I just completed my first solo timing chain replacement on my '94 22RE p/u. I had everything lined up with the engine at TDC, bright links, etc. When everything was nearly assembled, and with the valve cover still off, I cranked the engine by hand a bunch of times to make sure everything was still where it should be. I brought the marks back to where I started, but I didn't count the revolutions.. unfortunately, I did this with the distributor still removed. Is there anyway to check the distributor placement and figure out where it should be? I'm thinking I might need to pull it, and rotate the crank two full rotations. It sounds like it wants to start, but won't.

Thanks for the help. I'm looking forward to getting this project behind me.

 

Pull the front spark plug, and rotate to TDC with the crank alignment mark.

Or pull the valve cover and rotate.

 

Great, I'll try that. Which direction should the rotor be pointing? About 11 O'clock? Thats where it was when I originally was starting this project and removed the distributor.

 

Here you go... People have got to read the stickies...

http://myweb.dal.ca/is353832/93fsm/i.../5distribu.pdf

 

Sorry, but I'm in a pinch and didn't see it in the myriad of stickies. Maybe I should have posted in noobs. oops..

 

i did something similar when i did my t-chain recently. crank engine by hand and put it at TDC. you remember your rotor position, right? roughly 10-11:00. when you put the distributor in, it rotates the rotor as the worm gear mates with the gear on the cam - i think it turns the rotor counter clockwise. i had to give it a few tries, but eventually got it pretty close, making sure that i had plenty of room in the adjustment slot/hole. make sure your distributor o-ring is in good condition or buy a new one. then hook everything up and bust out your timing gun. good luck!

 

Yes, it was at around 11:00.. I did mark the distributor and it did rotate CCW a bit when I re-installed it. Its acting like it almost wants to start, but it sounds out of time. I'll pull it tomorrow and recheck everything. Looking forward to getting this project over with.. unheated garage, northeast winter, etc, etc. Thanks for the tips!

 

OK, found TDC and reinstalled the distributor. It was about about a quarter turn off. It starts and runs, but not great. There is a whirring sound coming from the front of the engine.. not from any of the accessories. I probed around with a length of vacuum hose to listen, and it seems to be something internal. I wondering what the heck I could have done wrong.. every important bolt is torqued to spec. One thing I did notice, is looking down the front with the valve cover off, there is a bolt coming through the timing chain cover. I must have mixed up a couple of the oil pump bolts. It looks like there is enough clearance so its not hitting the chain, but I'll take the crank pulley back off and fix it before I get it out on the road.

I shot a quick video of the engine noise. Any thoughts?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2op3OfKznk

I also broke the last little plastic tube off a vacuum operated device (the last one on the right side of the plenum) and the other end goes to the vacuum spaghetti mess near the left side of the valve cover. I have plugged both ends temporarily.

 

Ok, something sounds VERY wrong there, like metal on metal. Timings not right either...

If you put the timing cover/oil pump bolts back in the wrong places you can actually interfere with the timing chain. IIRC there's 3 different length bolts

If you're certain the distributor is spot on, you need to recheck the timingchain alignment.

 

The timing chain does move around a bit while the engine is running, sounds to me like that bolt you got mixed up is interfering with the timing chain. Sounds like the noise you are hearing is the chain rubbing against that bolt. Take the valve cover off and check to see if there are wear marks on that bolt from the chain, and you'll know if its making contact.

 

OK, will do. I'll pull the crank pulley and redo those bolts on the oil pump.

The whole reason I got into this, was the classic driver side plastic chain guide break. So, it was running for a little while with part of the driver side of the chain a little slack (as you can see from my other 22RE youtube video). Could the chain have jumped a tooth thus messing up the install of the new chain set? I had the engine at TDC.. crank pulley notch at 0, and the dimple on the cam sprocket at about 11:30-12:00.

 

Make sure you check all of the bolts that go into the middle of the timing cover. Each bolt length really has a specific location.

Once you've set the timing chain, rotate the engine over a few times and see it still lines up after a few revolutions. Slack in the chain can make it look ok until you've tunrned it over a few times.

It's unlikely the original chain skipped, they tend to keep running even as they eat through the timing cover. I'm assuming it ran when you took it apart, so the valves didn't meet the pistons.

 

Before this, it ran great.. took a 30 mile round trip the night before. The next morning I took it out and it started running like crap. I was only a mile away, so I limped it home. Took the valve cover off and found the driver side of the chain was slack and a broken guide.

I was careful to get it to TDC, and keep the crank and cam where they should be. I'll fix the bolts on the oil pump and crank the engine through a few revolutions to see if everything still lines up.

 

so how did it go? was it some bolt?

 

OK, I swapped out the bolt, reinstalled the crank pulley, and cranked it by hand for several revolutions. At TDC, the pulley notch is at 0deg, and the dimple on the distributor drive gear is about 1 degree right of top, and the dimple on the cam gear is about 1 degree left of top. Does this sound right? If so, I will put the belts and valve cover back on and fire it up.

 

OK, its all back together, and it still runs the same and sounds almost the same as it does in the video. Changing the length of the protruding bolt made virtually no difference. The whirring noise sounds like its near the cam gear. The vibration smooths out somewhat at higher RPM's. At startup the engine still sounds a little like its out of time.. a little wheezy.

I'm kind of at a loss here.

 

Washers on the cam gear?

 

There wasn't any spacers or washers on the dist. The cam and crank consistently line up, so there isn't any slack in the chain, and I'm certain the dist. is installed correctly (now!). Its running the way it did before I did the chain with the broken guide.

Going to take it out back and shoot it.

 

you sure its not a pulley or something stupid like that?

 

Update: e-mailed with Ted @ EB and he suggested a compression test. Compression test shows about 10 psi in #1 and #2, 170 in #3 and 180 in #4. Bent valves? I didn't know it would still be able to run in this condition.

Its looking like I will be pulling the head. Still researching if I want to tackle the valve rehab myself or send it out. Can anyone recommend a good machine shop in the Albany, NY area (I am 40 miles W of Albany).