CAM Sensor setting

[Gene Van Horn]

Just lightly tap it the last 1/4 with a hammer and exstention. Key word being lightly . It should tap down if it’s aligned properly. If you don’t feel it going in stop and start over.

 

[Bullnerd]

Just lightly tap it the last 1/4 with a hammer and exstention. Key word being lightly . It should tap down if it’s aligned properly. If you don’t feel it going in stop and start over.

I'm not the pro here, but i disagree with this statement.

If you don't want or have a partner to bump the starter, Take your time, look at it, figure it out, it's not that hard. The pics on the web will help. Keep moving a oil pump shaft a little bit until it drops in. Remember, the rotor on the sensor rotates as it meshes with the cam gear.

 

[TurboBuRick]

I put a line on top of the cam sensor wheel to mirror the oil pump drive position in the gear. You can line it up much easier that way.

Put a little grease on the o ring.
It should go in pretty easy. If you get it in and it doesn’t quite want to go all the way, use a long screwdriver and a small hammer. Put the screwdriver on the flamge that the hold down sits on. Give it a few taps.

But before you do all that,
Did you prime oil pump?

 

[hensleyt]

Please no tapping,no hammers, the screwdriver thing works BUT as the cam sensor engages the cam gear the sensor will rotate.
1.Ok the crank is at 25 TDC compression
2. Line your dot the window up as in your first post easy you have don this before.
3. As you drop it in it is going to turn (I think clockwise) as it engaging the cam, it might stop a 3/4 in from going just rotate the center counterclockwise just ever so slightly to help it fall into the cam gear.
4. Now it’s sitting on top of the pump, If your wife is tiered of you yelling at her for bumping it over to fast you can turn it by hand if you have a front mount cooler. If not, you have to go in the house apologize. And whatever you do don’t ask the neighbors wife.
5. Again if she roles the engine fast don’t wore it will fall in place, you can roll it over and over .
6. Go back to 25 on TDC and set it wit your meter
If this is not clear PM me for a phone number

 

[TurboBuRick]

Please no tapping,no hammers, the screwdriver thing works BUT as the cam sensor engages the cam gear the sensor will rotate.
1.Ok the crank is at 25 TDC compression
2. Line your dot the window up as in your first post easy you have don this before.
3. As you drop it in it is going to turn (I think clockwise) as it engaging the cam, it might stop a 3/4 in from going just rotate the center counterclockwise just ever so slightly to help it fall into the cam gear.
4. Now it’s sitting on top of the pump, If your wife is tiered of you yelling at her for bumping it over to fast you can turn it by hand if you have a front mount cooler. If not, you have to go in the house apologize. And whatever you do don’t ask the neighbors wife.
5. Again if she roles the engine fast don’t wore it will fall in place, you can roll it over and over .
6. Go back to 25 on TDC and set it wit your meter
If this is not clear PM me for a phone number

Don't make a mountain out of a molehill. I said tap not whale on it.

You guys make things so much harder than they need to be. I do these ALL THE TIME and never mark the balancer or use a meter or setting tool. It's so easy a 3rd grader could do it. The fact of the matter is, the setting method you are using does not always work. People post all the time how they set the sensor but the engine won't start.

 

[captndave737]

Well I can't seem to get the oil pump gear to line up with the CAM assembly or so it feels. Is they a way to tell if it is engaged? Should the sensor assembly mount flush with the front cover? I have about an 1/8th from being flush. I have used a screw driver to try and line up oil pump and CAM sensor assembly. Tired, going to bed.

If it's only 1/8 of an inch it's just the O ring needing to be seated if it's 1/4" or more its not going into the oil pump slot.

I've had mine out a dozen times and never looked at dots or slots or anything else I just made sure the oil pump slot would align with the thing in the bottom of the gear. When you put it in the gear rotates slightly. Once it's in I just put the cap on it and adjusted it using a volt meter as shown in the shop manual. Took 5 minutes and worked every time.

The last 1/8" always needed a little persuasion due to the O ring.

 

[MCH86GN]

If it's only 1/8 of an inch it's just the O ring needing to be seated if it's 1/4" or more its not going into the oil pump slot.

I've had mine out a dozen times and never looked at dots or slots or anything else I just made sure the oil pump slot would align with the thing in the bottom of the gear. When you put it in the gear rotates slightly. Once it's in I just put the cap on it and adjusted it using a volt meter as shown in the shop manual. Took 5 minutes and worked every time.

The last 1/8" always needed a little persuasion due to the O ring.

It was an 1/8th" and I took the o-ring off and I got it to seat. Then I put the o-ring back on and lubed it and then drop the mfing assembly and bent the interrupter ring. I'm a MFI, I swear I'm a retard of epic proportions. I used a flat screw driver and bent it back into position the best I could. I put a little grease on the ring to see if the ring was hitting the sensor and there was no grease on the sensor. Then my first time trying to seat it with the o-ring and it went right in. CAM assembly flush with the cover. I have my multi-meter and I'm getting ready to adjust it to the open window on the interrupter ring. All this started from a mfing failed stock oil sending unit. I'm so pissed at myself for not being more proactive and not asking the questions sooner. I wasted my entire summer.

