[gtx2000]

Ok I went out to check my timing chain and i figured a good way to test it is to take the distributor cap off and turn the engine clockwise till the rotor moves then turn it back the other way. It should start moving right as i turn the engine back the other way right? Well when i did it it did not it took about a whole half turn of the crank before it starting moving the other way is this normal i don't think so

It is a 87 Vulcan with 117k on it. It is running rich and i get a popping upon deaccel and had a hard starting when cold but these problems don't happen all the time intermmidate as hell

 

[gtx2000]

anyone any ideas i think this is my last check and i want to know what you all think

 

[medicTA]

I would agree with you, there is normally a little slack in crank to cam rotation but a half turn of the crank would mean the chain is extremely stretched and very close to breaking.
I'm surprised it even runs with that much slack.

Start planing to replace it!

 

[gtx2000]

I got it more accurate. when i was checking earlier i was doing it by myself but the slack is about from the 12:00 position to the 1:30 position before it even thinks of rotating.

 

[medicTA]

That isn't nearly as bad as the 180 degrees you mentioned, but it is in the range when I would replace the chain.
However I don't think that would be slack enough to cause a skip of the chain on the gear.

 

[gtx2000]

Yea I'm just trying to get to the bottom of this intermittent miss that I have been having. It is really annoying. I would have just junked the car but i just put a new tranny in it. The car itself is in great shape and everything works but the a/c now i got 1400 in the tranny and about the same into the motor and its not even worth the money I'm sticking into it. I do diagnostic on car at work on newer cars never anything this old and this taurus has done wonders in baffling me. It has nothing for onboard diangnostic theres no data screen in my scanner and i cannot do a balance test due to the fact that the injectors are in banks of three. I replaced every sensor every maintenace item and had everything changed. Thanks god that everything for this taurus is cheap to replace. This car will not start-up first thing of the day it doenst have to be cold out it just has to sit overnight. but then you get to stop lights and this car is popping away and other times its fine and purrs. When it is running correctly you cannot feel it idle. When it is acting up it a vibrator on you foot weird huh well i think it is the timing chain hopping around i think that the 1/8 of a turn before the rotor turns it wayyy to much. it think it should be an instant thing i never done enough to deal with distributers to know i have always dealt with distribitorless cars with a crank and a cam sensor. Ill let everyone know this weekend if it repairs it.

 

[Bob Gervais]

How's the distributor gear look? I'd investigate that before I started yanking the timing chain.