lotus esprit s3 1981

[darren13]

have recently replaced the head gasket rebuit the engine but i cant get compression on any cylinders can anyone help

daz

[GKP]

Check your cam timing (by hand!) again.

[darren13]

have done this several times could you tell me with the covers off looking from the back of the car what positions the cam lobes should be in once set up, thanx for your recent reply. daz

[Wedg1e]

Didn't get the cams mixed up when you refitted them did you? The timing marks would then be talking complete ballcocks!

[Esprit2]

Daz,

Check the valve clearances to make sure they aren't negative and holding the valves open.

The cams are timed using the marks on the FRONT side of the pulley, not from the back side.

Each pulley has an IN mark on one side and an EX mark on the other. The IN mark faces forward on the INtake came, and the EX mark faces forward on the EXhaust cam. Then the marks on the back sides of the cam will be backwards... EX on intake and IN on exhaust.

Having the pulleys on backwards will shift each cam's timing by 10 degrees.

Once you have made sure the pulleys are facing the proper directions, then you can time using the dots on either side of the pulleys... front or back.

With the crankshaft at TDC, the dots must be adjacent to one another and on the imaginary centerline between the two cams. It's not enough to be adjacent, they must also be on the centerline.

Good luck,
Tim Engel
Lotus Owners Oftha North