New tool for rotating camshaft

[Suzuki_Don]

Sometimes it is necessary to rotate the camshaft when the chain drive is not connected up to it from the crankshaft. This happens when you are installing a camshaft and have not got it in the correct position and need to rotate it a small amount to fit the camchain when doing your timing.

Or in my case, I am rebuilding the head and need to rotate the camshafts to check shim clearances to see if the valve stems need to be trimmed at all.

Not easy to rotate the camshaft as you are pushing against the pressure of the springs on the valves as you go. Be careful when rotating the camshaft with the crankshaft stationary that the valves do not contact the pistons or each other (valve to valve).

The tool that I used is a rear shock absorber adjusting tool. Just saw one on EBAY for .39c. This is how it works.

The tip of the TMS tool fits in the sprocket between two teeth and has enough leverage to turn the camshaft easily.

A close up shot of the tool being used. It could do with being a bit wider as the tool is quite thin & slips off occasionally.

I love tools that have more than one use. I have not had to modify this tool as is often the case when it is to be used for a different task. I am sure we all have tools modified for new tasks and now they cannot be used for their original task. I have a few. Not least the valve spring compressor which has a modified "G" clamp and chopped up spark plug socket. Hope this will be of use to a few people.

 

[Guest]

Cool! How long did it take to come up with that?
So you're going with the 650 head? Do I see the dampening material taken off the sprockets?

 

[Suzuki_Don]

Cool! How long did it take to come up with that?
So you're going with the 650 head? Do I see the dampening material taken off the sprockets?

About 3 secs. Bill once the penny dropped.

Yes I am going with the 650 head. Those cams you can see in the head in the picture are 550 cams. The 650 cams I have can't go in because the speedo drive on the exhaust cam is stuffed. So I am watching EBAY daily for another exhaust cam. There are many for sale in the States but the freight is the killer, $45 for one cam to be sent to Australia plus the cost of the camshaft. I still need to remove the rubber pieces off the 550 sprockets before they can go on the 650 camshafts which I haven't got yet.

Then I have to assemble them in the head and do my measurements all over again to fathom how much has to come off the valve stems to give me the shim clearance that I want.

BTW I have found the cheap way to buy shims and build up a stock of them is to buy old GS cylinder heads. Nobody ever removes shims from an old head. I have bought three heads and have picked up 24 shims in the process. The last head I picked up only cost $10 and I picked up a 2.15mm and a 2.25mm shims plus the other 6 shims. These are the really thin ones that are good for testing if you have any tight valves.

 

[Suzuki_Don]

This is the shock spanner on EBAY if anyone is interested.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Shoc...4474393QQptZMotorcyclesQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

 

[Macguyver]

It could do with being a bit wider as the tool is quite thin & slips off occasionally.

Hey Don,
I bet you could fold over a thin strip of metal so that it forms a long U shape to fit over the tool so there is a tab on either side to hold it in place over the sprocket so it doesn't slip off on you. If you wanted to get really fancy, you could even spot weld it on.

Great idea by the way!

 

[Suzuki_Don]

Hey Don,
I bet you could fold over a thin strip of metal so that it forms a long U shape to fit over the tool so there is a tab on either side to hold it in place over the sprocket so it doesn't slip off on you. If you wanted to get really fancy, you could even spot weld it on.

Great idea by the way!

Thanks MAC,

It probably looks like a bit of overkill but is better than trying to turn that sprocket by hand, or putting a cam chain around the sprocket and trying to turn it like that. Someone said you could just put a ring spanner on one of the bolt heads that hold the sprocket on. But my cams have allen bolts holding the sprockets on so that idea would not work for me.

 

[wkmpt]

If you wanted a solid "no-slip" grip, you could manufacture a tool similar to a bicycle sprocket wrench or "chain whip".

I use mine at least twice a year (I change the gearing on my fixie for winter/summer), and never a slip yet.