Broken Rollmaster dualroller timing chain
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 1,585
Likes: 15
From: New Hartford IA
Broken Rollmaster dualroller timing chain
Has anyone ever seen this before? I almost lost my 383 thats not even a year old. Changed the oil a few weeks ago and noticed two small pieces(almost looked like a small half washer) on the drain magnet Oil didn't really have many miles on it, but it was from last fall so I'm lucky I changed it and noticed the pieces. Matched them up to a chain at the machine shop and yep sure enough it was part of a timing chain. The 2 pieces are from the center links and they broke off the link right at the pins.
No damage occured from this yet thank god, but it's ****ty to have to go back into the engine after getting it running last fall. I reused this chain from the heads/cam stock shortblock engine I bought the car with. It seemsed like a nice piece so I thought I was good to go. I can't see the chain set having over 10k miles on it. The chain is a JWIS chain with steel and blue colored links, two blue links are what broke.
I'm replacing the set with stock sprockets, Katech (JWIS) C5R chain, and the GMPP timing chain damper. I don't want to go back inside the engine till it really needs it so I went all out.
No damage occured from this yet thank god, but it's ****ty to have to go back into the engine after getting it running last fall. I reused this chain from the heads/cam stock shortblock engine I bought the car with. It seemsed like a nice piece so I thought I was good to go. I can't see the chain set having over 10k miles on it. The chain is a JWIS chain with steel and blue colored links, two blue links are what broke.
I'm replacing the set with stock sprockets, Katech (JWIS) C5R chain, and the GMPP timing chain damper. I don't want to go back inside the engine till it really needs it so I went all out.
Last edited by slow ride; May 18, 2007 at 08:13 PM.
Drifting
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 1,715
Likes: 1
From: cAshburn VA
Just replaced my engine and reused the pulley and covers, so there is my Rollmaster double on my original engine, looking pretty much like the day it went on, 3 years and 30k miles ago, not to mention lots of runs at the strip and the usual daily "spirited driving".
Lesson to be learned here though! People keep touting these engine oils that will last 5k, 10k, whatever miles, whatever.... I would never go that long without doing an oil change to see what might be on my mag drain plug.
Good job catching that, saved yourself some real heartache!
Lesson to be learned here though! People keep touting these engine oils that will last 5k, 10k, whatever miles, whatever.... I would never go that long without doing an oil change to see what might be on my mag drain plug.
Good job catching that, saved yourself some real heartache!
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 1,384
Likes: 8
From: Southwest Virginia
I have about 150 yards and 30 minutes of hard idle time on mine with no problems!
This is scary to hear! I went with double roller so I wouldn't have problems!
Have you contacted Rollmaster? Be good to hear their input!
This is scary to hear! I went with double roller so I wouldn't have problems!
Have you contacted Rollmaster? Be good to hear their input!
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 1,071
Likes: 0
From: Goose Creek SC
Has anyone ever seen this before? I almost lost my 383 thats not even a year old. Changed the oil a few weeks ago and noticed two small pieces(almost looked like a small half washer) on the drain magnet Oil didn't really have many miles on it, but it was from last fall so I'm lucky I changed it and noticed the pieces. Matched them up to a chain at the machine shop and yep sure enough it was part of a timing chain. The 2 pieces are from the center links and they broke off the link right at the pins.
No damage occured from this yet thank god, but it's ****ty to have to go back into the engine after getting it running last fall. I reused this chain from the heads/cam stock shortblock engine I bought the car with. It seemsed like a nice piece so I thought I was good to go. I can't see the chain set having over 10k miles on it. The chain is a JWIS chain with steel and blue colored links, two blue links are what broke.
I'm replacing the set with stock sprokets, Katech (JWIS) C5R chain, and the GMPP timing chain damper. I don't want to go back inside the engine till it really needs it so I went all out.
No damage occured from this yet thank god, but it's ****ty to have to go back into the engine after getting it running last fall. I reused this chain from the heads/cam stock shortblock engine I bought the car with. It seemsed like a nice piece so I thought I was good to go. I can't see the chain set having over 10k miles on it. The chain is a JWIS chain with steel and blue colored links, two blue links are what broke.
I'm replacing the set with stock sprokets, Katech (JWIS) C5R chain, and the GMPP timing chain damper. I don't want to go back inside the engine till it really needs it so I went all out.
Hammer
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 1999
Posts: 22,025
Likes: 192
From: At the beach in little Rhody
Drifting
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 1,274
Likes: 64
From: Prescott AZ Gilbert AZ
Just the initial scenario I had last year when Cartek was changing the oil.
They found a couple of small pieces on the magnetic drain plug.
Chain was about to go. Two or three link plates broken, and another cracked.
Really lucky find. Certainly would have blown on the next track day.
Alan lost an engine a couple of years ago to a broken chain. Don't know if it was Rollmaster or not.
They found a couple of small pieces on the magnetic drain plug.
Chain was about to go. Two or three link plates broken, and another cracked.
Really lucky find. Certainly would have blown on the next track day.
Alan lost an engine a couple of years ago to a broken chain. Don't know if it was Rollmaster or not.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 1,585
Likes: 15
From: New Hartford IA
Well I got the idea from you and it seems like the best solution
I figured the Katech chain would be plated in gold though
I'll try to post up some pictures this weekend of the chain and anything else I see in the area. The pieces look like the ones in this post over on LS1 tech
http://www.ls1tech.com/forums/showth...le+chain+broke
I figured the Katech chain would be plated in gold though I'll try to post up some pictures this weekend of the chain and anything else I see in the area. The pieces look like the ones in this post over on LS1 tech
http://www.ls1tech.com/forums/showth...le+chain+broke
Last edited by slow ride; May 18, 2007 at 08:11 PM.
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Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 1,585
Likes: 15
From: New Hartford IA
I couldn't find a phone number yet, but I might send them a email. I don't know the exact model since I didn't buy it, but it might be on one of the sprockets so I'll have to look. This car was cam only before I bought it so I don't know if this chain was new then or when they went H/C as I bought it.
