removing the camshafts on v6 to access the hydraulic lifters

[hogggman]

hi all,
i`m busy on here today!!finally,i have decided to remove the rocker covers on my noisy/tappetty v6 to see what`s what.i`m hoping there`ll be no/minimal camshaft wear,and that maybe i have one or more sticking/bugered hydraulic lifters.whatever the condition of the camshafts,i fully intend to remove all the lifters and dismantle/clean/replace them as needed.
however,although i have all the tools i`m likely to need,i`m a bit unsure about the camshaft removal.obviuosly i`m going to disturb the timing belt,and therefore the timing.i see no fact sheets on replacing the v6 timing belt,which is probably a much bigger job than the diesel.if i had a manual,i`d be fine,but tackling it without scares me somewhat,i case i get something wrong and wreck the engine when re-starting.is the timing belt moveable,so i can simply move it and remove the beltor does it have to be undone to give the belt some slack to remove/replace?ideally i won`t remove the belt anyway,but need it exactly as it was.where are the timing marks?on each camshaft to align with each other,or on each camshaft to align with somewhere on the engine?do i turn the engine over to check alignment,on the crankshaft pulley,when i`ve done?how to i check top dead centre on a v6,and which is piston number one?
you see,i`m a bit in the dark on the v6.i`m meant to be at the bash next weekend,and don`t want to get halfway through and not be able to get it back together in time!
many thanks
jamie

[Dolly1]

Hi Jamie,
Don,t remove camshafts unless you have replacements.
If you have spares wait until the bash is over.
A mechanic who works on Bongo,s full time sez it takes nearly
all day just to change the cambelt on a V6,so changing the cams etc:
including New Cambelt would be very time consuming.And expensive
An the Bash is SOON. Hope this is of some help.

[Dolly1]

P.S Jamie
Once a cambelt has been removed its not advisable to re-use it
Get a new one

[hogggman]

hi,
thankyou so much for your advice,i certainly won`t tackle it before the bash.i`m only a diy mechanic,but have removed engines,changed headgaskets,gearboxes etc,but it sounds a bit daunting.i only wanted to remove the camshafts to be able to remove the hydraulic lifters,as i`m sure they won`t come out without?
thanks
jamie

[hogggman]

just thought,if i simply loosened the bolts retaining the camshafts,would i have enough`play`to get to remove the hydraulic lifters?it`d save a lot of messing about with the timing belt etc.
thanks
jamie

[Dolly1]

Jamie
If you loosen the bolts on the camshafts you will
probably have the cambelt move when you lift the cams,
Then a major stripdown would be on the books.

[dandywarhol]

Jamie, judging by your questions I think you have 2 choices here:

1 - Do it yourself and end up in a real mess with the distinct possibility of completely wrecking your engine.

2 - Bite the bullet and let someone with some experience of changing V engine cambelts/camshafts do it.

I'm not being negative with my answers but your questions lead me to believe you're tackling something a bit out of your league, especially without a manual for reference and it would be a real shame to be potentially ending up with a scrap engine.

Why not just remove the handful od bolts/nuts that secure the camcovers to the heads and have a peek inside? I reckon there's a good chance it will become all clear when you see inside (if you know what you're looking for that is. There's already been some links to damaged cams/camfollowers posted here - if not GOOGLE IMAGE for it) All it will cost you is a couple of camcover gaskets - and if they're the same design as the diesel then they're rubber gaskets and can be reused.