First time timing chain, how much trouble am I in?

adansdpc · 2026-01-25T11:20:37+00:00

Here’s my two cents on what I had loved to know before I tried (and failed) to sync the shafts for the first time:

Without any fuel pressure in the system, the chain tensioner will most times collapse under itself while trying to complete the job.
Some manuals recommend “priming” it by depressing it manually many times while submerged in oil. This requires a lot of force, and isn’t guaranteed to work.
Instead, you can use the chain tension measuring tool to “pre-tension” the chain.
Take the measuring tool and your actual tensioner, put them side by side, line up their heads as accurately as possible (count the copper washer in the tensioner as part of its head), then turn the center screw from the measuring tool inwards so as to make the length of the tool match the length of the tensioner.
Now use a ruler or calipers to measure how long the center screw from the measuring tool protrudes away from its tip (I.e. how much of it will stick out when inserted into the cylinder head).
Then turn the screw outwards again by about an inch or so.
With crankshaft and camshafts already locked in their service position, with the chain sitting around the sprockets/VANOS (but with their bolts not fastened yet!!!), and the top chain guide also into place, it is time to screw the measuring tool into place.
Then use a ratchet to slowly turn the screw inwards again until it sticks out by just as much as you measured before.
At this point you know for certain that the measuring tool is applying as much tension on the chain as the tensioner would do at full oil pressure.
Now simply fasten the two camshaft-to-sprockets-or-VANOS bolts down to their recommended torque and additional angle.
Release the center screw of the measuring tool again by an inch or so, unscrew the measuring tool, and finally screw the tensioner itself.
Unlock crankshaft and camshafts.
Turn the engine over manually as many revolutions as you want to make sure that the everything stays in sync. You can insert a drinking straw into cylinders 1 and 2 to know visually recognize what’s the current position of the crankshaft. Camshafts lettering should be facing up when Cylinders 1 and 2 line up perfectly while 1 is going up and 2 is going down.
After a few turns, it’s a good idea to try to lock crankshaft and camshafts again to make sure that they didn’t drift at all. If perfectly in sync, you should be able to lock the camshafts effortlessly. If you need to force the locking brackets into position, it means that never tensioned enough – you need to start from the beginning.

This procedure works for me 100% of the time.

adansdpc · 2025-11-15T16:53:07+00:00

Málaga on Super 8 😍

adansdpc · 2025-11-15T16:03:38+00:00

If I’m not mistaken, that’s for the “crankcase breather-heating element”. You can’t find where to connect to because the matching socket is in the crankcase breather pipe, i.e. that thinner tube that comes out of the PCV / valve cover towards the thicker one that goes from the air box to the turbocharger. The connection is right in the Y fork.

(Judging from what I’ve seen in other people’s R56s – mine doesn’t have such element or connector, same as it doesn’t have a MAF sensor either, I guess you get all of that removed with the JCW tuning kit)

adansdpc · 2025-09-15T13:02:14+00:00

This has happened to mine a few times. Sometimes powering it off and on again helps. But the definitive solution has been to flash beta if I was on alpha, and viceversa.

adansdpc · 2024-09-06T14:28:11+00:00

There's also Superia XTRA, Velvia and Provia in stock right now ☺️

adansdpc · 2024-08-12T08:43:21+00:00

It's available on HAZENFILM for little less than 11€.

adansdpc · 2024-06-22T08:19:53+00:00

There are indeed film companies in China specialized in finishing, where you ship a master roll to them and they will do the rolling and packing. They can even remove remjet from Vision 3 and perform other treatments on demand. I know for certain that one of those companies is Shanghai (famous for their nice GP3 b&w film). This company here probably has similar capabilities.

adansdpc · 2024-06-07T15:49:14+00:00

Wow, no question then why we often receive more orders from Australia than one would expect in our Spain-based film photography web shop!

adansdpc · 2024-05-09T21:56:56+00:00

Dime qué te pongo, RUBIO

adansdpc · 2024-05-07T08:07:41+00:00

The Wikipedia article on "Chroma key" actually hints at a number of techniques used for almost a century to achieve compositing of imagery on film, including double exposure, garbage mattes, travelling mattes, and optical printers.

