04 Cobra 4v cam install

[rtvickers]

I am putting my motor back together. I put the heads on yesterday. Now its time to put in the cams and other valve train parts. I call them valve train parts cause Im not sure I know excatly what their called. So if I call them something and its wrong, dont shoot me.lol. These are the parts I have questions about installing. The heads have been machined and had .013 taken off. So I think that will throw off the stock timing. So thats my first question. How to set up the cams to adjust for this? Or just set back to stock? I know it probably should be degreed, right. On to the lash adjusters. What is the right way to install them. Do I depress them and do they have to adjusted, since I didnt change any of the valve train. Or are they good the way they are.

The followers or rockers, Im not sure what they are called. They seem to be pretty straight forward. No adjustments. Or am I wrong?

Or if anyone makes house calls to degree cams. Lol. Shoot me a pm or something. If the lash adjusters dont need adjustments then I should be ok to put them back in. I just didnt know if there is a special way they go in. I know they have a little oil hole on them and dont know if there is a special way it faces.

Thanks for taking the time to read this crap. Any info will help.

Thanks

[mad max]

You are a bravier man than i . good luck with putting it all back together.

[Dirtyd0g]

It really isn't that bad, are you trying to do it with the motor in or out of the car. I have all the stuff to degree them and have done many sets, but I rarely make housecalls. If the motor is out you could bring it up and we could check and adjust the timing here. It is time consuming it'll take the better part of a day to check valve clearance and degree all 4 in.
Alan

[rtvickers]

I wish I would have taken the motor out. So its still in the car.

[Dirtyd0g]

yeah that is going to be difficult, how are you marking tdc? I always mark it on the flywheel do not trust the balancer.
Alan

[orangeconv]

You need the cam tools to make it easy

[rtvickers]

yeah that is going to be difficult, how are you marking tdc? I always mark it on the flywheel do not trust the balancer.
Alan

Before I took it apart I got it close. I guess Ill use a dial indicator. Do you think Ill have to do any adjustments to the lash adjusters?

[rtvickers]

This is what Im working with right now.

http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd416/rtvickers/th_IMG00185-20111101-1815.jpg (http://s1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd416/rtvickers/?action=view&current=IMG00185-20111101-1815.jpg)

[cstreu1026]

Before I took it apart I got it close. I guess Ill use a dial indicator. Do you think Ill have to do any adjustments to the lash adjusters?

There is nothing to do to the stock lash adjusters. You compress them and hopefully they pump up correctly when start it up.

[rtvickers]

There is nothing to do to the stock lash adjusters. You compress them and hopefully they pump up correctly when start it up.

Why do they need to be compressed? Is there any special way the little hole on them need to face when they go in?

[Dirtyd0g]

You have to bleed the adjusters down or you'll crack the caps putting them back together. Nothing special to them but you need a solid one and lightweight check spring per cam, on these you can do the sides seperately so you only need 2.
Alan

[rtvickers]

You have to bleed the adjusters down or you'll crack the caps putting them back together. Nothing special to them but you need a solid one and lightweight check spring per cam, on these you can do the sides seperately so you only need 2.
Alan

I know this sounds stupid but whats the light weight check spring?

[Dirtyd0g]

It is in the degree kit, with it you can push the valve down by hand so it makes measuring piston to valve clearance and intake centerline accurate and easy.
Alan

[IWRBB]

What kind of cams? Stock? If they are aftermarket, read this first
http://www.modularfords.com/forums/f17/crower-cams-45339/

As for the head milling and the impact on cam timing read this
http://www.modularfords.com/forums/f17/4v-head-milling-178135/

Bleeding down lash adjusters/testing for bad ones, read this
http://www.modularfords.com/forums/f17/bleeding-down-lash-adjusters-173464/

Adjustable timing sprockets (if you want them, you can adjust the stock parts with shim stock) read this
http://www.modularfords.com/forums/f17/cloyes-billet-gears-163006/

Degreeing the cams, read this
http://www.modularfords.com/forums/f17/cam-degree-tools-list-163691/

Three's tons more tech on that forum if you have more questions...

Degreeing the cams is going to be a PITA, but it's completely worth it.

[rtvickers]

But is it a must? Can it be put back to stock and be ok?

[zippy94]

If you don't degree them in your may bend valves. It's not like a 302 where you can line up the dots.

