'78 650 SR - Cam Shaft Install - Which Marks?

About to put the cam shafts back in and get the chain setup correctly but I'm getting confused on which marks to use on each of the shafts. On both the exhaust and intake shafts there are the following marks:

- 'T' with a line below it
- arrow
- 'EX' with a line above it.

Which of these do I line up with the head when setting the timing chain? I'm thinking its the T lines but want to be 100% sure.

Also, when you setup the exhaust cam, do you put the caps on and torque it down before moving to the intake cam, or do you set both up first before putting the caps on and tightening?

Thanks

The T mark on the crankshaft (viewed through the points plate) should line up with the line on the brass pin.

On the exhaust cam the arrow below the T should line up with the front head gasket surface.

On the intake cam the arrow under the T should line up with the rear head gasket surface.

The chain pin that lines up with the exhaust cam's arrow is "pin zero" (don't count it). Starting with the next pin up count 36 pins to the arrow on the intake cam. Pin 36 lines up with the arrow on the intake cam.

HTH. If nothing else, I can scan the relevant pages.

Thanks N0NB, that's perfect. That should be enough to get me going.

Thanks again, really appreciate it.

The T mark on the crankshaft (viewed through the points plate) should line up with the line on the brass pin.

I haven't got a manual here, but there are two T marks on the crackshaft (advancer) are there not? One for the 1&4 cyls. and one for the 2&3 cyls.
Which one is used in this case?
Or I guess it doesn't matter as the cams spin twice for each one turn of the crank?
Edit: It's the crank that spins twice for one turn of the cams. Thanks for clarifying that Ron.

Good point, Rob. It should be the 1/4 mark that is lined up to the brass pin. In other words, cam timing is set with 1&4 at TDC.

Thanks guys.

When do you put the caps on though. Do you setup the exhaust cam and tighten that one down, and then move on to the intake? Or should you setup both, then tighten both? Or does it even matter?

This is my first time doing it so want to ensure I don't mess anything up. I'll probably post a pic of the setup if I can get it done, so that you can verify it.

It's the crankshaft that spins twice for each single rotation of the cams, not the other way around, so it's important you use the 1-4 marks, not the 2-3. The way to bolt them in is have your cams both positioned correctly where you think the marks will line up with the mating surface when tightened. This takes a little practice because when you tighten down the cams sometimes the marks are not exactly where you thought they would be. So tighten just the exhaust cam, and make sure engine is still at TDC on 1-4 and your mark is lined up with the head. If it is, make sure you count back your 36 pins back to the intake mark correctly and tighten that cam. No use doing the intake until you're sure the exhaust is right or you have to redo both. Also press down the chain between the cams to make sure all slack is between the cams as you do all this.

Thank you Ron, good explanation. Thanks for stating to line up where you think, because when I tried it last night untightened, the line was above the surface. Understand now.

I'll try it tonight and hopefully report back with some good news.

I just got everything setup and bolted down but have a question. How exact does everything need to be? I had it all lined up perfectly, both exhaust and intake marks looked really good, so I installed the top tensioner and rear one, and turned the engine over a few times using the crankshaft nut. Lined it up on the 1-4 T mark and now the exhaust mark is about a millimeter above the head surface and the intake is a millimeter below. Is this normal or alright? I can take pics if it would help.

Redid it this morning. Had everything setup perfectly, all three marks in perfect alignment. I then put on the top guide and the tensioner (not tightened up just using spring pressure). I then rotated the engine one cycle and the marks are off again! Seems the slackness on top between the gears is messing it up. Whe I turn the engine, this chain slack has to be taken up and so it is off this little bit. When I initially set it up the chain was not tight against the top guide, should it be?

If I rotate the engine and line up the two arrows with the head surface, the T| timing mark is gone past the mark by about two millimeters.

What am I doing wrong? I'm obviously missing something along the way.

Any help would be appreciated.

I just went through this a couple weeks ago and about drove myself nuts. My engine is a different model without the roller on top, but at the end of the day I convinced myself that the variables the KZ engineers want me to be aware of are three timing marks, a specific number of pins between the top marks and no slack in the front part of the chain. You are rotating the engine forward, right?

Yes, only forward. I made sure there was no slack in front, but I'm going to have to try again. There must be some slack that I'm not getting in front that is accounting for it being a bit off after rotating. I don't mind doing it over again if I knew what I was doing wrong. It is a bit frustrating though, since it all looks perfect until you start rotating.