95 4Runner SR5 185k. I'm about to put the cams back on my top end re-build. (heads will be installed first) I was told that the marker on the cam should point upwards to match the mark on the rear timing plate, when securing the bearing journals to the head. Doing it this way, the tightening down has to be done very carefully, as the cam will open some valves as it is tightened down. I can rotate the cam (i believe 180degrees), and all the cam bearings can be secured without much difficultly (they all seat without compressing any valve springs). Is there a right or wrong way to do this? It seems to me that bolting down the journals without resistance would be the way to go, because once the bearings are all tightened down, I can rotate the cam to the correct position anyway, as long as there is engine assembly lube on all the journals? The machine shop said the mark should be as close as possible to the timing mark when tightening the cam down, to avoid bending a valve. Thanks in advance, Brian

 

if all else fails read the instructions. take the advise of the machine shop. they usually know what there talking about. and i would have to agree w/ them being a toy tech

 

That's how I did it. The machine shop's advice makes no sense to me.