[JIMS SVT]

If you don't degree them in your may bend valves. It's not like a 302 where you can line up the dots.

I always line up the dots. My heads have benn milled many times and the block ahs been decked.Never had a problem. Just this last time we degreed them with cloyes gears. Took 6.5 hours.

[Dirtyd0g]

I find the trick flow lower sprockets to be the easiest method. You have to grind the keyway on the 4v's if they are not right between each other.
Alan

[IWRBB]

It's more a matter of giving up a lot of potential power. If the cams are off, your compression will be off, and both banks of the V-8 can be off from each other.. it's just a mess really. The engine will run better and make more power when the cams are opening and closing at the correct time- and at the same time for both banks of the engine.

I'd never just line up the dots and call it good- of course I would never just bolt on a bellhousing without indexing it either, so maybe it's just me. You have the advantage of being able to set the intake and exhaust events independantly and precisely with a 4.6L 4V engine, so you might as well take advantage of that and get them setup right.

As far as adjsutable gears, you can eaily get it right with shimstock for way cheaper. Unless you plan to routinely adjsut your cams, just use shimstock.

[rtvickers]

It's more a matter of giving up a lot of potential power. If the cams are off, your compression will be off, and both banks of the V-8 can be off from each other.. it's just a mess really. The engine will run better and make more power when the cams are opening and closing at the correct time- and at the same time for both banks of the engine.

I'd never just line up the dots and call it good- of course I would never just bolt on a bellhousing without indexing it either, so maybe it's just me. You have the advantage of being able to set the intake and exhaust events independantly and precisely with a 4.6L 4V engine, so you might as well take advantage of that and get them setup right.

As far as adjsutable gears, you can eaily get it right with shimstock for way cheaper. Unless you plan to routinely adjsut your cams, just use shimstock.

WOW!!! Thats some good info you posted. May take me a minute to read that. But thats great. Thanks

[rtvickers]

I always line up the dots. My heads have benn milled many times and the block ahs been decked.Never had a problem. Just this last time we degreed them with cloyes gears. Took 6.5 hours.

Is this on a 4v thats street driven?

[JIMS SVT]

Is this on a 4v thats street driven?

Yep..Street driven every since I bought it in 2000.Not every day but gets driven to work from time to time and around when the weather is good.

[rtvickers]

Yep..Street driven every since I bought it in 2000.Not every day but gets driven to work from time to time and around when the weather is good.

Does it get much track time? If so, how is it on the track?

[JIMS SVT]

Havent been in a while. Best the car has been is a 8.87 @ 154

[rtvickers]

Havent been in a while. Best the car has been is a 8.87 @ 154

Wow. Thats quick. Good job.

[IWRBB]

Woulda been 8.50s if you had your cams setup right ;)

[JIMS SVT]

Woulda been 8.50s if you had your cams setup right ;)

Doubt it....

[IWRBB]

Yea, I was kidding ya- sort of. You are giving up power by just lining up the dots, using the stock gears and shims, and calling it good. There's no doubt about it. Even without any millwork- stock cams in stock engines are still way off right from the factory. I realize your long history of racing a 4.6 engine- that is not lost on me. However, I think you are really dismissing the true importance of the cam timing. What's strange is you said above the last one you assembled *was* degreed and it took 6 hours- was that your engine or someone else's?

[JIMS SVT]

What's strange is you said above the last one you assembled *was* degreed and it took 6 hours- was that your engine or someone else's?

What part of it is strange? lol Its the latest one in the car.Took it to Na SVT and we did it on a stand I made in the back of my truck in his garage.

[Dirtyd0g]

I checked the last markVIII motor I did, provided you get the secondary cams right (I put keys in to ensure it) they aren't that bad. I find 2v's to usually be worse than 4v's for some reason the passenger gear is rarely right.
Alan

[IWRBB]

What part of it is strange? lol Its the latest one in the car.Took it to Na SVT and we did it on a stand I made in the back of my truck in his garage.

I thought it was strange that you told the OP early in the thread that "I always line up the dots", then later in the thread you say, "Just this last time we degreed them".

[JIMS SVT]

I thought it was strange that you told the OP early in the thread that "I always line up the dots", then later in the thread you say, "Just this last time we degreed them".

I always did. Then the last time I had them degreed. I dont see any harm in putting them in that way. Always worked fine for me.