I was looking at buying a cam from a guy and it cam out of a 96 and I have a 94 w/ unvented opti and was wondering if it would would work...I know the Vented opti cars use a dowel pin....but don't the non-vented cars have a keyed hub on the end?? I'm comfused...someone help me!

 

You can use a later model cam (w/vented opti) in an earlier car (non-vented opti), but not vice-versa. Note: I am referring to the cam only. The only thing you might have to do is shorten the dowel pin when putting the cam into your 1994 (and I am not sure that even if you didn't shorten it, that it would cause any problem at all. The only thing I can think of is that it might interfere with the different timing cover the 1994 has).

 

So the keyed hub doesn't have anything to do with it? Is that part of the timing gear? Or what? Also how would I know if it would interfer with the timing cover? It's a billit cc306 from MTI!

 

The "keyed" portion is in the cam gear, so no problem, there.

The only way to know if the dowel would interfere is to dry-fit the cover and see. Maybe use some clay to check the clearance. The covers are different on the 1995 and later. Shortening the pin is no big deal. You may be able to tap it in a little or just grind it down a bit.

 

Cool...thanks man...one more question...what is the dowl used for on the non-vented opti?? Does it serve a purpose?

 

I'm pretty sure all it does is make sure you put the cam gear on in the right position.