A Coyote has four camshafts, and each one can be off by a few degrees even when every factory timing mark lines up. Degreeing is how you measure where each cam actually sits relative to the crank and move it to where the cam card says it should be. This guide covers the full procedure for a locked-cam Coyote: the parts, the tools, finding true TDC, measuring all four centerlines, making adjustments and final torque.

1. Lock the phasers first

Variable cam timing exists to move the cams relative to their sprockets. If the phasers are still free to move, there is no fixed reference to degree against: you are measuring one point in the phaser's range, not the timing the engine will actually run. Builders running a fixed cam profile lock the phasers out with BPS VCT lockouts (EN019) and degree the cams in that fixed position.

The lockout is the part that changes how the engine runs, but it is not the whole job. Removing VCT leaves openings that need to be closed, and a standalone ECU only needs one cam sensor once the cams are locked:

Lockouts are available with or without hardware. Replacement hardware is sold separately: center bolt kit and ARP outer bolt kit. Gen 2 exhaust outer bolts are left hand thread, so reuse the OE bolts there.

2. Tools you'll need

• Degree wheel and a rigid pointer. A piece of TIG filler rod bolted under one of the water pump bolts makes a great pointer. It bends easily to line up with the wheel and stays put once it's set. Once TDC is set, the pointer must not move at any point during the procedure. If it gets bumped, you start over at TDC.
• Dial indicator and a solid mount. It has to sit parallel to the valve stem, or your lift readings will be off.
• Piston stop for finding true TDC. It threads into the cylinder 1 spark plug hole.
• A breaker bar or ratchet on the crank bolt. Turn the engine from the crank only, and never with the starter.
• Your cam card and something to write on. Print the worksheet below. Not sure what centerlines to lock at? Our Cam Centerline Tool shows the valve events for stock Gen 1, 2 and 3 cams or your own cam card as you move each centerline.

Our Coyote TDC Adjustable Timing Pointer (EN036) is not a degree wheel pointer. It works with the damper once the engine is back together, so ignition timing checks and aftermarket crank sensor setup read off a TDC mark you trust. It fits standard-size dampers such as the Romac Coyote balancer, which has 360-degree timing marks, and does not fit overdrive dampers.

3. The numbers you are measuring

• True TDC: the exact crank position where the cylinder 1 piston is at the top. The factory mark is close, but degreeing needs the real thing.
• Intake centerline (ICL): the crank position where the intake lobe is at maximum lift, in degrees after TDC. A smaller number means the intake cam is more advanced.
• Exhaust centerline (ECL): the same measurement for the exhaust lobe, in degrees before TDC. A larger number means the exhaust cam is more advanced.
• Lobe separation angle (LSA): (ICL + ECL) ÷ 2. On a dual overhead cam engine, each cam is set on its own, so the effective LSA is something you choose rather than something ground into the cam.
• Advance: moving a cam forward in its direction of rotation relative to the crank, so every event on that cam happens earlier. Retard is the opposite.

Why measure centerline instead of valve opening and closing? Near max lift the lobe is changing slowly, which makes the exact peak hard to see on a dial indicator. Taking the crank angle at the same lift (0.050") on each side of the peak and averaging the two gives a much more repeatable number.

4. Step-by-step procedure

This follows our VCT Lockout Installation and Cam Degreeing Instructions (PDF). Professional installation is required. Always refer to the factory service manual for timing component removal and for any torque values not listed here.

A. Prep and lockout assembly

1. Disconnect the battery. Unplug the VCT actuators, then remove the valve covers and all eight spark plugs so the engine turns smoothly by hand.
2. Remove the timing chains and the factory phasers following OEM procedures. Keep the hardware organized. Some applications use reverse-thread bolts (the Gen 2 exhaust outer bolts), and those are the only phaser bolts you keep. The other internal phaser parts are not reused.
3. Install the lockout components into the phaser body in the correct orientation with clean mating surfaces, and confirm they are fully seated.
4. Assemble the lockout hardware hand tight only. No thread locker and no final torque until degreeing is finished.
5. Reinstall the phaser and lockout assemblies onto the cams and reinstall the chains on the OEM timing marks. Snug fasteners only enough to hold everything in position for degreeing.

B. Degree wheel and pointer

6. Bolt a piece of TIG filler rod under one of the water pump bolts to use as the pointer.
7. Mount the degree wheel on the crank snout.
8. From here on, rotate the engine only from the front of the crank, and never with the starter.

C. Find true TDC (cylinder 1)

9. Bring cylinder 1 to roughly TDC with both valves closed. Bend the pointer so it reads about zero on the wheel.
10. Rotate the engine backwards about 15-20° to drop the piston, then thread the piston stop into the cylinder 1 plug hole.
11. Rotate forward (normal direction) until the piston touches the stop, and write down the wheel reading.
12. Rotate the opposite way until the piston touches the stop again, and write down that reading.
13. If both readings are the same number either side of zero (for example 20° BTDC and 20° ATDC), the pointer is already sitting on true TDC. Move on to step 15.
14. If they don't match, zero is off by half the difference. For example, 18° and 22° means zero is out by 2°. Bend the pointer by that amount and repeat steps 11 and 12. Keep going until both readings match.
15. Remove the stop and turn the crank until the pointer reads 0°. You are now at true TDC, and every wheel reading from here on is true.

