I have just replaced the oil pump, water pump and am just starting the idlers and cambelt on my 2004 WRX. I had to remove the cam pulleys on the left side to replace the rear cambelt cover so I couldn’t lock the pulleys in place with the ICP tool I have.

I was just trying to get the left cams in position to put the locking tool in place. I rotated the bottom pulley anti-clockwise got it in position but then had to walk out the workshop a minute. The cam must have slipped and fallen over the lobe further anti-clockwise.

I came back and rotated the top pulley clockwise and got it in position. I looked down and saw the bottom pulley needed to go a bit more anti-clockwise to get the markings aligned. Which I did.

I then suddenly realized the top was correct but the bottom pulley had the single mark where the double mark should be so was a quarter of a turn out anti-clockwise! I didn’t know what to do so I released the tension on the top pulley I was holding. As it flung back anti-clockwise I heard a clang. I don’t know where the noise came from.

If the top pulley is correct but the bottom is a quarter of a turn out anti-clockwise, what position would the valves be in? How would I know if I have bent the valves? What should I do now?

 

Time it up I'd be vey surprised if you've damaged anything.

 

If you've got the crank timing mark lined up, then the pistons are all midway along the bores, then there's no worries there.

 

The crank timing mark was a little bit out because I was doing the oil pump. I think about 1:00 rather than 12:00.

So annoying as I was trying to be so careful and thorough. I have always thought of interference being valve to piston. It is only recently that I have read of valve to valve interference.

 

As above.

 

Thank you, I really hope it’s all okay. I have seen somewhere that a compression test on each cylinder when it is all back together is a good way of checking if anything is damaged. I might do that just for a general check of engine condition anyway.