Hello everyone

I have a 2008 zx14, the cams are out of the engine. When I align the rotor to 1,4 is this TDC for 1,4 on the compression stroke or the exhaust stroke.

With no cams in the engine, every 360 degrees of rotation brings you back to the same place.
Make sure to hold the cam chain tight against the crankshaft sprocket and up and out of the way of the guides etc.
Compression and exhaust strokes are found after cams are installed.
A shop manual is very helpful when doing engine work.
Hank

It's been a lot of years since I did this but according to my tutorial, when the 1,4 marking is aligned to the mark at the back of the crankshaft sprocket, that's TDC of compression stroke for cylinder 1 or 4. I'm not sure if there's any way to determine exactly which one unless you pull the #1 and #4 spark plugs and drop a stick down each hole.

Like I said, I haven't done this in years and actually only twice in my life but I researched the heck out of my tutorials.

https://zx14ninjaforum.com/messages.cfm?threadid=4E477AEB-1B78-59F6-020BFA65B442B029

* Last updated by: Rook on 10/16/2025 @ 4:08 PM *

...and yes, pull that timing chain tight against the crankshaft sprocket at all times so it cant skip any teeth. I used a bungee to hold mine. If you turn the crankshaft, you need to pull up on the chain so it stays securely on the crankshaft sprocket. You also should have marked your camshaft sprockets to the exact position they were at in relation to the engine case and the timing chain links to the exact tooth each was on. Maybe you did all that but just saying.

* Last updated by: Rook on 10/16/2025 @ 4:18 PM *

Cylinders 1 & 4 are both at TDC at the same time, while 2 & 3 are at bottom dead center.
Rotate the crankshaft 180 degrees and 2 & 3 are at TDC, while 1 & 4 are at BDC.
TDC can be found using a positive piston stop (most accurate), a dial indicator (within a couple degrees due to piston dwell, or by putting a rod or something in a spark plug hole and watching it rise, stop, then fall. You can judge TDC visually this way, but it isn't very accurate.
Rook, the mark you're referring to will line up again with 360 degrees of rotation.
The book is referring to compression stroke with the cams in.
With no cams, there is no compression or exhaust stroke.
Hank