Should I cange my timing chain?

gtsracing95 · Jul 26, 2003

I have 98,900 miles on my car as well as the motor. The car does not burn oil. One day I noticed the car not running as well as it used to. It has a harder time to get to 5000 rpm now and it just doesnt have that torquie feeling like it used to when it was stock at 50,000 miles or so. I was thinking it might be the timing chain that had stetched over the miles. If I go to change my timing chain will I need to drop the oil pan too, or is the one piece pan gasket standard on a 95 gt. Does this even sound like what is wrong with my car. Someone help because I want the power back.

HazMat404 · Jul 26, 2003

i say do it. you will get much better throttle response cause i bet your chain is stretched out pretty bad. you dont need to drop the oil pan but be super careful taking the timing cover off of the oil pan cause you can eeeeeasily tear the rubber gasket. get some of that rtv anyways and goop it on just to be safe tho. its definatley worth it tho in my eyes. why not change your cam while you are right there too (that was my "rational thinking" )

gtsracing95 · Jul 26, 2003

HazMat404 said:
i say do it. you will get much better throttle response cause i bet your chain is stretched out pretty bad. you dont need to drop the oil pan but be super careful taking the timing cover off of the oil pan cause you can eeeeeasily tear the rubber gasket. get some of that rtv anyways and goop it on just to be safe tho. its definatley worth it tho in my eyes. why not change your cam while you are right there too (that was my "rational thinking" )

What chain did you end up going with? Also were there any problems with the eccentric. I know there are a couple different types of chains. Which one bolts right on.

RIO5.0 · Jul 26, 2003

FRPP has 2 types for the replacement..one has 3 adjustable, another had like 9....there even another $$$$$ unit above that....they all pretty much bolt right in...and ya there is various types of chain...some are pre-stretched, theres double chains, needle bearing chains...all kinds of stuff....comp cams, cloyes, summit, crane, on and on... the FRPP units give excellant resuts...

i installed a Rollmaster...96.00 from FTI....sweet unit and its pretty much top shelf....chrome moly, heattreated, prestretched, roller bearing chain...and its damn pretty.....

HazMat404 · Jul 26, 2003

i just got the $60 double roller chain from fms or something like that. thing works awesome

Davin · Jul 26, 2003

I wouldn't bother unless the engine is missing (as in missfire, not gone ). I just did mine during my cam swap at 125K and it was still pretty tight. Unless you have some good evidence that the thing is jumping, I would turn your attention elsewere, its a lot of work for something that might not be the problem.

HazMat404 · Jul 26, 2003

well think about this next time you drive. is there some slack in your accelerator when you push it down?? does it take a sec for it to kick in?? mine was pretty bad (never thought it was the timing chain) but i think that was one of the main reasons why it was so bad. like i said tho, mine was definately loooooose as can be

gtsracing95 · Jul 27, 2003

OK then what else would cause a 99,000 mile motor with roughly 150 at each cylinder to suddenly start running horrible. The car has very sluggish bottom end. The top end isnt that great either. I understand in 110 degree heat, but at night when it is in the 60's to 70's it should run great. It is hard to peel the car out with out slipping the clutch quite a bit. Almost everything was checked and changed. I am going to change my distributor on Monday and my fuel filter (again) very soon. I also bought brand new 19lb injectors (those did not help either). Distributor shaft play, and the timing chain are the only other things to try. Anyone with any other suggestions?

Davin · Jul 27, 2003

Okay, first of all I think you should change your icon casue I think its scarring people

Secondly, I'm a little surprised that you didn't go to a bigger injector if you bought new ones like 24#.
Check your timing. If it has a pretty consistant setting under the light (i.e. 14 degrees every time, never jumping) than the chain is probably okay. Anyway, it stretches over time but would not just go bad all of a sudden, it would be a gradual process.
Are you confident in your plugs and plug wires as well as your cap and rotor? Are all of the wires surrounding your dist. and coil plugged in tightly? You only have 19# injectors, are you running high fuel pressure to compensate? Are you sure your MAF is not damaged? (i.e. if you unplug it does the car run worse or better?) Is the problem as bad when the car is cold vs. warm ( could be O2 sensors).
And most importantly, did you do ANY mods around the time that the car got worse?

