JWT Cam Install Notes

With the install of JWT cams, I have reached the limit of bolt-on power production on my NA engine. From now on, if I want more power, I must either go with forced induction or do major headwork. But that gets me ahead of myself. The purpose here is to show with word and picture how to do a cam install. So let's get to it.

Step One

Make sure that you have all the right tools to do the install. Among the usual tools, you will need a very large 1 inch wrench. Buy it before you start to prevent interruption.

Remove the distributor, plug wires, and valve cover from the engine. The image to the left shows the order in which to remove the valve cover bolts. In the image the valve cover has already been taken off the car. Just imagine it is still on the car and follow the numbered sequence :-) Place the valve cover in a clean dry area of your garage. You do not want dirt to get inside the valve cover. If dirt gets in, clean the cover before you reinstall it on the engine block.

Step Two

Put the car in neutral. Secure a socket to the crank pulley bolt. Take a ratchet, engage it to the socket and turn the ratchet and pulley clockwise until the number one cylinder is at Top Dead Center (TDC). Also make sure that the stock cam lobes are pointing away from the center of the engine. The image to the left shows the cam lobes on the number one cylinder in their proper position. The green arrows and writing on the picture refers to the position of the cam lobes. Use plastic zip ties to secure the chain to the sprockets. This is intended to keep the chain in its proper timing position. Make sure that you get this right. There is no room for error. As you can see from the image, I secured the chain to the sprockets with two zip ties on each side just to be safe.

Step Three

Loosen the cam sprocket bolts as shown in the picture to the left. Use a 24 mm socket and ratchet on the sprocket bolt and a 1 inch open end wrench on the cam hex. The cam hex is in front of the front lobe as can be seen from the image to your left. Do not remove the bolts yet.

Step Four

The following is a very controversial procedure. Do it at your own risk. I am not responsible if you damage your engine by following this procedure. It worked for me. It might not work for you.

There are several ways to deal with the chain tensioner. Either remove it or block it. On the one hand, JWT instructions recommend that you block the tensioner in place using a 1/2 inch wide and 4.5 inch long wooden wedge. You place the wedge between the chain on the intake side and the and the aluminum protrusion in the block. On the other hand, the safest way is to remove the tensioner as shown in the FSM.

The third way is my way. There is a little hook that is below the intake cam sprocket where you can see the tensioner. You can engage this hook with a spring tool and this will remove the tension on the timing chain. This way you can remove the sprockets with no tension on the chain. Unfortunately, we found that out after we removed the sprockets and did not block nor remove the tensioner. However, after we engaged the hook, tension on the chain was relieved and we were able to put the sprockets back on the cams. To the left is a close up picture of the hook. I point to it with the red line.

Step Five

If you have an upper chain guide, then remove it. 98 SE-Rs do not have an upper chain guide even though its pictured in the FSM. Go figure. Remove the bolts on the cam sprocket and remove the sprockets off the cams. Let the chain/sprockets lay relaxed away from the cams until you are ready to assemble the new cams.

Get a piece of card board and a marker. Draw the position of the camshaft brackets on that board and number the camshaft brackets on the board from 1 to 5. For example, I-1 refers to the position of the first intake cam bracket. E-1 would refer to the first exhaust cam bracket. You get the idea. The picture to your left shows you clearly what I mean. It also shows you how the camshaft brackets, the baffle plate, and oil tubes are placed on the board after they are removed.

PS: Make sure that you remove the camshaft bolts one turn of each bolt at a time until all the bolts are free of tension.

Step Six

Remove the stock cams. Clean and check for any damage on the JWT cams. Thoroughly coat the cam journals, cam lobes, and the JWT cams with engine oil before the assembly. Coating the cams with oil is critical for proper cam seating and thus cam longevity. Reinstall all the parts on the card board in their proper order. Clean off all traces of the old silicone being very careful not to get one crumb in to the motor.  As shown in the image to the right, a thin coat of silicone sealant should be applied to the cut-out area that holds the distributor in place. The picture clearly shows where to apply the silicone. It also show where not to apply the silicone. Use the silicone sealant sparingly. Also make sure that you place a dab of silicone on the corners of the semi-circular cutouts in the head of the valve cover gaskets. Just a little dab in the corners of the semi-circular plugs in the valve cover gasket will do it.

Start tightening down the cam caps in an X pattern from the middle of the cam outward, turning 1/2 turn at a time and watching the gaps in the cam caps to the head to make sure the cam is not cocked. Continue the tightening process until all of the brackets are snug. At this time it is a good idea to make sure the rockers are fully seated on the valve guide lash cap on the valve. Finally, torque the 10 mm bolts from the center bolt outward to 6.7-8.7 ft-lb. The two 12 mm bolts closest to the distributor are to be torqued to 13-19 ft-lb.

After you tighten all of the cam caps to proper torque, it is a good idea to get the 1" wrench and move the cams back and forth slightly before you attach the timing chain gears to make sure that the cams are not cocked or binding.   The cams should move freely.  If they won't turn, then the tightening procedure must be repeated paying more attention to tightening down the caps evenly. There have been instances of people snapping their cams in two when starting the car due to the cams being cocked.

Step Seven

Attach the sprockets to the new cams and bolt the screws by hand. Make sure that the sprockets are fully seated against the cams. When installing the chain, double check to make sure that you can count 20 chain pins between the two timing marks. Now check the dowel pin position of the sprocket on the cam. The dowel pin location must be at 10 o'clock on the intake cam and at 12 o'clock on the exhaust cam. If this is not correct then the cam timing is off. Finally, torque the sprocket bolts to 101-116 ft-lb.

disengage the tensioner hook.

Remove the zip ties from the chain.

Step Eight

Reinstall the valve cover, the distributor, and the plug wires. Be sure to install all the washers between bolts and the valve cover. The bolt sequence is outlined on the image to your left. Tighten bolts 1, 10, 11, 13 and 8. Then tighten all the other bolts. Torque the bolts in two stages, first to 2.9 ft-lb, then to 5.8-7.2 ft-lb. Do not over-tighten these bolts. They are very fragile and they will break.

Step Nine

Check to make sure that you have done everything correctly and that all the wires are connected. Start the car. There might be some clatter at first. But do not worry, it will go away in a few minutes.

Make sure that you adjust your timing once your are done. I did not adjust my timing and my car ran like crap for a while. So do not make my mistake. Click here to get to the timing adjustment procedure. If you are running the JWT cams alone, then adjust your timing to 17-18 degrees and use 92 octane gas. If you are running the JWT cams and the JWT ECU, then set your timing to 15 degrees and use 92 octane gas.

To break in the cams do the following:

	When you first start the motor, immediately bring the rpm up to 2000 rpm and blip the throttle between 2000-3000 for about 10 minuets.  This helps assure the cams break in correctly.
	Run the engine at 10-15 minutes between 1500 to 2000 rpm.
	Drive the car for 50-100 miles of varied rpm. Do not go above 4000 rpm.
	Because of the ECU self learning, the car will run better and better within the next two days.
	I would also change the engine oil after about a few hundred miles as cam break in leaves many small iron particles.