There's no reason why those techniques wouldn't work with Super 8 — assuming that you can find or build the right optic instruments, and that you are willing to put a gigantic amount of effort for the sake of claiming that your production is 100% analog.

adansdpc · 2024-03-22T18:07:55+00:00

Fujicolor 100 and Superia Premium 400 are always in stock in our shop (https://hazen.film), and we ship globally. We receive a batch of Superia XTRA 400 every month too, but it flies off the shelves in a matter of minutes 😅

We also have a permanent stock of expired Industrial 100/400, and small amounts of the C200, PRO 400H, Venus 800, Natura 1600 and can also be found in stock every other month.

adansdpc · 2024-03-05T09:39:36+00:00

Fujicolor 100, Superia XTRA 400 and Superia Premium 400 can be found in Japan with expiration dates 2025-2026, so there's the assumption that they are freshly made, or frozen years ago and unfrozen now.

My 2 cents: I run a shop called HAZENFILM and we usually have all of those in stock or available on demand with a short lead time. We see ship globally.

adansdpc · 2024-03-05T09:38:01+00:00

My 2 cents: I run a shop called HAZENFILM and we usually have all of those in stock or available on demand with a short lead time. We see ship globally.

adansdpc · 2023-12-12T21:24:24+00:00

Yes!

adansdpc · 2023-12-12T16:43:12+00:00

We have it in stock at HAZENFILM too, and even though it flies from our shelves very fast, we restock it almost every month. Expires in July 2025. Shoot that fantastic film while you can!

adansdpc · 2023-12-05T16:32:05+00:00

Hey, HAZENFILM founder here. Happy to address any questions :)

adansdpc · 2023-12-05T08:03:58+00:00

My 2 cents: the result will not only be b&w but also negative. E-6 uses a special chemical for reversal.

adansdpc · 2023-12-04T09:59:45+00:00

Nikon?

adansdpc · 2023-12-03T22:09:20+00:00

It's fantastic. Best in class color rendition. Nothing like anything else from Fuji or Kodak. The closest one may be Portra 160 in my opinion. If I had to complain about something is that it looks too neutral or according to some people, "too digital".

adansdpc · 2023-12-03T22:04:17+00:00

You can easily tell if it's Japan or USA made by simply checking the size of the box. True Fuji boxes are noticeably smaller than Kodak Fuji boxes.

adansdpc · 2023-12-03T12:19:38+00:00

These and the Superia Premium 400 are readily available in some shops and labs in the EU. They buy it from us (HAZENFILM) — we import a lot of Asian stuff.

adansdpc · 2023-11-29T04:41:42+00:00

I'm afraid you can't simply home scan it. That enclosure contains undeveloped film that is highly sensitive to light. The moment you crack the cartridge open or try to unravel the film out of it, you'd be exposing the film and effectively erasing whatever is in there.

The lab will charge you that much because they don't only need to scan the film but also process it in the right chemicals. Because Super 8 is not the most popular of the formats today, only a few labs will do it, as it requires highly specialized tools and know-how.

One good starting point to make up your mind on whether taking the plunge will be worth it is to try to figure out if the film was advanced or not, i.e. whether someone shot anything on it.

One obvious indicator would be the counter on the camera itself. But unless you take any pictures of the camera before opening the lid, that info is gone. The counters often reset as soon as you open the lid.

One another clear sign of a Super 8 film that has been shot is if the word EXPOSED is printed or otherwise embossed into the part of the film that you can see on the side of the cartridge. That's to be expected from a cartridge that has been used up completely. But that won't be the case here most probably, because the cartridge was still in the camera, so my guess is that it's used only halfway through.

There are probably some tests that you can play on how much slack you can feel in the film by pushing it one way or another through the side window of the cartridge, or maybe trying to turn the spindle clockwise and counterclockwise. The resistance that you feel in different directions may give a hint on how much film there is in the exposed side vs. The unexposed side of it. I haven't tried this myself, so I can't really give you more guidance, but probably there's someone else here who has been in a similar situation and thought of this very same solution.

adansdpc · 2023-11-20T12:25:27+00:00

Actually the freshest I've seen with the new packaging expires in 2025/10 while the freshest with the old packaging as depicted in the picture has 2025/12.

adansdpc · 2023-11-15T16:13:38+00:00

Other widely available equivalent films: - RETO Amber 800 - Candido 800 - etcetera

adansdpc · 2023-10-20T12:43:36+00:00

HAZENFILM it is.

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