M40 cam sprocket position?

[JJ26]

Hi all, i did some work on my 316i this weekend changing all the valvegear, camshaft, followers and cambelt. I noticed when coming to put the camshaft wheel back on that there is considerable movement in its key way, theres no sign of wear but you can actually turn the cam wheel a complete tooth one way or other on the camshaft. Any thoughts to why it might be like this ?
For the time being i`ve refitted it with it turned backwards against its rotation to eliminate it moving but obviously this is retarding the camshaft a little and i can feel the power slightly down after driving it. I have no way of knowing where it was originally. Will it be safe to position it in its advanced position? I dont see why it would slacken off as its turning the right way to tighten its retaining bolt. Any advice? cheers James

[Templ8e30]

The M40 has a square section cast onto the camshaft to allow you to time it up correctly.

In the absence of the correct tool you need to loosen the camshaft sprocket bolt then align the crankshaft/block timing mark. You'll then need to use a set square to set the side of square section of the cam 90 degrees to the mating surface of the cylinder head/rocker cover.

See here for a simple diagram http://img179.imageshack.us/img179/2456/untitledvy1.png

Cheers,

Iain T

[JJ26]

Thx for that, shall set it when i fit a new water pump. James