while removing my head for the shortblock installation this weekend, i had to take the cams out to take the head off. the exhaust one turned a little during the whole job. yeah, i was being a retard. didn't have the special tool to hold the cam gears steady while trying to unbolt them so i tried to hold them together with some heavy wire but it just got all torn up and the exhaust cam turned a little, probably about 60 degrees or so. does it take a LOT of force to bend a valve? is there any chance i messed up a few of my exhaust valves?

I really doubt you did damage. It sounds like the cam just kind of turned slightly upon removal w/o you actually putting force on it so I'm pretty certain all is okay.

takes engine turning forces most likely.. if you are talking just turning the cam while the motor is off.. highly unlikely any damage was done.

the stock valves are easy to bend. i got a bunch of used ones layin around in my garage that i use for various reasons like lineing up holes. i break those things all the time, it doen't take much.

If you got the head off, look. Do they look bent?

they looked fine to me, they weren't all hanging everywhere being fubar or anything, they looked like they were seated nicely where they're suppose to be. i guess i could put the camshafts back on with the head off and turn them around a little and watch them.

Where were the pistons at when you did this? If there were two pistons at top dead center(all the way up), then it is possible. Thats why whenever you install or remove cams, and need to rotate teh crank or cams to adjust timing, that you do so with the pistons halfway down the cylinders. I just usually will leave the TDC mark on the crank timing belt gear around the 8 or 9 o'clock positon, in relation to the TDC mark on the block. That way , no chance in doing any valve damage. Then when setting the timing belt, be sure that you leave the crank mark at that 9 o'clock postion, and THEN rotate your cam gear timing marks to line up ( - - ) . THEN rotate the crank to line up the arrows on the crank gear pully, and the block.

i think that the cam gears were oppisite of TDC, in other words the timing marks were opposing each other... i'll poke them a little this weekend.

EDIT: kind of like this...

I would say it was more important to know where the pistons were when you turned the cam gears. If the pistons are not at TDC, then you can turn each cam as much as you want. You only have to worry if the pistons are at TDC AND you rotate the cams. If the valves did hit the pistons when you turned the cams, you would have known it IMO. It would take quite a bit of turning force to bend the valves. You would have noticed that one of the cams tured very hard compared to the other. You would really have to wrench on it to bend the valves..Normally, you need to use a wrench on the cam sprocket to turn them anyway, but they should turn freely, then "snap" into place as you turn them. You would have felt a much different resistance..

if the head is off and so are the cams just get a little flashlight, turn the lights off and shine the light in the port. if you can;t see light from the other side they are fine.

Yeah with the motor not running you would have to crank on the cams to put enough force to bendthe valves. If the valves pushed down into th epistons you would feel resistance and then have to use a lot of force to turn and bend the valves. Unless your He-Man I doubt any damage was done, but take a look at how the valves seat and sit in the head.



15.9 @ 86.7mph
97 Eclipse RS

Injen CAI, 55mm TB, P&P Intake, Crower Stage 2 Cams, Hooker Header, GS-T Muffler, AFX UDP, Crane Ign Amp, S-AFC