installing timing chain

grngt50 · Apr 11, 2008

Hello everyone,

I will be replacing my old timing chain with a new one from Ford Racing. I have never done this swap before and was hoping you experienced guys could give me a few tips/pointers. Now for a couple questions......

1.) The new chain came with some sort of plate which I'm guessing is the cam thrust plate and also a dowel pin.......do I need to use these?

2.) The new chain comes with various degrees of advance and retard.....would it be beneficial to advance my stock cam say like 4 degrees? How do you change the cams timing?

This is all being done to my 94 GT AODE........stock cam/stock converter/most bolt-ons and daily driver FWIW.

Again any tips and advice is welcomed and greatly appreciated!!

Thanks,
James 94 GT

grngt50 · Apr 12, 2008

anyone? I'll be attempting to do this tomorrow by myself and could really use some guidance.

-James

YELLOW 94 · Apr 12, 2008

The timing chain is a very straight forward change. Install the new items that come with kit. The dowel pin will be used along with the block protector, make note of how things came apart take a picture so you have a reference. Make sure you line up the timing marks and your good to go. As far as degreeing your cam I would just leave it stock. Good luck.

later
Orlie

grngt50 · Apr 12, 2008

YELLOW 94 said:
The timing chain is a very straight forward change. Install the new items that come with kit. The dowel pin will be used along with the block protector, make note of how things came apart take a picture so you have a reference. Make sure you line up the timing marks and your good to go. As far as degreeing your cam I would just leave it stock. Good luck.

later
Orlie

OK that's what I figured.........the reason I asked about the plate and dowel pin was for the fact that I have been through my Haynes manual like ten times and not once do the mention the plate or pin And you guys all know that instructions that come with aftermarket parts aren't usually the best, right? Anyhow, thanks for the tips.

Can anyone else add anything?

Thanks,
James

RIO5.0 · Apr 12, 2008

This is something I did to keep track of all the bolts....Draw a rough sketch and poke em in as you go along...all kinds of lenghts on them...you can clean em up, put some anti seize on em and stuff em back for re-assy.

If you have the coin its a good time to swap in a new w/pump if its old, new t/stat too.

I would change the front seal on the timing cover...specially if it shows signs of leaking..

Use some RTV around the key when you put the balancer back on...It can push oil out that key if its not sealed...Mine was RTV'd from the factory...so I did the same with Black RTV.

Be mindful of the oilpan gasket when you take the cover off...That factory one is rubber... If not damaged I'd re-use it and squirt some RTV in the corners upon re-assy...I think you have (2) big and (2) small bolts going from the pan to the cover...Stuff a big rag over that oilpan... your gonna chit if a socket or something fall in...

Check your balancer to make sure the rubber hasn't slipped...Perfect time to do that..

Make sure you doublecheck your dots are lined up correctly before you button it up...

grngt50 · Apr 13, 2008

well I'm off work now and ready to tear her down.....I'll let you know how it goes. Rio, I really like your idea regarding the bolts.........I'll have to use that one. Thank you for taking the time and giving me some pointers..........I appreciate it!

-James
94 GT

ronstang94 · Apr 14, 2008

while I was cleaning the gasket off, the tip of the razor blade broke off and fell in the pan, not sure how it made it past the rag catching the gasket mess. Yay!!! for magnets.

Might be a good idea to use a cheap court of oil to rinse everything down before you close it up. It will wash out any gasket mess, dust, or razor blades out the oil drain hole, plus it will make sure the chain is well oiled.

skunk21 · Apr 14, 2008

the others gave great advice, but I would put in a new wp and balancer. both are a pain to do later when they fail not if. right now you have them off and in your hands.

when installing the balancer put some black rtv in the key way of the balancer, make sure you note the position of the key, even if you make a mark on the cover so you don't have to play around getting it on. once it's on the crank take a piece of wood lay it over the balancer and tap it on(this is if you don't have an installer)don't bang it!! put some rtv on the back side of the washer, thread the bolt in by hand then torque to around 115-120ft-lbs., never use an impact gun on the bolt, you don't want to strip the threads in the crankshaft.

advancing the cam brings the power range lower in the revs, retarding the cam brings the power range higher in the revs. so advancing 4 degrees would make the hp at a lower rpm, but it would only be worth a couple of ponies on a stock motor. If you want to feel some low end grunt try some gears.

pwcracer · Apr 15, 2008

balancer

I second the idea of replacing the balancer, exp when that is what caused my original combo to fail.. A reman water pump for our cars is about $55 or a new one from autozone is $75..

grngt50 · Apr 15, 2008

balancer is pioneer non-sfi less than a year old, water pump is fairly new as well. Sorry forgot to mention that the car already has 4.10 gears.

Update.........install went BAD

HB bolt seemed like it was welded to the crankshaft. My Dad and I tried every trick in the book (Minus air tools) to get that SOB to come loose and failed horribly. Car is on it's way to a friends shop!

-James

RIO5.0 · Apr 15, 2008

That blows.... air definatley helps on that bolt...I know the TQ on that bolt is like 125 ft lbs, so the mofo is tight...

onestripevert · Apr 16, 2008

what i've done before was put a breaker bar with a cheater bar on it , let the cheater bar rest on the ground and spun the motor slightly. worked like a charm, (even on accident) haha

grngt50 · Apr 16, 2008

yeah, we also used a cheater bar and tried bumping the engine with no success. I believe my battery was starting to die because when we'd try to bump the engine the car would only smack the bar once then quit, no matter how long I had the key turned.

At least I'm getting a killer deal on the work from a friend, so it's not to bad. I called around just for fun and found the average quote to be in the six hundred dollar range!!! That is friggen nuts!!

Car should be back today or tomorrow.......will hit ya'll with updates then

Thanks,
James

grngt50 · Apr 16, 2008

well..........mechanic was unable to loosen bolt with impact! wtf! So now I asked him to soak it with penetrating oil and try again with bigger impact. My gut feeling is that the bolt is going to snap off in the crank leaving me pretty well f#@$ed.

Would it be more cost effective to replace just the crank or to just find a junkyard/low milage 5.0 and do a complete swap? I am on a pretty tight budget so please keep that in mind.

Thanks,
James

onestripevert · Apr 17, 2008

i think it'd be cheaper to replace the crank. if you get one used , i would suggest
gettin it magnafluxed & turned (if its scored ) but then again if your gonna replace
it might as well go bigger & stroke it. at any rate good luck with it.

installing timing chain

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