Question on Camshaft allocation/Tools 9612

[Dharn55]

I have a question about the use/purpose of the Porsche Cam alignment tool 9612 ( and the equivalent tools available from Baum Tools, ZDmax and Pelican). The descriptions say that the tools is used to secure the intake and exhaust cams in relation to each other when setting the cam timing. However, the relative position of the cams to each other seems to be controlled by the number of chains links on the sprockets and the cam tensioner/solenoid. You cannot change the relative position of the cams to each other once the chain is set on the sprocket. It seems that the real purpose of this tool is to set the position of the cams to the sprocket on the intermediate shaft chain, and thus the position of the cams relative to the crankshaft. Is this really the case?

This comes up for me on my project repairing the intermix problem on my car. For those of you who have been following my on-going project, after having the cracked head fix and reinstalling it, the car started up but blew an expansion plug out of the end of the 1-6 intake cam. The cams are actually hollow and carry pressurized oil to the journals on the cams. Each end of the cams has an expansion plug, and on occasion these can blow out, which can lead to a complete loss of oil quite quickly. In any case I caught mine if a few seconds and shut the engine down. It is not advisable to reuse the old expansion plug as it has already been deformed and could blow out again. Porsche does not sell a replacement plug ( they will only provide a new cam for $800+ as opposed to the plug which costs less than a dollar) and the plugs available in the US are the right diameter, but are two deep to go into the cam far enough to hold. I searched and searched but could not find a properly sized plug. So I found a used set of cams. When I removed the cams I marked the position of the sprocket from the IMS chain on the exhaust cam flange so that I could put everything back in the exact same position. However when removing the intake cam from the cam assembly, the chain came off both cams, so I had to reinstall the chain based on the colored links and marks on the cam. I did not think this would effect the marks on the exhaust cam flange and the IMS chain sprocket, but now when the engine is set at TDC and the marks are aligned, the cam groove is not straight up and down. So I want to make sure that the cams are set correctly relative to the crankshaft.

I have devised another way to rotate the cams to set the position, but I am perplexed that the sprocket and flange don’t seem to line up the way they did before. Any thoughts on this?

[gorann123]

Hi, you can't put it back just like that. It doesn't matter if you mark it. You will need again to install auxiliary chain tensioners and do the timing again. The special tool that you ask for is used to hold exhaust camshaft in right position when you install auxiliary chain tensioners, before you bolt up sprocket on camshaft. I'm sorry on my bad english, I'm from Croatia. Please ask if you don't understandt, I'll try to explained better.

Regards.

[txhokie4life]

I have a question about the use/purpose of the Porsche Cam alignment tool 9612 ( and the equivalent tools available from Baum Tools, ZDmax and Pelican). The descriptions say that the tools is used to secure the intake and exhaust cams in relation to each other when setting the cam timing. However, the relative position of the cams to each other seems to be controlled by the number of chains links on the sprockets and the cam tensioner/solenoid. You cannot change the relative position of the cams to each other once the chain is set on the sprocket. It seems that the real purpose of this tool is to set the position of the cams to the sprocket on the intermediate shaft chain, and thus the position of the cams relative to the crankshaft. Is this really the case?

This comes up for me on my project repairing the intermix problem on my car. For those of you who have been following my on-going project, after having the cracked head fix and reinstalling it, the car started up but blew an expansion plug out of the end of the 1-6 intake cam. The cams are actually hollow and carry pressurized oil to the journals on the cams. Each end of the cams has an expansion plug, and on occasion these can blow out, which can lead to a complete loss of oil quite quickly. In any case I caught mine if a few seconds and shut the engine down. It is not advisable to reuse the old expansion plug as it has already been deformed and could blow out again. Porsche does not sell a replacement plug ( they will only provide a new cam for $800+ as opposed to the plug which costs less than a dollar) and the plugs available in the US are the right diameter, but are two deep to go into the cam far enough to hold. I searched and searched but could not find a properly sized plug. So I found a used set of cams. When I removed the cams I marked the position of the sprocket from the IMS chain on the exhaust cam flange so that I could put everything back in the exact same position. However when removing the intake cam from the cam assembly, the chain came off both cams, so I had to reinstall the chain based on the colored links and marks on the cam. I did not think this would effect the marks on the exhaust cam flange and the IMS chain sprocket, but now when the engine is set at TDC and the marks are aligned, the cam groove is not straight up and down. So I want to make sure that the cams are set correctly relative to the crankshaft.

I have devised another way to rotate the cams to set the position, but I am perplexed that the sprocket and flange don’t seem to line up the way they did before. Any thoughts on this?

BTW, Sunset sells this tool for about $100. That is of course if you decide you need it -- We had it -- so we used it --

I personally haven't done the cam timing -- so I can't answer.

m

[JeTexas]

Did you check into adjustable plugs? I was just redoing freeze plugs on a Ford block and found out that now they have both copper and rubber adjustable plugs that wrench out to size although they're about $40 a piece. I'm guessing there could be something similar for the camshaft.

[Dharn55]

Checked with Sunset, the tool 9612 (cam allocator is $478 and is in Germany so a month away. Baum Tools seels almost an exact repica for about the same price. ZDmax has a substitute for $216. It turns out that the two cams are set relative to each other by the chain, the tool is used to move the cams relative to the IMS/Crankshaft.

The problem witht the plugs is that they can only be about .18 inches deep. There is a shoulder in the hole on the end of the camshaft and the widest part of the plug has to fit weel into the end. All the plugs I found werre .25+ inches deep, so that the widest part of the plug would not go in far enough before hitting the should in the end of the cam.

Edited June 25, 2009 by Dharn55