whitworth thread . A lock-nut is also a good idea if the thread isn't particularly tight in DTI

[@meatcreap]

Great video as usual! I do believe a short discussion on cosine error may be helpful here when you're recommending homemade dial indicator extensions.

[@SosopChabot]

Question, isn’t your TDC off by a couple degrees because the piston stays at TDC for 2-3 degrees before coming back down? Wouldn’t you normally put a piston stopper, rotate the crank/measure de degrees from the piston touching the stopper in both directions and then divide that number in half to measure your TDC?

[@fredericrike5974]

Another awesome tutorial! You know we are going to expect this sort of great stuff all the time, I hope! Having done a few cams with a V8 in the car, I heartily agree about doing it with the motor out- on a FWD four the nightmares would only multiply! FR

[@terjejohnsen3651]

That was easy to understand. Thanks for explane this for us. Have a Nice evening.

[@bhaskardeepak]

A gentle genius i would say.... very interesting and educative.... Just an out of context question... Are we gonna see a followup viodeo on the Alfadan engine... very interested .... Thanks again...

[@c.a.r.s.carsandrelevantspecs]

Thanks for sharing another interesting and in-depth video. Have fun with your engine build!

[@crazyfamily3886]

Thank you very much for this practical and educating video!

[@aliasbinhamatalias2026]

May god bless you man, thank you for your information

[@giuliofancelli9503]

Awesome usefull video but On cat cams spec 16:11 Lash ramp is not valve lash. The valve lash are indicated down on the same page.

[@leplufflepsy289]

Thank you very much for the video..and please 1 request..do 1 video for single overhead cam please

[@rosegold-beats]

my brain explodes trying to understand this but you make it work

[@802Garage]

Absolutely awesome guide! I just have one quick question. You measured beginning of TDC, correct? Is there a reason you didn't want true TDC? Typically found by measuring where the piston stops moving up and begins moving down and finding the middle point if I'm not mistaken.

[@d4a]

A lot of people seem to think that, but I didn't measure beginning of tdc. If you put a dial indicator against a piston you will see exactly where true tdc is. You can see where it stops, how long it holds and when it reverses. The usual method is no more accurate than this. I've had this same thing with my piston balancing video where I had write the same comment over and over to try and break a dogma. If you're ever bored try both methods and you'll see that neither can guarantee accuracy to within a fraction of a degree.

[@802Garage]

@@d4a Goootcha. Just wanted to know your reasoning my man. 😁 Whenever I actually get around to degreeing a camshaft I'll be back for reference haha.

[@svetliosf3477]

Another unique video! Thank you so much! 😊

[@nanab256]

9:49 if touching dial can disturb its placement this mean placement is not properly set. This sholud be rock solid even if it is cheap china stand

[@murteza_panahian_m]

Thank you for your videos and best wishes for you. I think that at the end of the video, the exhaust valve shaft lift (0.9) was wrongly measured instead of the correct intake air lift (1.3). Did I get it wrong!?

[@Bahmanson]

Please make vid about selecting correct camshaft for any setup. Here on youtube are tons of vids about this but they are about 70-80s american muscle engines.

[@amirouw]

Would you plz explain how this degreeing could be done on heads with hydraulic lifters?

[@peterpanini96]

Life is hard but sometimes worth it... 🤗🤗🤗😘

[@01sidiropoulos]

Pretty good points!!! As always 😉❤️!!

[@eduardobelliard2466]

The video is AWASOMEEE! But... I got lost at 17:50. Because you measured 1.5mm @TDC and the Dial says 50, everything perfect. But then when you put the variable pulley at TDC the Dial is in another number and you rotate the cam more that the 1.5mm It previously had... So I dont get that part. The dial turns completely like two times and then thats the correct 0.? How.? Can you explain this to me please...? I really learned a lot in this video.

[@henkbaksteen8903]

Thanks for the great video again!

[@victormdesousa]

What a great video. Cheers!

[@BillyBob-uc9zp]

Thank you Mr

[@A2J_Tim]

awesome video, thank you for the detailed explanation.

[@KHIJAPAN]

Very well done

[@negativeindustrial]

Nice. I love this channel

[@ericjbowman1708]

I'd like to see an "advanced class" video on this topic covering W engines... I have VR6 and W12 Volkswagens. What's true TDC? Average of the two TDC's per bank? I know... nobody else has this problem, but it is theoretically interesting.

[@georgevandertogt2400]

I do a lot of Subaru engines and I do the left and right side seperate. Find tdc on both sides. Then degree the camshafts. You can’t assume that the crankshaft is 100% in the middle of the casing’s. I’m not using the way he finds tdc. The piston shows tdc on dial indicator. Several degrees before and after tdc.

[@FoamCrusher]

After setting the adjustable cam gear, should you remove and replace the locking bolts one at a time adding thread-locker to each one? Having that adjustment shift during acceleration would ruin your day.

[@d4a]

Yes, that's a good idea actually

[@inaNis_]

Inertia based variable valve timing, LMAO

[@misagavrilovic1153]

Hello Thanks in advance for the very good and informative content I have one question regarding the last method "Central Line" does the initial position also refer to the first piston while it is in TDC, and then we start "measuring"? Thanks in advance

[@dimitriyakovic1522]

Now I finally understand what I am doing to my car in Street Legal Racing: Redline

[@titoer444]

Bravo momche! Svaka chast.

[@hammbone1612]

Great freakin video!!

[@jacquesgold]

What a legend!

