I needed to change my water pump. I figured since everything is apart I would change the timing chain.

I just got the balancer off and am about to take the timing chain cover off. In about an hour I'll need to reinstall the harmonic balancer. Any tips on how you get the balancer back on?

Jim

 

Run to autozone and use the loaner tool program and get a balancer installer. You'll tear it up with a hammer and a block of wood otherwise and likely knock a hole in your radiator.

JIM

 

The right tool makes it a snap and you won't damage anything.

 

Thanks guys. I bought the tool to remove it. Is that the same tool you use to install?

I'm glad I did it. How much play is too much play? My chain can almost jump a link. Its pretty loose....lots of slack. I can move the lower gear (crank) about an inch before the slack gets taken up and the upper gear moves. Also noticed I have nylon teeth on the cam gear. I wonder if I should put a nylon one on again or go with the metal the chain came with.

Anyway ran out of time for the day. Started to rain. I will get back at it tomorrow. Hopefully I can remember where all the parts go.

Jim

 

I see its a differnt tool. I guess I'll have to find one somewhere.

Jim

 

Change the gear

 

go with a cloyes double roller timing set...inexpensive and great quality.....

 

Ditto...get a good basic Cloyes set for $20 with iron/steel gears.


JIM

 

back in the day we just used to hit them on with a BFH, these days the proper tool makes life easy. Also the not damaging is a plus

 

Don't get loner tools from Autozone unless you inspect them first! Too many Bubbers have used these tools in the past and most of the tools are POS! Especially any tool that is used to push, or pull.

 

People shoot me for this, but I still do, but with a block of 2x4 between the balancer and hammer, and take many smaller swings, not trying to knock it on with one shot....use common sense, never had a issue,....

 

I have a new chain with the metal gears. I'm wondering if the metal will throw off my knock sensor. There must have been a reason that they used nylon in the 82.

I think I'm going to buy the reinstall tool.

Jim

 

You won't have any issues. It's done everyday.

JIM

 

They used the nylon gear for many years in passenger cars - a noise reduction issue. The truck motors had steel gears, etc. Definitely use the installer tool. You can feel the gear "land" and you won't damage threads, thrust bearing or hands. Good luck.

 

I have to pack it in for the day pending further advise from you guys. Here is the deal. when i got the car the distributor was installed cockeyed....way to far to one side. So it looks like the previous owner had a problem. I'm guessing the chain jumper a link. I had the distributor installed corerectly about 4 years ago. The car has run fine.

As you all know I'm changing the timing chain and gears. I bumped the engine until I got the mark on the cam gear to 6 o'clock. It should have lined up with the mark on the crank gear BUT I noticed the mark on the crank gear was off by a tooth to the right (clockwise). So I removed the cam gear and put the new cam gear and chain on. The mark on the cam gear Is where it should be...can't mess this up because the 3 bolts line it up as it origianlly was. So everything is lined up AS IT WAS before...with the mark on the crank gear off by a tooth. So theoretically everything is as it was when it was running.

I am assuming that when the distributor was installed 4 years ago it was set to compensate for the cam and crank not being in sync.

So what do I do...button it up as is? Or align the cam and crank gears as they should be...one at 6 o'clock (cam gear)and one at 12 o'clock (crank gear). Then pull the distributor and move it over by one tooth or do I even need to do that if i line up everythin correctly?

I an having a hard time picturing this in my head. Can the crank be off by a tooth and compensated by how the distributor was installed? Should this even have run? It did...rough at time but no back fire.

Jim

 

So i'm not out a tooth after all. But marks are as follows crank is at 12 o'clock and cam gear is at 12 o'clock. That means I should be at piston 6 in firing order. Problem is distributor points at piston 1. Should I move the distributor?

Jim

 

Stop looking at the cam and crank marks now. Roll the crank over 'til you feel compression out of the #1 spark plug hole. When the balancer comes up to zero degrees you're at TDC. If the dizzy rotor doesn't point to the #1 cylinder pull it up and turn it and re-install it so it does. Then you can turn the dizzy housing to align the #1 wire on the cap to the rotor. It should start then.

 

I did turn the engine by hand. To double check I placed the timing chain cover on the engine and put the balancer on. I lined up the mark on the balancer to Zero. Crank and cam marks are at 12 o'clock. The Rotor in the distributor is pointing to the number 1. According to the manual when at 12 o'clock the rotor should point to the number 6.

Just curious but does the timing go to zero on both the compression stroke and exhaust stroke? So can i assume I'm on the compression stroke at this time?

Jim

 

Yes, the cam turns at half the crank rpm, so the piston reaches TDC twice for each cycle. To see if you're on the compression stroke, feel for compressed air coming out of #1 spark plug hole or watch for the #1 valves to stop moving as you rotate the crank up to TDC. If all that happens on #6, then you would be on the compression stroke of #6, and on the exhaust stroke of #1.