You don't need to know the exact position of the lobes. I'm pretty sure setting a cam lobe at a specific radial position is much more difficult than lining up the marks on the gears and backplate. Also, I don't see any reference to the lobe positions in the TSRM. If the marks line up, then your cam timing is correct. Your problem is elsewhere.

 

Adjusted the TPS per TSRM? A lot of the wiring is old...

 

When cyl is @ TDC, intake & exhaust cam lobes will be leaning towards center (spark plug),
and if you have the marks as the TSRM shows, your good to go.

Who ever told you the intake should be strait up needs to be taken off your list of who to ask questions from in the future.

 

@sixpack: I have the valve timing set as indicated. The only reason I asked the original question is because of what I have been reading and listening to. My timing marks are all lined up and the engine starts even after prolonged cranking and idles and accelerate in 'park'. When in 'DRIVE' I can accelerate fine for about one gear change cycle then it begins to bog down and I can no longer accelerate the engine. I just feather the accelerator to keep the rpm at 1000-1100 to get it back to my garage.
My check engine light comes on and everytime it's a code 52. I just completed the knock sensor rewire using RG58 AU, but the code still comes back. I have rechecked the wiring over and over again so now I am at the point of thinking I may have one or both KNK sensors faulty.
I purchased the KNK sensor connectors from the Toyota dealership.
The connector fit the rear KNK sensor perfectly but is loose on the front KNK sensor. To correct this, I de-pinned the new connector and installed it on the old sensor connector plastic housing.
I still have my Code 52.
I am looking for two KNK sensors, but I cannot afford to pay $150 - $200 per sensor.
Anyone out there with a couple of "known good sensors'' for sale? Please contact me at framkiss1@att.net
I also purchased a fuel BANJO bolt with schraeder valve from ACTRON so I can monitor the fuel pressure to see if I have a problem there.
@220 I never said that I adjusted the TPS. I just checked it to see if i had any dead spots on the potentiometer.
I am also going to test my CTS to see whether it's within specs and replace if necessary.
In my opinion, the bogging down of the engine feels like when you have a faulty AFM or a bad TPS none of which is the case with my car.
A Supra guy in Orlando, Florida sold me 2 AFMs but even though they were the same numbers, The car will not start with either of them installed.
It starts and runs with my original AFM.
He is the one that told me that my valve timing is "OFF",
I then lined up all of my timing marks as per the TSRM and the car starts and I can adjust the timing to 10-12 degrees BTDC.
Any one knows what gives here. Will Code 52 prevent me from accelerating the car when it's under 'load'?

 

a quick read : are you confident your fuel filter is not plugged.

fuel pressure at idle is way way different than fuel pressure under load. a 99% plugged filter may flow enough to idle, but then roll a few feet and no good.

it seems when people make up their mind "this is good" they get tunnel vision. to be honest i am not following you at all on the "i have 3 afm but only the one is good and works". have you done a compression test ?

 

@MadisonMK3:
As stated above, I am awaiting a banjo adapter to verify fuel pressure since this was not done. I agree with your statement re: fuel pressure.
what's wrong with having two faulty AFMs? What are you not following? With the faulty ones the car will not start.
Compression test done; 150 psi across the board.
BHG job done.
No tunnel vision here.
I will post results when the fuel banjo bolt adapter gets here.
Responses re: Code 52?
Responses re: Knock sensor availability?

 

Calibrate your TPS?

 

Anyone used these knock sensors available on EBAY. It says it's compatible with 1989 7mgte engines. Need some feedback before I purchase.

"Knock Sensor New for Toyota Camry RAV4 Celica Highlander Lexus ES300 Solara MR2"

@220: I am awaiting a banjo bolt to check my fuel pressure and will check my TPS. Thanks.

 

not saying its you---it could be me not following it. these "i took my car apart (HG) and now it wont run" are always a (fun) challenge since its really hard to get all the info in a short form post. and there are so many ways to f up a head gasket job, and not knowing you, I have no idea your skill level etc. so..

1. why you have 2 spare AFM that are apparently bad. did you buy these knowing they were bad OR did you think your original was bad so you bought replacements
2. combining the issues : car runs like crap + I have 3 afm but only one makes it run (poorly)... could the issue be in your AFM wiring and not the actual afm itself. just making an Internet guess thats all, if you have 3 afm, car does not run for crap with any of them and only barley runs with one....maybe its something else like the cps flaking out (an ohm test may not show that because that test is done with it stationary and not running. throw vibration/heat in there and the pickup coils / wiring can open up and make it act all kinds of crazy.

for me, the fact you have good compression + your cam pulley marks line up = don't waste any more time looking down that path of cam timing. I certainly can be mis-interpreting you, i just detected a "its cam timing tunnel vision" going on.

