2.4t VVT adjustment right or a problem

[lwilliam22]

Thanks for the help you've been a lot of help I too believe now that you've walked me threw it and it still doesn't work that something must be off internally. Will be ordering one and good venders that carry them?

[lwilliam22]

I wanted let all know what I finally figured out on this car. I did go ahead and install a new vvt hub. And by the way I figured out my issue of not getting the timing to stay set after aligning my groves. Every time I would tension tb tensioner I was turning it tonthevright clockwise and finally caught my mistake after reading your procedure. But after checking timing marks twice and all being well it still didn't run good So I got my infrared thermometer out and went back to the cat on exhaust and found out the temp was way hotter before( inlet) side instead of afterwards I then pull oth front and back o2 and car drove great. So now I need a cat. Is like magnaflow a good choice to save money or something else

[lwilliam22]

Well turns out I was wrong again. Car drove good to exhaust shop but got it back from getting cat replaced and it was back to running bad and turbo getting excessively too hot. Got home could hear knocking at idle felt like cams so I removed cover. In process to remove hubs my exhaust cam groves was off again so my tool wouldn't fit. Even though my marks on front all line up.
So my question. Is the bolt for the vvt hub a stretch one time bolt? What else could be causing it to loose it's spring tension and allow cam to be off?

[jimmy57]

Are you torquing the TX 55 bolt in the hub to 89 ft-lbs?
It is not a TTY bolt so it can be re-used.

[lwilliam22]

Yes torqueing it at a tooth and a half before mark, unloaded( internal spring) then putting the belt on why'll holding the hub loaded( cw) making sure that after the belt is on the hub is loaded that my marks are all lined up. It was knocking pretty good at mid engine, like Behind turbo middle of block but will go away when revved. I just can't believe I've had so much issue with the timing. Something is causing my hub to lose its internal preload, because my marks will all line up but my exhaust cam is always about 2 teeth from letting the lockout tool to be installed( grove is not horizontal). I do have a real weak battery when it tries to start I usually have to boost it. Have you ever seen or heard of the motor jerking so bad the internal spring could be loose it's preload because the motor sometimes bumps and jerks when starting causing it to turn ccw a hair? I know sounds stupid but I'm just throwing any thought I can at this it lined up that last time I did it and after rotating the engine and it drove really good to the exhaust shop but when they were done the battery was dead and it seemed everything went to pot again and sure enough timing was off again. I know I've read other problems from the battery being dead any thoughts? Thanks for the help

[jimmy57]

I have not seen this much trouble with the CVVT units. The springs were never in the intake hubs and were dropped from exhaust hubs in 2002.
I think the spring is not it. Loss of spring tension shouldn't make it lose timing.
The hub has a pinned piston with a helical cut inner gear. It is pinned/keyed so the piston will not rotate. The cam gear is helical too. If the piston moves fore/aft the cam will rotated advanced/retarded. Oil pressure regulation in the front and back chambers is how the cam is moved. There is no pressure sensor only a cam position sensor used by ECM to decide the pulse ratio on the oil solenoid to get the cam to the target position.

The cam trying to seize could overpower the bolt's ability to hold given no keyway or even a coarse surface for grip.
I forgot the whole story here. Was there ever a problem before it was removed the first time?

[lwilliam22]

Yes, it was not running at all when I bought it. When I finally got it started it ran poorly like no boost and that's when I started noticing the red hot turbo. I have the cam tower off with the cams exposé. I notice the end ring bearings? Not sure what there called but on end of cam is 3 spaced rings that I believe to be a bearing of such. I was also getting the p0014 code and they had had a new transmission put in and a timing belt. Mentioned it ran worse after those fixes. But this was a girl who you could tell knew nothing. So with the turbo getting hot fast I figured it o be timing seeing how I checked the turbo itself put a cvvt slynoild in and a mass air , pcv system which it needed bad, and now a cat. A interesting thought but when I to the exhaust cat installed they called and said that they found a compressor wheel from the turbo in the cat. Well surprised I pulled the down tube and my turbo was fine. So somewhere previously someone had a catastrophic turbo failure. So since my timing is getting off about 2 teeth on exhaust ( that's going off my rear shaft groove) because my front belt marks all line up what would you check? It was knocking pretty good the last time I had it run. Maybe backfire type knocking fom timing or somthing broke internally causing slack? Course wouldn't every mark be off if slack was I touched to the belt? It sounded like knocking was right behind turbo mid block. But from on top it sounded like he cams where making the noise almost could feel. If timing was blowing combustion pressure at wrong order from timming it could make some noises. With rpm's the noises suppress. I just feel like something is giving to let it move but exactly the same amount every time? I'm just about crazy. Thanks

[lwilliam22]

I just went and looked over my cams after you mentioned the possibilitie of the cam trying to lock up, well I think you were right. I was looking down at the cams still in the cover and didnt even realize the oil passage was completely clog with carbon build up and the back two cam journals oil ports were clogged I started noticing after I was cleaning it out and was digging down by the ports thinking " why would they make the casting so deep right here" then realize it was the port for the journals. So I've cleaned out and looked at journals and don't see any bad groves. Just looks like some normal "rubs". You think everything would be fine? Man I tell you what with out you talking this out with me I don't think I would have ever found this. Well I'm waiting on my seals to come in and I guess I find out if that was the problem

[jimmy57]

Be sure any aluminum deposited on the cam is cleaned off completely. Use fine (600) sandpaper to clean any journals where aluminum was found. Make sure the bearing area of the head is clean and not too coarse. Don't worry with the lower bearing in the head so much. The cams rides on the upper side in the cover and only the front lower bearings have any stress on them and that is due to timing belt.

[lwilliam22]

You mention the bearing area, now there is no actual bearing just the aluminum casting of the cover and head right? After this car I want to make sure. Are there any areas of sludge buildup that would be crucial since apparently this car has it bad ,that I should check? I wonder about turbo feed lines.