you're making it harder than it is. no need to measure. both sprockets are keyed, a new chain is tight, it'll only fit one way. with a new, tight chain, its impossible to get one tooth or two off.

for the timing sets that offer a 4* advance or retard, there are multiple keyways. the center one is stock, and the one on either side the advance/retard setting. i've never used one, but squirrel might have.

this is a sort of standard picture. i'd expect the keyways to be closer together.
http://www.carpartswholesale.com/inc...JhYmlsaXR5Lg==

 

Nah, I installed straight up. the multiple keyway changes are there to provide "gross adjustment" for a cam, you can get a finer adjustment of a cam with an offset key.

 

Ok, yesterday I finally got the harmonic balancer and the timing cover off (kinda scary...). The chain is exposed and like I saw in one of the pictures here, it's got some slack in it so I'm definitely going to change it out. I'm going to do some parts cleaning today. I'm still waiting on some parts from Rock Auto. I have the new chain but not sprockets. I'll have to go to Oreilly's or something to pick some up. Quick question about removal. After I align the timing marks and undo the Cam Bolt, the cam isn't going to spontaneously rotate on me after I remove the sprockets is it? I need to take the plugs out to rotate the crank and I'm afraid after I remove the old timing chain and sprockets that one of the two shafts is going to rotate on me and screw my timing up. Is this likely to happen or am I fretting over something that won't occur?

 

Your just thinking too hard about it. You don't have to remove the plugs and rotate anything. Just simply remove the sprockets and install the new ones... no big deal. Nothing has to be turned or aligned, the keyways do it for you.

 

It's a good idea to align the timing marks on the old gears before removal to assure the new ones go on correctly and the shafts are where they should be. Once removed, neither shaft will turn on its own, but there's some peace of mind in having a visual reference when putting the new parts on. Just be sure the battery is disconnected so that you don't accidentally bump the starter while the chain is off.

 

Ok guys, here's the update on my repair:

I had a friend from work come over just to watch me put everything back together and make sure I didn't do anything obvious to mess anything up. I installed the new timing gears and chain (double checking the timing to make sure it went in ok) I think I'm good there. Reinstalled the timing cover with a new gasket and using HondaBond HT as a sealant (this stuff works great, use it on my motorcycle crank case. Resists oil, water, most chemicals...good up to 600 degrees F silicone based sealant). Installed new water pump and gasket, new thermostat, new thermostat housing with gasket. I put in new radiator hoses and bypass hose. Reinstalled the air box, ac compressor/alternator mounting bracket and re-connected all the connections. Now...here's my problem. The truck wouldn't start (dead battery even though it was disconnected both positive and negative for a week?). Called a tow driver to give me a jump. The engine would start, but would die if I took foot off the gas. It did this even though I sat in the cab and revved about 1500 -2000 rpms in park for about 15 minutes. I also started seeing smoke coming from my AC compresser pulley. Am I dealing with unconnected problems related to my original repair job or did I mess something up? I'm positive I got everything up to that point back on the engine correctly, even rented a torque wrench to make sure everything was buttoned up to spec.

I think the battery/charging system issue, might be something simple (dead battery etc.) The AC compressor is what I'm most worried about now. Any advice?

 

....and yes, I did put 5 quarts of oil and new coolant in...

 

the IAC on the back of the throttle body, sort of in partnership with the TPS on drivers side of TB handle the idle. make sure those are plugged in. also a weak battery will disturb its ability to maintain idle, so it may be nothing more than that. unplug/replug both to make sure.

sorry, i don't know anything about ac clutch.

 

Double (triple) check all electrical connections. There is so dang many it doesn't take much to miss just one. Also, did you reconnect everything back on the alternator?

Good luck man, thats a bummer. I know how you feel... when I had mine tore all apart (did the same thing you just did), upon completion I first tried to start the truck it would not fire, just kept turning over. After several minutes of looking around under the hood I finally found one wire connector not connected to anything... and it took a few more minutes to actually find where it connected. Then wallah, she fired right up. Hope its an easy fix for you too.

 

Hey all,

Just wanted to let you know that after 3 days since doing the repair, everything seems to be working ok. It turns out the dead battery/charging system issue was something relatively minor. As for the AC compressor smoking, the guy that helped me work on my truck last weekend said we probably dislodged some particulates in the compressor that temporarily caused the unit to bind. It's been working ok so far. The new water pump, timing chain etc work like a charm. I noticed some oil leakage near the bottom of the truck, probably oil pan gasket or rear main seal, so I'm already thinking ahead to the next project.

Many thanks to all of you that offered such good advice and direction as I fumbled through this repair. Your insights proved extremely valuable and gave me the confidence to proceed with the repair on my own. I'm not much of a mechanic, but I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of taking apart the front part of the engine, replacing the bad parts and putting everything back together. I'm looking forward to working on my next project now . I hope to return the favor one day by assisting one of you with a repair/mod. Until then, I can offer only this one piece of advice: when it comes to selecting a good all around gasket sealer, nothing seems to come close to HondaBond HT. I've used it on my motorcycle crankcase and now my truck. It's excellent stuff and very easy to work with (not runny) and easy to clean up. I highly recommend it if you're thinking about buying Permatex or some other brand of sealant. It's a little bit more money, but I don't think you'll be disappointed with the results. Looking forward to participating in another repair thread. I think this one's been beaten to death lol. Again, many thanks.

Most Respectfully,

RTEddie