I just installed a new camshaft and/or cam gear, and now my car idles very poorly (or it won even start!) Whats wrong?
Some “racing” cams with high lift & duration may cause your car to idle poorly. Similarly, if you have your cam gear advanced or retarded to its maximum adjustment range, this may affect the idle. Finally, you may have simply left a vacuum fitting disconnected. But let’s assume you have a mild cam grind and/or have your cam gear set at 0 degrees. If your car idles very poorly or will not start at all, and you did not modify or disconnect any other parts of your engine, then it is possible that you did not index the cam or cam gear correctly when performing the installation. This could be as simple as being one tooth off when refitting the timing belt. But as a result, your camshaft is out of phase with your crankshaft, i.e. your valves are not opening and closing at the correct interval relative to top dead center (TDC) of the crank. To correct this problem, you or your mechanic should use a degree wheel to “degree in” the crankshaft. To explain this process better, here is an explanat
