Do I have the correct number of teeth between cam gears???? I can't tell if this is 19 or 18 or 17 or????

 

yes, but the gears arent in alignment... unless you are just checking the tooth count only.

 

The reflection in your picture makes it difficult to see where the notches are. On the smaller size it looks like 19, but if you zoom in, it looks like a reflection on the left cam gear.

 

Here's some more pics:



and

 

On the right cam gear shouldn't the E be in that position and not the I? or are the VVT motors different?

 

So that is what the vvt gear looks like

 

When I last did a timing belt on a VVT motor, I don't remember the "I" being near that position. Also dependent on my interpretation of the dot and notch, you do not have 19 teeth between. Pull off the top cover, turn cylinder #1 to TDS and take another picture, please.

 

What's the accurate way to get to TDC without turning the crank by hand? I can't do that since I have an ATI damper and my sway bar is in the way. I can put a socket extension down a spark plug hole and keep bumping it with the starter but I'm not sure how to be precise.

I'm really just looking to see if I'm good on the teeth count though. The car has seemed unusually zippy so I want to see if I'm off a tooth.

As for the "I", my FM cam gear was ******* up so I just have a regular gear on it. I and E gears are the same.

 

Then just based on teeth count it looks like 19 to me

 

19 teeth is what I count

 

Yes the cam gears are the same, but when you mount them in the E position, the E should be up when the first cylinder is at TDC. This will have an effect on the cam positioning. If you are saying it is running well, maybe you lucked out and should leave it that way.

So far as a way to get TDC, the mark on the lower timing belt cog is the only accurate one. Next would be the timing mark on the bottom plastic cover.

 

you dont have a crank bolt? cut down a 21 mm socket and you will clear the swaybar just fine, from there you can turn the crank.

 

Remove the upper plastic cover and use the plate behind the cam gears to time it. You can see it without removing the OE damper using a flashlight, not sure about the ATI damper. The VVT intake cam gear has no clear-cut mark like all of the other cam gears do, so it's best to just use the factory I/E alignment plate instead of the 19-tooth trick. I've timed my VVT motor twice now using that method and gotten it right the first time.

 

To get the correct positioning on the cam gear, the "E" should be pointing up when the pin in the end of the cam is pointing up. The positioning pin goes in the slot that is pointing to the to the letter designating where the cam goes. If the cam is being used for the injection side, the pin goes toward the "I"