This may be the strangest thing I’ve ever done to an engine. After having the joy of discovering the thing would turn-followed shortly by the pain of discovering there was interference…I decided to just remove the timing belt, and apply some “ol’ school” Eurocar knowledge.
“Interferance” engines only have contact between the pistons & valves when the crankshaft & camshafts are connected, right? So after disconnecting them, it should be possible to eventually run all three shafts around to their TDC marks by “backing off” when I feel resistance, and slowly passing the pistons & valves past each other until all three line up. A bit of a Rubic’s Cube, I suppose…but a berkeley of a lot less hassle (and cheaper!) than having to remove & reinstall the heads.
On the Alfa V6, the timing marks on the camshafts line up with a mark on one of the journals..so the cam covers had to come off. I slowly turned each shaft until I felt resistance, and then backed off about 1/10th of a turn to move the other two. It took about three hours, but I eventually rotated all three to the TDC marks.
I’ve had to let it sit for a couple o’weeks..I had an autocross to run, I twisted my back mowing the yard, and we’re trying arrange a meeting with the Real Estate Agent because we want to buy the house we’re renting (and the fact that I have an antique Alfa laying around in pieces around here is one of the reasons I don’t want to move again..
I’m taking vacation time from work on the 2nd week of September, just to try to finish this part of the motor. I’ve got a rebuild kit for the hydraulic detensioner, a new water pump, and a new thermostat (might as well, since it’s all taken apart, right?) waiting for me to do the work. I just ordered a new detensioner pulley bearing (the old one grinds when I turn it by hand!) and an alternator belt from IAP, and they should be here by the time I’m ready to start putting stuff back together.
