Engine swap.Got exited about my first solo engine swap and between the two engines...mixed 32 cam caps together.What is the remedy.because once it's timed and torqued down it's hard to spin by hand....any help? Or am I FUBARed?

[RoyalShootinstar13]

Definitely need a bailout brothers....any and all advice is welcome.Its a learning process and I like it the hard lessen shit home better if there's so pain with it so to speak 

[Marcarl]

Do I read you right? You took out all the valve shims and now have them in one container?

[saddlebum]

Now if I read you right you removed the cam caps and the cams. Cam caps MUST go exactly in the same place they were removed from. This is because the area were the cam goes through, is machined with the caps in place so that all the holes are in perfect alignment, often referred to as line boring or machining. Mix these caps up and the cam will not turn freely but end up being clamped in place.

1st get and follow a proper manual for your bike. There is a proper tightening sequence for the cam caps which must be adhered to or the cam can be damaged

If your lucky the may be marks on each cap that will line up with its proper location on the head. This can be a slash mark on the cap that perfectly matches up to one on the head when the cap is in place. The can be numbered with a matching number on its counter part on the head or there is nothing at all. Another method is to check the matting surfaces of the cap and head for matching finger prints so to speak on the mating surfaces. Finally if your patient you can keep swapping them out until the cam rotates freely if more than one seem to be a good fit than assign them to that location for later trial and error

Start by  placing caps in place without the cam. feel the inside of the bore and across the matting edge with your finger for smoothness. as you slide your finger across were the cap and its counter part mate you should feel no edges. If you do try another cap. Once you feel you have matched the proper cap to its proper location install the cam. slowly snug up the caps running back and forth across all the bolts until you start to feel the cam bind. ease up until the cam just starts to smooth out again now tighten each cap one at a time if the cap goes right down tight with out clamping the cam you might be lucky. If it clamps the cam try a different cap until you can torque it down without it clamping the cam. Now mark the location and remove. The caps place a piece of plasti-guage on top of the cam and reinstall the caps as per the manual. do not turn cam at this time. After you have properly torqued the caps in place remove the carefully. The plasti-gauge package has reference or comparison marks along its edge. compare these with the amount the plasti-gauge has flattened out to determine clearance usually between 0.0008 and 0.0021 inches to a max limit of 0.006 inches. If all meets the correct criteria you should be OK to reassemble your cam.

BTW this will take lots of patience and luck to get yourself out of this issue. in future always mark and remember locations of any bearing cap.

 

Edited October 13, 2022 by saddlebum