I have a 1995 Dakota SLT with a 3.9L that is badly in need of a new timing chain. Having read several DodgeForum threads about timing chain replacements, I am ready to order the parts. This is what I am ordering:

• Cloyes #C3072 Chain Sprocket Set
• Fel-Pro #TCS45949 Timing Cover Set w/Sleeve
• National #3103 Timing Cover Seal
• National #99218 Timing Cover Repair Sleeve
• Cloyes #95387 Timing Chain Tensioner
• Fel-Pro #OS34503R Oil Pan Gasket

Is the sleeve in the Fel-Pro Timing Cover set the same as the National Repair Sleeve? The National sleeve costs more than the Fel-Pro, are they for the same use? I would appreciate any advice on the parts I am ordering.

Thanks.

 

i might be able to offer some advice since i just went through this same procedure about a month ago, mine is a '96 3.9 but im sure its the same or similar, my oplogies for the mis information if 96 is completely different than 95 but ill try to help anyways. forget the oem/silent type chain (c-3072 is silent type). go to napa and get the double roller chain and gears. its in a napa box but its a cloyes and it doesnt use a tensioner. felpro timing cover set will have timing cover/water pump gaskets, national timing cover oil seal, balancer sleeve (not sure what brand it is), seems like that was all the contents of the felpro kit. check your balancer because it may not need the sleeve. mine balancer was in perfect shape and didnt need a sleeve. im glad because it looked like a pain in the azz to put on. what i did before i pulledthe chain and gears off is put some wire or zip tie through one of the holes in the cam sprocket to hold the chain on tight then you can hold the chain tight on the crank gear and pull the whole assembly off without messing up your crank/cam synchronization. for added security i also counted the number of chain links between cam/crank gear marks before i pulled anything off. book says to have the marks aligned but thats not needed if you put the new parts back on in the same spot as the old ones. might want a new waterpump and dont forget a new bypass hose. if yours is 4x4 you may have to drop the front axle assembly to do the pan gasket. definatly dload the service manual here and read it before you get started. let me know if you got any more question. im not a professional but all this stuff is fresh in my mind since i just did it

 

Thanks for the advice. I had read your post about changing the timing chain and it was really helpful. I saw the Cloyes roller set on Rock Auto and thought it was only for "performance" enthusiasts, which I am definitely not. I will either go to NAPA or order from Rock Auto because they appear to be the same Cloyes #91103 set. I will save $$ by not having to buy the tensioner or the National repair sleeve; I don't understand why the National 99218 sleeve costs so much more than the one in the Fel-Pro set. I will also replace the water pump, thermostat and bypass hose. I will have a local shop do the install. Thanks for your advice and for saving several $$!

 

i didnt install the double roller setup for more performance. i did it because everything i read said it should last longer than the oem silent type setup, and roller version was only like $20 more if i recall. in my case the oem chain went 95k and was rattling bad, if the roller goes another 110k or possibly more, its well worth the little bit of extra money so i dont have to crawl under the truck for that much longer. dont worry about using the sleeve unless you got a bad groove. my balancer shaft had 95k and looked perfect

 

I also went with the Napa "cloyes" double roller set, and felpro gasket set when I did this job about 2 months ago. Very pleased.
Yes, a double roller is a more durable design, and is why you would use it.

 

You don't need to drop the oil pan, so get your money back on the pan gasket, if it is a chain, you won't need a tentioner either. Before buying parts, its best to get it apart and see what's up, you could save money by doing that. Don't guess the problem, find the problem then buy parts and fix it.

 

Thanks to all of you for the good advice. I also want to buy parts that will last and be well made, the double roller set will satisfy that requirement. Regarding the oil pan gasket: the Fel-Pro gasket set description states, "Must be used w/OS 34503R", and I read somewhere that the oil pan must be dropped to remove the timing chain. That may have applied to another model.

 

i would of mentioned you didnt have to drop the pan but i thought you bought a new pan gasket because the old one was leaking. just a misunderstanding. the shop your having do the work SHOULD know all this.... hopefully. when they pull the timing cover off if their not carefull you will have to buy a pan gasket because you can damage the front corners of the gasket if you dont watch what your doing. again hopefully they know that lol

 

I talked yesterday with the shop that will be doing this work and they are aware of the care needed in removing the timing chain cover (whew!), but they are not very familiar with the double roller chain. I told them about the tips you posted and they said they appreciate the information. Thanks again!

 

Im sorry but where is this shop? What do they work on? Most mechanics should know what a double roller timing chain is... That has me a little worried. But oh well, if you know they know what they're doing, you know them better than I.