I am not much help on the knock sensor question as i have not ran into that issue/code. is it possible the motor is actually knocking and the ECU is just throwing the code due to excessive knock signal ? does it throw the code with the knock sensors disconnected ?

 

Good luck.

 

This may be a long shot, but have you checked the plug wires coming off the coilpacks? At one point last year my car developed a nasty misfire under boost which over the period of a few days turned into a misfire at all RPMs. Turned out the plug wires which were original and had never been changed were old and cracked, allowing the spark to jump and ground out on the valve covers before it could reach the plug. Pulled a set of wires off my parts engine and problem was gone..

 

The engine does not have a misfire.
I will repeat the symptoms.
In "PARK" the engine runs perfectly. and I can accelerate it all the way to WOT.
If I 'goose' the accelerator, the CEL comes on and I get a Code 52.
I recently did the Knock sensors rewire using RG 58 AU coaxial cable.
I still have Code 52. I ask a question about aftermarket Knock sensors, but no response so far.
When under 'load' the engine bogs down. It chokes if that is a better term.
I had no way of checking fuel pressure and will do so this weekend.
AFM and TPS checks out as good.

 

what does it do if you disconnect the knock sensors and run the motor?

are you goosing it in park and its doing that or is it only in gear ?

do you have a wideband to see what air fuel ratio is doing during this ?

reading again two more "internet guesses" popped in my head: catalytic converter plugged OR trans shot

What i don't konw OP is if the 7mgte will run fine with no knock sensor. for example it may throw that code and retard timing, leaving the car totally driveable but just running in the low timing advance "no knock input safe map"
I don't think that sensor can cause the toyota ecu to just shut the motor down or make a real "limp mode" like modern cars do.

 

let me reword that last part

I suspect the 7mgte ECU can run the car in a very driveable manner with the knock sensor disconnected, even with the check engine light on. it would pull a lot of timing, but still run. I have experience with 80's celicas (3sge) doing just that, they also run fine with no CTS sensor and 02. by fine i mean rich and retarded, but drive-able ..with 2/3 power, rev out fine etc

possibly others can chime in that may have more experience with them

 

KEEPING MY FINGERS CROSSED:
I believe I have found a problem which may be causing my issue.
I received the banjo bolt with the schraeder valve from Actron today.
I immediately installed it and my fuel pressure is only 20 psi. at idle and WOT. No change whatsoever.
I think the pressure should be somewhere between 35 and 44 psi. Correct me if I am wrong.
I am going to replace the fuel filter first and then replace the pump if necessary.
Which fuel pump should I purchase? The prices on ebay go from $60 to $180.
What is the general consensus regarding fuel pumps?

 

Yeah that pressure is way low and it shouldn't be static either.

As far as pumps go, lots of people go with Walbro 255's if they are sticking with bolt-ons or not shooting for big hp. Just make sure if you buy one that it is from a reputable retailer, as there are tons of places selling cheap "Walbro's" that are actually Chinese knock-offs. I got mine from Mopac about 4 years ago for $175 CAD and it's never missed a beat..

They are a bit louder than the stock pump but honestly not enough for me to notice while driving around.

 

A happy NEW YEAR to all:
Partial success on New year's eve.
I dropped the fuel tank yesterday and flushed out the tank, replaced the fuel pump, strainer and fuel filter and now the engine finally works as it should.
Good acceleration, lots of power.
Fuel pressure @ idle 30 psi.
No vacuum @ FPR 40 psi. Is this a little low? The only pump I was able to get in a hurry was a Delphi pump. Not sure how good they are.
Thank you all for your input.

 

Good to hear you're making some headway. Never heard of Delphi, couldn't help ya there. I'm sure someone on the board has had experience with them

 

This sounds exactly like what I have going on but I swear my fuel pressure was good... I am going to have to recheck it now. Thanks for all the info and making sure you gave back the good stuff!


* do you by chance have the P/N of the banjo? That was one of the problems I kept running into was bad test kits.

**http://www.cygnusx1.net/Supra/Library/TSRM/MK3/manual.aspx?S=IG&P=17
This is the lobe info you were after. Thanks to Gundel for pointing it out.

 

@Supradolt:
Go to Ebay and search for " Banjo Bolt Fuel Pressure Tester Adapter Asian European M12x1.25 thread Gauge". It costs about 9 bucks. I purchased mine directly from Actron.