I have just changed the timing belts on my 308GTBi. Do the front cams have timing marks on them like the rear ones do? Is there a way to verify that I have the front belts on at the correct location? It is easy to verify that the rear cam is timed correctly on the rear bank. Just look through the oil filler hole at TDC. Is there a similar way to do it on the front bank? Or can it be be verified by removing the front valve cover? I just want to check everything before I put it all back together.
If you remove the valve cover, you can see the marks like the 1-4 bank. If you really worry about it, then degreeing the cam will get you there. But, it is almost a concensus that the 308x cams are forgiving enough that the marks will get you there.
On my QV there is a metal pointer on the fiberglass backer that attaches to the pulley covers (this is on both the front and rear banks) that points to a mark on the cam. These marks are in the same alignment as the marks on your cam & cam cap, and thus provide and external way to verify cam timing w/o removing the valve covers. NOTE: These are NOT as accuriate as looking at the cam itself due to the ability of the fiberglass to move around....DO NOT use it as a sole reference when doing your cams....this is just a way to double check things. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Ditto the above - if you're at TDC on the flywheel and you pull the cam covers and the marks are on the money on the cams/caps then you're in good shape. Certainly, degreeing the cams is a more precise method no doubt, but you shouldn't have to degree the cams every time you change the belts.....
Thanks for all the help. I pulled the front valve cover (not a real pleasant task) and all is good. I just have to put the rest of it back together now.
My experience was different. I've only done three belt jobs but I checked the degree on all of them. They were all out of spec on the front cams. On two cars, both cams were > 2 deg out of spec, and on the last car, the exhaust was > 3 deg wrong, and the rear exhaust was also off. For a DIY guy, knowing what I know now I won't do a belt job without valve lash and degree check. YMMV