How exactly should the intake cam be set and the exhaust cam be set on a ford 2.0 dohc with VCT.

There are alignment tabs on the cam and the housing, if you dont have those set correctly the VCT wont fit right.

What engine ? It's a solenoid , usually located in the front of the valve cover , top or side .
Variable Camshaft Timing (VCT) System

The VCT enables rotation of the camshaft(s) relative to the crankshaft rotation as a function of engine operating conditions. There are 4 types of VCT systems.

• Exhaust phase shifting (EPS) system - the exhaust cam is the active cam being retarded.
• Intake phase shifting (IPS) system - the intake cam is the active cam being advanced.
• Dual equal phase shifting (DEPS) system - both intake and exhaust cams are phase shifted and equally advanced or retarded.
• Dual independent phase shifting (DIPS) system - where both the intake and exhaust cams are shifted independently.

All systems have 4 operational modes: idle, part throttle, wide open throttle (WOT), and default mode. At idle and low engine speeds with closed throttle, the powertrain control module (PCM) determines the phase angle based on air flow, engine oil temperature and engine coolant temperature. At part and wide open throttle the PCM determines the phase angle based on engine RPM, load, and throttle position. VCT systems provide reduced emissions and enhanced engine power, fuel economy and idle quality. IPS systems also have the added benefit of improved torque. In addition, some VCT system applications can eliminate the need for an external exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) system. The elimination of the EGR system is accomplished by controlling the overlap time between the intake valve opening and exhaust valve closing. Currently, both the IPS and DEPS systems are used.
Variable Camshaft Timing (VCT) System
The VCT system consists of an electric hydraulic positioning control solenoid, a camshaft position (CMP) sensor, and a trigger wheel. The CMP trigger wheel has a number of equally spaced teeth equal to the number (n) of cylinders on a bank plus one extra tooth (n+1). Four cylinder and V8 engines use a CMP 4+1 tooth trigger wheel. V6 engines use a CMP 3+1 tooth trigger wheel. The extra tooth placed between the equally spaced teeth represents the CMP signal for that bank. A crankshaft position sensor (CKP) provides the PCM with crankshaft positioning information in 10 degree increments.

1. The PCM receives input signals from the intake air temperature (IAT) sensor, engine coolant temperature (ECT) sensor, engine oil temperature (EOT) sensor, CMP, throttle position (TP) sensor, mass air flow (MAF) sensor, and CKP to determine the operating conditions of the engine. At idle and low engine speeds with closed throttle, the PCM controls the camshaft position based on ECT, EOT, IAT, and MAF. During part and wide open throttle, the camshaft position is determined by engine RPM, load and throttle position. The VCT system does not operate until the engine is at normal operating temperature.

1. The VCT system is enabled by the PCM when the correct conditions are met.

1. The CKP signal is used as a reference for CMP positioning.

1. The VCT solenoid valve is an integral part of the VCT system. The solenoid valve controls the flow of engine oil in the VCT actuator assembly. As the PCM controls the duty cycle of the solenoid valve, oil pressure/flow advances or retards the cam timing. Duty cycles near 0% or 100% represent rapid movement of the camshaft. Retaining a fixed camshaft position is accomplished by dithering (oscillating) the solenoid valve duty cycle.
   
   The PCM calculates and determines the desired camshaft position. It continually updates the VCT solenoid duty cycle until the desired position is achieved. A difference between the desired and actual camshaft position represents a position error in the PCM VCT control loop. The PCM disables the VCT and places the camshaft in a default position if a concern is detected. A related DTC is also set when the concern is detected.

1. When the VCT solenoid is energized, engine oil is allowed to flow to the VCT actuator assembly which advances or retards the camshaft timing. One half of the VCT actuator is coupled to the camshaft and the other half is connected to the timing chain. Oil chambers between the 2 halves couple the camshaft to the timing chain. When the flow of oil is shifted from one side of the chamber to the other, the differential change in oil pressure forces the camshaft to rotate in either an advance or retard position depending on the oil flow.

unlikely
as the cam shafts timing is variable and controlled by the oil pressure and solenoid , it is possible that that is where the error is from
if you have followed the instructions and used the correct tools it has to be right

I ASSUME that this has the 2.4L ecotech 4 cylinder engine?? If so the vct solenoids (variable cam timing) are mounted between the intake and exhaust cams through holes in the valve cover near the timing chain end of the engine (front). The exhaust vct solenoid will be on the exhaust side of the cylinder head.

Hi there:A code P0012 refers to the VVT (Variable Valve Timing) or VCT (Variable Camshaft Timing) components and the car's PCM (Powertrain Control Module, also called an ECM).
That consists of a few different components but the P0012 DTC specifically refers to the camshaft (cam) timing. In this case, if the cam timing is over-********, the engine light will be illluminated and the code will be set. The "A" camshaft is either the intake, left, or front camshaft.

A P0012 DTC trouble code may be caused by one or more of the following:

- Incorrect camshaft timing

- Wiring problems (harness/wiring) in intake timing control valve control solenoid system

- Continuous oil flow to VCT piston chamber

- Failed timing valve control solenoid (stuck open)

On Ford, the VCT solenoid is located at top of cylinder head underneath the valve cover and goes around one camshaft. You will need to remove the valve cover, the timing cover, then remove the timing belt, the camshaft sprockets, and finally the camshafts to remove the vct solenoid as it goes around the camshaft. You can use 2001-2003 models with same engine.

VCT or Variable Cam Timing solenoid is a device used in modern engines to change camshaft position timing in relevance to engine speed and engine timing allowing the engine to produce more horsepower without adding excessive overlap to the camshaft design.

The way the VCT Solenoid works is as follows:
The VCT solenoid works with oil pressure, it receives a signal from the ECM when the camshaft needs to be rotated either in the advanced mode or ******** mode depending on engine load and speed.The VCT solenoid is able to accomplish that by altering the oil flow in the passages that lead to the cam phaser(s), there are passages to advance the valve timing ( open the valves earlier), and passages that direct the oil to ****** the valve timing ( open them later)

The purpose of the VCT or Variable Cam Timing system is to allow the engine to move larger volumes of air in and out of the cylinders to generate maximum horsepower.
Vehicles with DOHC ( Dual Overhead Cam ) engines usually have two VCT solenoids mounted in each cylinder head, one for each camshaft, allowing the Engine Control Computer to activate each VCT timing mechanism in each Camshaft separately.
NOTE: The Cam phaser is mounted on the front of the camshaft(s) it is driven by the engine's timing chain or timing belt depending on the engine's design.

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P0011 "A" Camshaft Position - Timing Over-Advanced or System Performance (Bank 1)
P0021 "A" Camshaft Position - Timing Over-Advanced or System Performance (Bank 2)

It is normal for the exhaust cam to be slightly off during a rotation because of the nature of the VCT mechanisim. It uses oil pressure to change the cam angle. Since there is no oil pressure with the engine off, it won't stop in the same place every time. Check the links below for more information:

Timing Part 1

Timing Part 2

You can access free repair manuals online @ google ebooks and autozone.com

MAKE SURE YOU SET THE CRANK PULLEY A 0 ON THE TIMING MARK CHECK YOUR CAM PULLEYS AND MAKE SURE THE DOTS LINE UP WITH THE AROWS AS WELL USE A WHITE MARKER SO IF SOME THING MOVES YOU CAN SEE WERE IT STARTED FROM SET THE TENSION OF THE BELT SO IT IS JUST FIRM DOUBLE CHECK YOU TIMMING MARKS AND REASSEMBLE

this may help you 98 Contour 2 0 timing belt replacement alternative method