Uh Oh… More Engine Help

[Ubaderb]

Thanks everyone for the help on my earlier post. But now I’m afraid I’ve gone too far. So I am doing the Vanos bulletproofing. While waiting on the timing tool to show up I went ahead and removed the Vanos unit. I did NOT touch any hub or cam bolts. Today the timing tool arrives and I start on the TDC procedure. After a couple turns I feel a resistance change and realize that the helical gears have came out completely and the cam gears and timing chain are turning but the camshafts aren’t turning. How far how I’ve messed this up??

Thinking this through, is my solution to: put the car at TDC, place the pin, take a 24mm wrench to turn the cams until they are in the correct position, and then continue the normal work? How far and how safe is it to turn the cams by a wrench? This felt well within my mechanical capabilities but now I am questioning my sanity.

Is this how Vanos works??

[Ubaderb]

Ok, after taking a breather I think I feel better. I found a diagram online. Are the inside of the camshafts splined? That’s what it looks like here.

[Slideways]

Can you take a few pictures of how it is now, both cams and crank damper?

You have to be very careful with how you rotate the crank and cams separately back to TDC. Remember, at TDC, piston number 1 is at the top of the cylinder and cams lobes are diagonally pointing at each other to indicate that all cylinder 1 valves are closed.

When you loosen the hub bolts, the cams and helical gears will no longer be in time with the crank. Once the helical gears are removed, the cams are no longer turning with the crank.

[sapote]

1. After a couple turns I feel a resistance change and realize that the helical gears have came out completely and the cam gears and timing chain are turning but the camshafts aren’t turning. How far how I’ve messed this up??

2. Thinking this through, is my solution to: put the car at TDC, place the pin, take a 24mm wrench to turn the cams until they are in the correct position, and then continue the normal work? How far and how safe is it to turn the cams by a wrench? This felt well within my mechanical capabilities but now I am questioning my sanity.

Is this how Vanos works??

1. The resistance you felt is the piston hit the valves. Hopefully you didn't turn too hard and bent valves. It happened bc the splined was pushed out by the helical cut gear, and so straight splines were out of the cam sleeve and no longer could drive the cam. Remember that the splined shafts turn the cams, not the sprockets.
2. Yes, but make sure the splined shafts are back into the hubs as before.