Hey guys.

I'm in the middle of doing my intake gaskets, double roller chain and gaskets, rear main seal, oil pan replacement and a few other odd n ends.. I know I will have some questions when I get to the double roller so I figured I would start my thread now since I already found a few things I feel might be a problem.

So basically this thread is going to cover multiple things.... First is....

Cap & Rotor. These are the Echlins (spelling) from NAPA. I just installed them around December and they already look like this.. Take a look at the rotor button also, the shiny spot on the face of it is also sharp to the touch.















In December when I did the work, I did the Cap n Rotor, Pick up coil, Plugs, Wires and coil.. So it was all new, at the same time. Ive never seen any look like this after only a few months... Do I have a problem I am unaware of?

 

Lots o' carbon there..... is your PCV system functioning properly? I don't recall if there is a seal in the distributor to isolate it from the crank case. Don't think there is.... just some bushings around the shaft.

 

I believe it is working properly, the little ball in the PCV shakes and rattles and hoses don't look bad. but yes, lots of carbon, has me wondering...

think I should clean up the contacts w/sandpaper or just see if NAPA would warranty them out? I wonder if the pick up coil could have anything to do with it since that piece is a different brand, from advance auto, not napa.


I'm not sure if you remember my 99 Ram and the thread titled, valve cover gasket nightmare (I think it was), I am just thankful the internals on my 98 ram is no where near the condition of the 99. Owners before me took pretty good care of it.

 

Pushing 150k miles and all OEM gaskets.. Mopar stamped. Yup, been time to change them i'd say.

well minus the valve cover gaskets, someone changed them at some point obviously..

 

I wouldn't hold my breath on the warranty thing for the cap/rotor......

Pickup in the dist shouldn't have anything to do with it. It's just a hall effect switch..... If it works, that's all you really care about.

Where did you get your PCV valve from? The aftermarket fellers aren't always the correct flow rate, dealer valve is less than 10 bucks..... (that's where I got mine.)

Is your distributor cap vented? Is the vent clear?

 

PCV is a dealer one.

Yes the cap is vented, i'll check to make sure it is clear when I head outside.

 

I pulled my plugs to take a look at them, still looking new.. I checked the gap and I was pushing .050 instead of .040.. could that have caused all the build up and stuff on the cap and rotor?

Anywho, took them up to napa and the guy couldn't believe the way it looked within only a few months so he swapped them out for new ones. The guys there are pretty laid back and easy to deal with..

Question time..

Tomorrow I am going to remove the harmonic balancer to get to the timing chain.. Is there anyway to check if that is on its way out? I noticed a little play/wobble before while inspecting things, but other than that, anything else I should look for?


I have never had to TDC a engine before, It seems pretty simple I guess.. Put my rotor button back on, turn the crank till the rotor is pointing at the #1 plug and Im at TDC?
- The crank turns clockwise correct?
- Is there a way to check if it is 180 out of timing before reassembly? just in case.

Sorry for the "dumb questions". never had to mess with timing and even balancers before. I'm sure the questions wont end here.

 

For the timing set, just line up the dots on the gears before removal. Then install the new ones in the same orientation. Don't make it harder than it really is.

if the outer ring on the harmonic balancer is loose/sloppy in any way, replace it.

Engine does indeed turn clockwise when you are sitting in front of it, facing it.

 

I always over think things. Sometimes it works out in my favor, sometimes it drives me insane..

I read more on it last night and I just plan on removing everything then lining up the dots as you stated.

Thanks Man, heading out now to rip the rest apart, clean the block and rip the dash out to throw a new heater core in while the coolant is drained.

debating on the rear main seal as I do not feel comfortable undoing the bearing caps or whatever they are.. I don't trust my harbor freight torque wrench to be very accurate and I read those have to be perfectly torqued.

 

I didn't even drop the oil pan when I did my timing set. (saved that for later, when I lost oil pressure.....)

If it isn't leaking, leave it.