Cylinder Head Install on 2.7T Motor

**xalents23** · 10-20-2014 03:10 PM

Anyone got any info on installing cylinder heads on a 2.7T motor? My timing belt broke on my motor. And I'm about to remove my messed up cylinder heads and replace them with good ones. My issue is do you need to rotate the cam gears to be at TDC (Top Dead Center) on the cylinder heads before you put them on the block? Or do you just need to count the chains like the picture below. Been searching online but can't find any concrete info on this. I already turned the crank pulley on the block to TDC (Top Dead Center). Only one of my cylinder heads have the cam markings line up. The second cylinder heads I have will line up but, the valves stay open on the bottom? I can get pictures of the heads and markings when I get home from work today. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

**auditrackspeed** · 10-20-2014 06:24 PM

Very precise work man, id ask a few local shops good luck bro

**zillarob** · 10-20-2014 08:23 PM

Trackspeed has a point, ye be playing with fire here. Be honest with yourself about your abilities, major potential for bad shit to happen if you get something wrong here.

This is how I do it.

First, roll the crank backward ~60deg until you see the slot on the left of this pic in the hole where the crank lock goes. You can lock it with the crank pin if you want.
This gets the pistons down out of the way of the valves just to be safe. You can rotate it back to the right spot just before you put the belt on.

This pic is how I set the cams up. Just line them up in the chain so the notches are straight up when you pull it tight, slip the tensioner in without letting the chain slip on the sprockets, and set them in the head.

**xalents23** · 10-21-2014 08:26 AM

Okay, I think I bit more than I can chew. Let's say I lock the crank with the lock pin. Then remove my old heads and then put the new ones on. And put the cam lock bar on the cams and they fit. Does that mean I'm good to go with putting the timing belt on. And turning the crank bolt 2-5 revolutions. Checking the timing with the cam lock bar each revolution. And the cam lock bar fits on the cams.

**S4gasm aka LOTR** · 10-21-2014 09:22 AM

Originally Posted by xalents23

Okay, I think I bit more than I can chew. Let's say I lock the crank with the lock pin. Then remove my old heads and then put the new ones on. And put the cam lock bar on the cams and they fit. Does that mean I'm good to go with putting the timing belt on. And turning the crank bolt 2-5 revolutions. Checking the timing with the cam lock bar each revolution. And the cam lock bar fits on the cams.

Yes you are on the right path. As long as you make sure the heads are marked at TDC before installing them on the block, and the block is also at TDC, you will be ok. Keep in mind the heads can appear to be at TDC but can actually be a 180 degrees off, the cam lock bar will only go on the heads when they are at TDC, iirc the bigger holes on the cam sprockets need to face inwards, otherwise you're 180 off. And if you bought a spare head, it's very unlikely the PO was worried about getting the motor at TDC before he ripped the head off to sell it.

**xalents23** · 10-21-2014 02:13 PM

Originally Posted by S4gasm aka LOTR

Yes you are on the right path. As long as you make sure the heads are marked at TDC before installing them on the block, and the block is also at TDC, you will be ok. Keep in mind the heads can appear to be at TDC but can actually be a 180 degrees off, the cam lock bar will only go on the heads when they are at TDC, iirc the bigger holes on the cam sprockets need to face inwards, otherwise you're 180 off. And if you bought a spare head, it's very unlikely the PO was worried about getting the motor at TDC before he ripped the head off to sell it.

Thanks for the info S4gasm aka LOTR much appreciated. I feel a little better now that, it's not going to be as hard as I thought it would be replacing the 2.7T heads.

Hopefully I can get this done by this weekend. So, I can start on the timing belt service.

**xalents23** · 10-21-2014 08:50 PM

So, I had some time today to mock up my cylinder heads. Let me know what you guys think. The driver side CAM markings line up and the chain count is 16. The passenger side CAM markings don't line up. But it does have a yellow paint mark near the CAM arrow. Should I install the passenger side this way or fix the CAM timing marks so they line up? I tried many rotations on passenger side but the markings won't line up. The only way they line up is with the valves open. Which I attached a picture below.

Mock up if they are installed on the car:

Driver side CAM markings:

Passenger side CAM markings:

Valves open when timing marks are matched on the passenger side: