Engine Assembly: Timing Chain Cover

I was reusing the original front cover but it had a small problem: one of the water pump bolts had seized and broken in it. I showed it to my friend who luckily managed to get it out by heating it with a small torch and applying enough force with a pipe wrench.

Before installing the front cover, I had to replace the crankshaft oil seal. The old one proved to be quite hard to remove but little by little it came out by hammering it enough. The new seal was also very tight but by working it gradually around the edges, it went in.

I wanted the timing chain and fuel pump cam to have some lubrication from the first start so I covered both with assembly lube.

Then I went through the gasket surfaces one more time with cleaner and started spreading some Hylomar on the cover.

I put the gasket on the cover and spread some more sealer.

And by using two of the bottom bolts, I loosely placed the cover on the engine. The bolts do not accurately position the cover though so before torquing them, I placed the damper on the crank to use as a guide. When the cover was centered as well as I could, I screwed in the rest of the bolts. I was not going to install the water pump yet so I used a large stack of washers for the really long bolts. This way they all squeezed the sealant and hopefully would guarantee a leak free cover.

Engine Assembly: Timing Chain

To install the timing chain, I first brought the number one piston to firing position, or top dead center (TDC). The key on the crankshaft was now pointing directly up. Then I placed the camshaft gear on its key and turned the cam until the small marking dot on the gear was pointing directly down. Now the rotating parts were close to correct.

I removed the cam sprocket again and then slid the crank gear in until it started to contact the key. Then it was time to get the chain. I placed it on the cam gear and positioned it so that the two dots on the gears were pointing at each other. Next I wrapped the chain on the crank and pushed both gears in until the keys held them in position. Before fully installing them, I made sure the dots were still directly opposite of each other. Luckily I got it correct on the first try so I didn't have to remove the gears to try again. By wiggling and tapping the gears with a rubber mallet, I got them almost completely in.

To see that everything moved correctly, I rotated the crank a few turns. No problems found so I also installed the fuel pump cam. Its bolt pulled the cam gear in the rest of the way. I torqued it to 45 ft-lbs and added a little dab of thread locker for good measure. Final piece was placing the oil slinger over the crankshaft extension.

Disassembling The Engine Part 1

With the course laid in, it was time to tear down the engine. First I drained the coolant and removed the radiator. This gave me enough room to get the fan out. Then I disconnected the alternator wires, unbolted it and lifted it out. Now I could get to the water pump and remove it.

The harmonic balancer was a bit more tricky to get out. I removed the three bolts that hold the pulley to the damper and then had to get the large crank bolt out. It is so tight that you need to prevent the engine from turning. I did that by adding two of the flywheel bolts to the back of the crank, placed my jack handle between them and turned the engine until the handle touched the exhaust. Now the crank would not turn and I could get the bolt out.

Finally I needed a puller to get the damper out. My friend had one so I borrowed it. He had made it by welding two pieces of iron together and drilling four holes to it. Simple but effective and I soon had the balancer out.

DIY harmonic balancer puller

Now the road was clear for the timing chain cover. I unbolted the fuel pump from it and then removed the cover itself.

The timing chain itself can be pulled out by just removing the fuel pump eccentric and then wiggling the gears until they come free. The chain had quite a lot of play so it's definitely time to replace it.

Before continuing to drop the crank, I removed the oil pump and then cleaned the parts a bit to see what new stuff I needed. Luckily most were in pretty good condition. The chain cover was almost like new. No rust, just a lot of dirt. I'll clean it, paint it and put it back.

The water pump was also really good. So good that I suspect that it has been replaced at some point. No rust inside or out and no play in the shaft. No need to replace it either.

Finally I checked the damper and again found nothing wrong with it. The rubber seemed good so it can be reused after some more cleaning.

So only the oil pump, timing chain and bearings need to be replaced. Unless I find more surprises...

Old and new oil pumps

New Federal Mogul timing chain