Nord engine crank sprocket alignment

[fergus]

I have a 2l Nord engine from an Alfetta which doesn't have the "dots" on the crank and idler sprockets.

The crank sprocket is located via a keyway. What is the criticality with respect to aligning the idler sprocket with the crank sprocket? If this is critical, is there any way around it without having these marks present? I plan on timing the engine from scratch rather than using any 'marks' on the cams or engine if this helps.

[fergus]

Thanks for the quick replies guys. What are the dots on the crank sprockets for?

Even if you don't know how to measure cam timing, and rely on all the various marks, given the 2:1 ratio in terms of # teeth between the two sprockets, etc, is there anything special about the alignment when using the "dots"?

[fergus]

Mound Dawg said:

No, there's no reason to align the lower ones, the idler is just that so you do the aligning at the top once the head's on.

Cheers Jim