Thanks.

 

[MCH86GN]

Don't make a mountain out of a molehill. I said tap not whale on it.

You guys make things so much harder than they need to be. I do these ALL THE TIME and never mark the balancer or use a meter or setting tool. It's so easy a 3rd grader could do it. The fact of the matter is, the setting method you are using does not always work. People post all the time how they set the sensor but the engine won't start.

I hope it starts. My problem is I'm truly a retard or I'm overthinking it. Since I was a bit apprehensive, I think I made it a lot harder on myself.

You're right, it is a very straight forward procure. It's just that I had a lot of crap happen prior to this and I got frustrated as hell.

 

[MCH86GN]

Please no tapping,no hammers, the screwdriver thing works BUT as the cam sensor engages the cam gear the sensor will rotate.
1.Ok the crank is at 25 TDC compression
2. Line your dot the window up as in your first post easy you have don this before.
3. As you drop it in it is going to turn (I think clockwise) as it engaging the cam, it might stop a 3/4 in from going just rotate the center counterclockwise just ever so slightly to help it fall into the cam gear.
4. Now it’s sitting on top of the pump, If your wife is tiered of you yelling at her for bumping it over to fast you can turn it by hand if you have a front mount cooler. If not, you have to go in the house apologize. And whatever you do don’t ask the neighbors wife.
5. Again if she roles the engine fast don’t wore it will fall in place, you can roll it over and over .
6. Go back to 25 on TDC and set it wit your meter
If this is not clear PM me for a phone number

Thanks bro I got it.

 

[MCH86GN]

I put a line on top of the cam sensor wheel to mirror the oil pump drive position in the gear. You can line it up much easier that way.

Put a little grease on the o ring.
It should go in pretty easy. If you get it in and it doesn’t quite want to go all the way, use a long screwdriver and a small hammer. Put the screwdriver on the flamge that the hold down sits on. Give it a few taps.

But before you do all that,
Did you prime oil pump?

I did prime the oil pump, several times. I had to initially to figure out where the hell the Massive Oil Leak was coming from.

 

[MCH86GN]

I'd like to thank everyone for their input. I deserve to be tared and feathered for being such an idiot! I defined get the dumbass of the month award on this board. Now let's see if I can get it to start.

 

[Bullnerd]

Hang in there dude!

As my Dad would say, "Now you know!".

 

[MCH86GN]

I got the sensor set, at least that part was easy. I bought a breakout harness from Casper's several years ago and I along with my multi-meter is was really easy to set the window.

 

[captndave737]

I'd like to thank everyone for their input. I deserve to be tared and feathered for being such an idiot! I defined get the dumbass of the month award on this board. Now let's see if I can get it to start.

Hang in there. At least you got it done. Lots of people have a problem and give up and the car turnes into an ornament. The more you do the more you learn and the easier it gets.

Do you have the factory shop manuals?

 

[MCH86GN]

Hang in there. At least you got it done. Lots of people have a problem and give up and the car turnes into an ornament. The more you do the more you learn and the easier it gets.

Do you have the factory shop manuals?

You're right, my engine builder is the one who told me to do my own work this time and he directed me on what to do and I did learn a few things. I do have shop manuals. It's crazy, now resetting the CAM sensor is as easy as 1,2,3. I made a much bigger deal out of a simple task than I should've.

 

[MCH86GN]

Put the car back together and it started right up. The most helpful thing I had was the breakout harness from Casper's, it made setting the sensor so easy, just clip leads from multi-meter to ground and breakout wire for the CAM sensor output. Now I need to do some driving before I get grid locked by the Michigan winter.

 

[Bullnerd]

Congrats dude!

I stick a needle right through the wire insulation and clip my meter to it.

 

[MCH86GN]

Congrats dude!

I stick a needle right through the wire insulation and clip my meter to it.

That's why I bought the harness so no poking through the insulation, although as long as it's taped it will probably be fine. I was actually kinda angry at myself for buying the harness, until this came up and I think it was well worth it. I believe I paid $67 with shipping cost. However, it's not a necessity, unless you work on turbo Buick's a lot. Now that I have it hooked up, it would be cool to get a trace of as many signals as possible that pertain to the start sequence.

 

[Bullnerd]

Absolutely, I wasn't implying you did the wrong thing, you did it the right way.

 

[TurboBuRick]

That's why I bought the harness so no poking through the insulation, although as long as it's taped it will probably be fine. I was actually kinda angry at myself for buying the harness, until this came up and I think it was well worth it. I believe I paid $67 with shipping cost. However, it's not a necessity, unless you work on turbo Buick's a lot. Now that I have it hooked up, it would be cool to get a trace of as many signals as possible that pertain to the start sequence.

If you work on turbo Buick a lot you don’t need any setting device for the cam sensor. Not trying to be a smart ass. Just saying .