[@Th3roOsterR]

Fantastic vid

[@octour]

8:21 but with curved welding electrode, does it gives correct measurements of the needle? I understand that electrode is rigid and incompressible, but intuitively seems like the tip of the rod, which rests on the shim is moving on y direction, but at the measuring device, which is not aligned with the tip of the rod this movement has x and y components. And you need precise valve lift, but measurements can be with error due to this. I don't know how to prove that mechanics, but its my intuition) In extreme case we can imagine that your angle is 90 degrees, so if the tip moves in y direction only, other end of the measuring device can move only in x direction. So, either rod should bend (but you'll measure 0 deflection) or 100% rigid rod will not allow any movement. Or this error is negligible? great video btw)

[@fastinradfordable]

The amount of pressure applied by the spring in the dial indicator is negligible. It’s barely perceptible on your finger tip. It’s not deflecting at all. But we do not dispute or dishonor your thoughtful d4a reply- brother man.

[@d4a]

Remember, as long as the angle of the dial indicator is the same or similar as the angle of a bucket the shape of the measuring rod doesn't matter. If the angle is correct the rod is essentially just going up and down, the shape is inconsequential.

[@NelzC]

How do you change the LSA using the sprockets and how do you know if you did it right? (As in, you checked for lift using the 110 value in the book, but if you wanted to change the LSA to 113, how do you do it and wouldn't your lift figures change?)

[@jac1793]

i love your channel

[@nanab256]

2:55 scratching 55HRC shims with welding stick softer than rubber :D

[@amirouw]

My PSA TU5jp4 got hydraulic lifters please tell me more on how can i do this procedure with hydraulic lifters just as you did with solid shim.

[@1crazypj]

Oh, that's only half the job on a DOHC, you also need to do the exhaust cam plus check valve to valve clearance at the set position if valves are inclined

[@peri-ochimaton]

Hello sir great video once again!I really want to know how much time does it get to finish the job and at the same time record it 😛🤪

[@gethinjones9987]

Fantastic video realy enjoyd it takes me back to the days i usedto race 😊 but with VVT engines does that make this method redundant 🤔

[@d4a]

Yup, vvt makes adjustable cam gears look obsolete 😆

[@adrianzmajla4844]

@@d4a I just bought a magic Alibaba box online, Not only does it reprogram vvt. It can also regraph cam timing on push rod V8's. No dial indicators or degree wheels involved. I can highly recommend.

[@user-tu9bhzl]

ChrisFix got a rival boys!

[@nanab256]

17:55 u can rotate 1 tooth to left or right :D

[@ambershade8583]

Now, what about hydraulic lifters? Come to think about it, we should be pretty ok with measuring it all the same: after all, we're measuring cam parameters and not the actual valve lift so should work just as well, or am I missing something?

[@jeppe6901]

could you please explain what to do if you do not have the value for Valve lift TDC in the spec sheets ?thanx a lot

[@elektribel]

Very good video playing this over and over again 🤓. But this method can also be used for a twin cam with hydraulic lifter with adjustable cam poulies? (Ca18det)

[@verminer7]

Ive seen countless of videos from engine block different to piston difference to almost all your videos. I just want to know does the dame information apply also to diesel engine since it concerns me more considering my job as a marine engine. All engine/auxiliry engines are diesel ones for marine. Could you please make a series or just confirm whether all information apply for both engines in all your previouse videos

[@AlessandroGenTLe]

About the opening value at TDC, that value is important for the phase, but if you are using the exhaust camshaft in the intake side, shouldn't you use the 1.3mm value of the intake and not the 0.9 mm value of the exhaust lift as shown at 17:02 ? Ok, I've seen that the intake camshaft has a 8.50mm lift instead of your exhaust 8mm one... In any case, how do you compare the valve lift at TDC when you are using a camshaft in the "wrong" side of engine like you're doing?? How do you know that 0.90mm is correct for that, considering that is calculated on the exhaust phase and not the intake phase? Shouldn't it be 1.3mm - (8.50-8.00) = 0.8mm? And infact you were getting the max lift a bit too early with 0.9mm...

[@d4a]

As I said in the video there's two methods to do it, and you can verify the 0.9 method with the centerline method afterwards. Again, as I said in the video, this is an exhaust cam installed on the intake side.

[@AlessandroGenTLe]

@@d4a I have seen all the video, but maybe you missed my point: the 0.9mm at tdc is related to the exhaust valve that is being closed. Since you are installing the CS at the intake, the opening at tdc is instead for an intake valve that is opening, a completely different phase of engine cycle. What therefore I am saying is that you should have used not the opening at tdc of the exhaust shaft, but the opening at tdc of the intake shaft, adapted to the different valve lift value (intake shaft opens 8.5mm, exhaust shaft opens 8.0mm). Or, even better considering the uncertainty related to the use usage of the exhaust shaft in a place where you don't have many data about, use only the angle method (that you showed later on)

[@adrianzmajla4844]

@@AlessandroGenTLe yes, comprende.

[@joshuavillarino4974]

goodmorning sir how about the exhaust? it is ok to degree the intake only?

[@Twobarpsi]

Great info!!

[@ghostwrench2292]

Interesting video! It got me wondering if I can do this on my Volvo 5-cylinder with dual VVT cam hubs.

[@d4a]

Why would you do this on a VVT engine?

[@toto_rav4]

Hey i found this video really interesting. One question, does this mean thar if i get larger shims, the duration and lift of the camshaft will increase giving me more porformance? even if it is a slight improvement. Im seeking for more performance but im afraid of doing a camshaft upgrade.

[@nicozimmermann8672]

i think i have a new project for ma swift gti. the G13B engine could benefit from that video greatly. thank you D4A! Unfortunately i need a place to get the engine out of my car now >.

[@GR.Yaris_Levin]

Can you make a video of an 8v or are the steps the same?