This is Alpha, the first-born, when he was 2YO.
This is Beta, the second-born, when he was about 2YO.
This is Gamma, the third-born, when he was about 18MO.
Cam Gear Lock Tool
Mar
14
2024
When I had to do some engine work on the minivan, I was able to get a tool to lock the camshaft gears/sprockets/phasers in place so that everything would stay at top-dead center while I unbolted things.
Like this:
That’s for the Dodge 3.6L engine, which was in a bunch of vehicles for a long time, so it has good support from a variety of sources.
But now I’m doing a bunch of work on my car with a Chrysler 2.4L engine, from the early 2000s, used in Neons and PT Cruisers and some other things. It also uses the same cam sprockets (simple gears, no phasers) as the 2.0L, so this would work for that too.
Anyway, I was looking for a similar tool to hold the camshafts in place so I could do things like unbolt the crankshaft pulley and unbolt the camshafts themselves without rotating the engine.
But unlike the many options for the 3.6L tool, I found nothing for the 2.4/2.0 engine. There were some references to a prybar-type tool which is supposed to be the official way of holding the car gear in place, but I didn’t find a source to buy one. And even if I did, my guess is it would have been more than I wanted to pay.
I wanted a simple insert with teeth, like the 3.6 thingy. And it just so happens that my son got a 3D printer last month. So I decided to make my own.
It took a couple of iterations on paper, plus one really thin 3D-printed sample, but I did make my own and it works. Here it is in action:
And, in case you want to print your own, here is the STL file.
STL file for 3D printing a cam gear holding tool for Chrysler or Dodge 2.0 and 2.4 L engines
Note that it is a very tight fit, so don’t expect it to slide right into the gears. The goal is no gear movement at all, so it needs to be as flush as possible. Be prepared to coerce it into place.
Also note it is about 2 inches deep. The pictures show it only halfway in. Afterwards, I pushed it until it contacted the backstop, and it stuck out just a little bit, enough to still be able to grab the sides.
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
1 Corinthians 15:58
This little article thingy was written by Some Guy sometime around 7:52 am and has been carefully placed in the Technical category.
March 14th, 2024 at 10:22 pm
You mean zip ties wouldn’t work?
March 14th, 2024 at 10:33 pm
Not without duct tape for reinforcement.