D. Measure the intake centerline (cylinder 1)

16. Set the dial indicator on the cylinder 1 intake valve follower, parallel to the valve stem.
17. Rotate forward until the indicator stops rising and changes direction. That is max lift. Zero the indicator there.
18. Rotate backwards until the indicator reads 0.100". Then come forward until it reads 0.050" before max lift, and record the wheel reading. Always approach a reading in the normal direction of rotation so the chain slack is taken up the way it will be when the engine runs.
19. Keep rotating forward past max lift until the indicator reads 0.050" on the closing side, and record that reading.
20. Add the two readings and divide by two. That is the intake centerline. Compare it to your cam card.

E. Measure the exhaust centerline (cylinder 1)

21. Move the indicator to the cylinder 1 exhaust valve follower and repeat steps 17-20.

F. Adjust

22. If a centerline is off from the cam card, rotate that cam relative to its lockout to correct it. To advance a cam, move it forward in its direction of rotation. To retard it, move it back.
23. After every adjustment, re-measure. Don't assume the correction you made is the correction you got. For example, if an intake centerline reads 112° against a 110° spec, the cam is 2° retarded and needs 2° of advance. The next reading should be 110°.

G. Repeat on the other bank

24. Move the indicator to the intake follower of cylinder 6 on the driver side bank and repeat steps 16-23 for both cams. Cylinder 6 is cylinder 1's companion in the firing order (1-5-4-8-6-3-7-2). It reaches TDC at the same crank position one revolution later, so the degree wheel you zeroed on cylinder 1 still reads true and you don't have to find TDC again. All four cams must be checked. Each bank sits on its own chain and can be off by a different amount.

H. Final torque

25. Once all four cams are confirmed, apply red Loctite to the six perimeter bolts on each lockout and torque them to 130 in-lb in a star pattern.
26. Torque every other fastener to OEM spec or as instructed.
27. Re-measure at least one centerline per bank after final torque. It is much easier to catch a cam that moved while tightening now than after the front cover is on.

I. Final checks

28. Rotate the engine by hand at least two full crank revolutions. It must turn smoothly with no interference, and the timing marks must realign.
29. Reinstall the valve covers, plugs, coils and the rest of the removed parts. Reconnect the electrical connectors and the battery.
30. Do not start the engine until timing and mechanical alignment are fully confirmed.

5. Worksheet and worked example

Print a clean copy for the bench. The printable sheet adds the TDC readings, a recheck and after-torque column for every cam, a final checklist and room for notes.

Print worksheet Pick your centerlines with the Cam Centerline Tool

6. Common mistakes

• Trusting the factory marks. Chain, sprocket and machining tolerances add up. Lined-up marks put you close, but degreeing is what confirms it.
• Coming up to a reading backwards. Overshoot, back up, then approach again in the normal direction. Chain slack will otherwise throw off the number.
• A pointer or indicator that moves. Any shift means going back to TDC.
• Indicator not parallel to the valve. Angled readings put the 0.050" points in the wrong place.
• Checking only one bank. Both banks have their own chains. Check all four cams.
• Torquing before you are done. Everything stays hand tight until all four centerlines are right.
• Forgetting piston-to-valve clearance. Advancing the intake or retarding the exhaust moves that valve closer to the piston around TDC. On aggressive cams, milled heads or domed pistons, check clearance whenever you move a cam away from the card.
• Forgetting the ECU. On a standalone ECU, if the cam position changed, verify cam sync on the ECU before first start.

7. What cam timing changes on a boosted Coyote

Cam timing directly affects spool, boost control and where the power lands. As a starting point for where to take a locked-cam turbo build:

• Intake advanced: the intake opens and closes earlier, which builds low-end torque and helps the turbo spool sooner.
• Intake retarded: moves the powerband up the RPM range.
• Exhaust advanced: the exhaust opens earlier and sends more energy to the turbine. This helps spool, but it gives up some expansion on the power stroke.
• Exhaust retarded: keeps the exhaust valve closed longer and changes overlap. How that affects spool depends on the turbo and exhaust housing, so make changes in small steps and test.

Whatever direction you go, change one cam at a time, write it down, and make the call on the dyno or with data logs, not by feel. To see what a centerline change does to valve events and overlap before you touch the engine, try it in our Cam Centerline Tool.

Starting a cam swap? We carry the COMP Cams 2015+ Coyote CR Series cams and the COMP Cams 2018 Coyote camshaft set, plus COMP High-Tech timing chain sets for 2011-2014 and 2015-2018.

8. Keep the timing where you set it

Degreeing only stays true if the parts holding that timing stay put. Locked cams and more valve spring pressure load the top end far harder than the factory designed for. With the front cover already off, these belong in the same job:

• Secondary chain guides (EN045): locked cams and heavy springs wear through the factory plastic, which eventually takes the chain with it. These are the first thing to fail.
• Heavy duty secondary chains (EN015): thicker inner plate, outer plate and pin than factory. Guides and chains wear as a set, and the Secondary Timing Kit includes both.
• Billet cam caps (EN033): factory caps can flex or crack under spring load and let the cam move. Caps must be line bored after installation.
• Timing chain arms and guides (EN047): the primary side, in aluminum or methanol-resistant polymer.
• Secondary tensioner flip bracket (EN043): on 2011-2017, moves the tensioner onto the slack side of the chain.

Need help?

Not sure which timing parts fit your generation? Start with Coyote timing by generation: what actually interchanges. For help putting together a lockout and degreeing parts list for your build, contact Billet Pro Shop.