Cam Timing

Ok here goes. Rebuilding a 74 kz400, When I follow the cam timing procedure in my clymers manual (5 times) I rotate the engine to TDC on the crank and the cam sprocket doesn't line up to the T mark. When I line up the Cam Sprocket, TDC on the crank seems to be 180 out. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot am I doing wrong, or is this correct. I have built many a car engine but this my first bike build. Thanks in advance for any help.

nitrolouie2142 wrote: Ok here goes. Rebuilding a 74 kz400, When I follow the cam timing procedure in my clymers manual (5 times) I rotate the engine to TDC on the crank and the cam sprocket doesn't line up to the T mark. When I line up the Cam Sprocket, TDC on the crank seems to be 180 out.

Nobody trusts Clymer's, I think there are real Kawi manuals online here someplace.

One thing I learned by panicking: I think the crankshaft turns twice for each full rotation of the camshaft. That means you can set the cam timing right, turn the crankshaft to the next TDC and it looks like the cams are wrong. Not sure if that's what you have, but I did it.

what kind of cam chain tensioner are you using?

FWIW, I did a search for KZ400 cam timing and found this:

The twins had one cam.
Steve

I went to the twin owners forum and downloaded the shop manual and it is the same as the clymers. I read about the wasted spark so it fires on both compression and exhaust strokes. so that is not an issue. The thing I'm worried about is the disaster that happens when valves hit pistons

Check out
kz400.com/EnginerebuildFrameset.html
and the section on "KZ400 B engine Rebuild"

Scroll down to point # 19

19. With the cam sprocket sitting on its mounting flange the timing mark, here picked out with silver paint, should align with the head flange. It's then a simple matter to rotate the camshaft until the sprocket bolt holes line up and then fit the two retaining screws, again using a spot of threadlock. And if you were worrying about getting the timing 180 degrees out, forget it. The Z400's wasted spark ignition system means both cylinders fire together, on both compression and exhaust strokes.

In Europe Z was used instead of KZ