gtsracing95 · Jul 28, 2003

Davin said:
Okay, first of all I think you should change your icon casue I think its scarring people
Secondly, I'm a little surprised that you didn't go to a bigger injector if you bought new ones like 24#.
Check your timing. If it has a pretty consistant setting under the light (i.e. 14 degrees every time, never jumping) than the chain is probably okay. Anyway, it stretches over time but would not just go bad all of a sudden, it would be a gradual process.
Are you confident in your plugs and plug wires as well as your cap and rotor? Are all of the wires surrounding your dist. and coil plugged in tightly? You only have 19# injectors, are you running high fuel pressure to compensate? Are you sure your MAF is not damaged? (i.e. if you unplug it does the car run worse or better?) Is the problem as bad when the car is cold vs. warm ( could be O2 sensors).
And most importantly, did you do ANY mods around the time that the car got worse?

Its just Busey. i did not go to 24lb. because i did not want idle problems. The timing is very consistant. I set it to 12 and it sits there at idle. I have tried different plugs but I am not sure the correct plug for a set of gt40 aluminum heads. Fuel pressure is at 40 at idle. If I unplug the MAF, the CE light comes on and the car stalls. The idle is high when cold, low when hot. changed o2 sensors about 15,000 miles ago. The car was almost bone stock when I started noticing the power loss. If you could recommend a plug to me that would be a great help.

Davin · Jul 28, 2003

Okay, its Busey, but coke addicts can still be pretty scary. Anyway, while I welcome you to get other opinions on this, I just don't think it sounds like a timing chain problem. Remember that the chain connects that cam to the crank, so if it were loose or jumping, you'd probably see the timing jump a little when checking, meaning, sometimes the #1 plug wire gets spark at 12 degrees, sometimes 13. But you're not having that problem. I think you might try bumping the fuel pressure up a little (only a couple psi at a time until the car adjusts) and try cleaning your MAF sensor with a little carb or brake cleaner. As far as the plugs go, I don't know what's best for your heads but would recommend you either do a search for it or use a new thread, I'm sure someone here could give you a good answer.

1fstgt · Jul 28, 2003

i don't think it's the timing chain either. it could be, but very unlikely. i think that it's something ignition or fuel related. find a good plug and use those. like motorcraft plugs. then run your car with a fuel pressure gauge and watch the guage while you floor it. it should go up, watch to see if it drops. it also could be weak old valve springs, but this is unlikely as well.

gtsracing95 · Jul 28, 2003

I heard that there could be play in the distributor shaft. This could also cause the car to lose power. I hate guessing

Davin · Jul 28, 2003

I'm with gts, its usually something fundamental and not rare. Those dist. shafts are pretty tight. When was the last time you changed your plug wires, checked them for burns or tested their continuity (ohms)?

gtsracing95 · Jul 28, 2003

Davin said:
I'm with gts, its usually something fundamental and not rare. Those dist. shafts are pretty tight. When was the last time you changed your plug wires, checked them for burns or tested their continuity (ohms)?

I just put new wires on in the past 500 miles. Ok I cahnged the distributor with a used one I got on Ebay (instead of spending 270 on a msd). The idle seems better so far. It still has a slight rough idle but at least it does not stall when it is hot. It still does not run very well though. I was able to beat a Auto 03 GT by 1 1/2 to 2 car lengths with this setup. Does this sound right? I would imagine that I should eat those alive?

red ink · Jun 21, 2004

Thats pretty good your car can beat an auto Gt. My cobra has a hard time running with a geared 99 manual gt, So i would say your running pretty good. Of course my timing chain sounds like it needs to be changed. Someone said something about their being a slight delay in throttle response (slack), and it takes a while to kick in, and the timing jumps on my light, and its got no tourqe. Sound right?

Should I cange my timing chain?

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