The V8 Owners Forum -

Below is a timing cover...surely there is room there for a sensor in a fairly wide area ? Certainly enough to pick up the diameter of the camwheel.

As for the timing wheels. Can you not just weld a tooth on anywhere ? As long as the sensor is close enough to see it passing, isnt that enough ? You just tell the ecu where it is in relation to cyl1 firing.

It would be nice to have sequential....Ive still never been bothered with it myself though

You misunderstand - I have an intermediate cover with OEM cam trigger placement and JP timing chain. This means the tooth would need to be attached at the widest point of the holes, making it difficult, but probably not impossible.

I think there might be enough space to fit a thin disc to the timing wheel and then turn up a spacer instead of the dizzy drive gear, but I haven't taken the timing cover off in a couple of years. I'm keen to have sequential properly working, but it's not the be-all and end-all for me.

I have the intermediate cover and the longer camshaft sensor, which if I remember was quiet hard to find.

I have the GEMS type cam trigger wheel and have been looking at a bespoke camshaft trigger wheel, as my vems cannot use the original one.

Its not a roller one or vernier type, but I would love to get one made if I knew it would work.

I reverse engineered the LR GEMS one at work and remodelled it to how I think it should work.

Maybe not enough interest in the idea to make it viable in terms of cost.

But for me would use the original setup from LR.

scott

dnb wrote:You misunderstand - I have an intermediate cover with OEM cam trigger placement and JP timing chain. This means the tooth would need to be attached at the widest point of the holes, making it difficult, but probably not impossible.

I think there might be enough space to fit a thin disc to the timing wheel and then turn up a spacer instead of the dizzy drive gear, but I haven't taken the timing cover off in a couple of years. I'm keen to have sequential properly working, but it's not the be-all and end-all for me.

Cant quite picture it. Looking at the JP gear in the previous link, there looks to be plenty of room to attach a single tooth. Or is the issue actual space in front of the gear so no height for a tooth ?
Ive never seen or used anything other than the older SD1 stuff.

The height is the biggest issue. I suppose the "tooth" could be as small as an M3 bolt, so no real issue fitting between holes other than me being nervous about drilling holes in a small section of wheel...

I drew some diagrams a couple of years ago, to allow me to work out heights but damned if I can find them now. Will keep looking.

I think for a tooth, I'd sooner make a small tack weld than trying to drill the pulley.
Simple square block of steel should be easy tacked into place.

if height is an issue, not sure how tall it would need to be to ensure the background metal parts wouldnt interfere with the signal. Probably only would take a tooth 3-4mm tall though for a hall sensor

You're probably right, but you haven't seen my lack of talent at welding

I was considering a slightly different tack. If I made a thin disc with a small slot in it that sat flush with the cam wheel, and the slot lined up with a hole in the JP wheel, then this would be more or less equivalent to the OEM solution, and would be easy to keep in balance. It doesn't matter if it's a tooth or a space to the ECU, as long as the sensor reads a change of state.

The only snag is how best to attach the disc to the wheel, since if it sits in the recess, it won't be keyed and I'm not completely convinced there's enough space to fit a disc of sufficient diameter outboard of the cam wheel.. Back to welding again...

According to the Des Hammill book, late 3.9 engines that went to North America had interim front covers and a GEMS -8 Management system.
So has it been done before and how.
If so the bits are probably rocking horse s**t.

regards Denis