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Cam gear dowell?

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Old Oct 14, 2010 | 11:20 PM
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Default Cam gear dowell?
I have done a bunch of searching and I can't seem to figure out what direction to have the adjustable dowell piece facing on my cam gear. There is a section on ls1howto.com on replacing a cam and it references the dowell but is too vague on which direction to have it face. Thanks for the help in advance.
Justin
The engine is a 5.3L
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Old Oct 15, 2010 | 09:02 AM
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Could you be more specific? Not exactly sure what you're asking.
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Old Oct 15, 2010 | 09:38 AM
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If you have the timing marks on the gears lined up, the cam can only be indexed in one direction. Anywhere else, and your timing marks won't line up.
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Old Oct 15, 2010 | 12:08 PM
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I have the dot on my cam gear and the arrow on my crank lined up with eachother. However, there is a dowell, that fits over the metal pin that sticks out of the end of the cam. This dowell has a hex wrench hole in it to adjust it. there is an "a" on one end and a "r" at the other. I am assuming for advance and retard. It appears when I turn this it slightly changes the way the cam gear lines up, and it also appears to take a little slack out of the chain. Im just not sure if I should have the dot on the dowell facing the "a" or the "R" or in between?
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Justin
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Old Oct 15, 2010 | 12:18 PM
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That's a new one to me. Never heard of an adjustable pin.
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Old Oct 15, 2010 | 12:51 PM
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Ah ha! I've seen those on older engines! I never knew they were doing them on LSx engines now. What brand is it, Cloyes? Looks like this:



Start with no advance or retard, with the bushing in the middle. If you want to phase (advance/retard) the timing, you turn the bushing whichever way you need to.
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Old Oct 15, 2010 | 02:10 PM
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Thanks a lot, that is exactly how it looks. This is on a 5.3L engine in my camaro that was put in by the previous owner, and is forged with a turbo. There will be a bunch of stuff covering the cam gear once I finish install, so I would like to not have to touch this after I put everything back together. So I will just put it in the middle setting.
Thanks for the help
Justin
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Old Oct 15, 2010 | 02:33 PM
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That's a pretty slick way of adjusting cam timing. What holds the dowel in the cam?
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Old Oct 15, 2010 | 02:45 PM
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Originally Posted by blsnelling
That's a pretty slick way of adjusting cam timing. What holds the dowel in the cam?
The dowel pin is already in the cam with a press fit. You can't see it in the picture, but the bushing goes over that dowell pin. It should be right under that allen wrench.
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