Timing Belt and Cam Sprocket...

[Baron VonZeppelin]

I knew there was gonna be a good reason for Quantum suggesting to Remove the cam bolt - but was afraid to ask.

Would hate to see a guys expression when he realizes his camshaft just became a 2 piece unit. ouches

The #1 reason guys break their cam slot loosening/torque'ing the cam bolt with camlock slide in place is because of the slack the camlock slide leaves in the mixture. Which only allows contact of the cam slot corners - which causes them to snap/break the slot. They aren't mechanical geniuses like myself. 

I shim my camlock slide tightly with a wide blade putty knife.
It gives full contact holding power like a vise.
Never had a mis-cue yet.
There are other ways - it just works so nice - i can't stop doing it. 

[Mark(The Miser)UK]

Just like to add my £0.02 equiv worth re loosening cam sprocket...



2) Strike from the back. Don't use a bolt, you don't want point impact, but area. I'm assuming backing plate is like that on a Quantum. Strike through the back plate,after loosening bolt a couple of turns AND loosening the TWO Allen headed bolts that clamp the plate to the head, WHILST squeezing the plate with your free hand, against the sprocket. This will spread the blow.

3) Loosening the cam bolt without taking it off saves sprocket falling to the floor and hitting something hard...

Bad idea Papi. I tried that $hit once. Loosened the cam bolt about 1 inch, left it in place to prevent it from flying. I hit the cam sprocket and it pulled the nose clean off my camshaft. REMOVE THE BOLT.

I never knew we had 1" to play with; there  can't have been many bolt threads left in the nose....
I was thinking just a couple of turns , and not to swing like a Canadian tree feller, or like my former [thankgawd] brother-inlaw who was 20 stone and liked using a 12" wrench on a M6 bolt...

Agreed about the timing bar filler improvements, I must have mentioned that specifically 3 or 4 years ago on this or the sister forum, but my filler consists of feeler gauge blades. My method avoids the risk, and relies in part on the belt, but in the main on the springs of the valves, and the inertia of the mass of the cam... Bentley-bible makes no mention of the plate bolts