Ouch, never heard of this before (cam sprocket shattered)

Couple of cam installation tips from the experts:


1) When installing four-cylinder cams, take special care to tighten each bearing cap a little at a time. This is to avoid putting undue bending loads in the cam. Make certain that the cams are positioned properly with respect to one another during the tightening so the intake and exhaust valves are not being forced against one another or against the piston.

Failure to observe these cautions may result in a broken camshaft.

2) ALWAYS check valve-to-piston clearance before running the engine. A quick and easy way to do this is to hold the crank at top dead center on the exhaust stroke, (overlap) and with the crank held in this position, pry the valves open with a lever. You should have a minimum of 1/16" movement before you feel the valve touch the piston.

3) We recommend for all cams that you check to make sure the sprockets fit squarely on the cam and that the sprocket bolts thread in properly before installing the cams in the engine.

Observing these precautions will prevent broken sprocket flanges.