So there was a noticeable difference in the way your truck ran after changing the timing chain?

I am just curious because I have never changed one before, and don't really know what the benefits are.

I fully intend to change mine when I do the water pump. I am just intrigued by the effects of the chain change.

Thanks again for all the advice.

Oh, by the way, MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

 

Very noticeable. Smoother, more powerful, (butt dyno....) quicker starts, better idle. No word on fuel economy yet......

Over time, the chain stretches, so, cam timing 'drifts'..... the more stretch, the more drift. Not to mention the sloppy chain allows timing (as perceived by the PCM, reading the Cam Position Sensor) to bounce around. Randomly........ The computer does NOT compensate for this drift. (basically, retarding the camshaft) Replacing the chain, puts things back to "optimum". So, the engine does indeed run better. How much better? Depends on how bad you chain is.

 

My truck is a 99, but only has 70,000 miles on it. I don't imagine it could be stretched too bad, but I plan on changing it any way. From what I have read on here, it is a common weakness on these engines.

I don't think I can afford to do anything else right now, but I plan on checking out the plenum this spring. Hopefully I will be living somewhere else by then and have a garage.

 

I never even considered changing the chain on mine ('02, 146k), until I read here about how weak the OEM chain is (in terms of stretch, not break)... I went and checked one out.. The factory is a 'silent' rig, with nylon on the link bearings.. That wears off easily and likely within a few thousand miles, and that leaves you with slop.. I don't have a clue what the PCM does about slop, because I don't know how smart that thing is- but it stands to reason it will get frustrated and just retard, as HeyYou said..

I would love to see somebody make a timing gearset for these engines.. that pretty much makes it foolproof, for the life of the engine.. Dang it.. the best we can get is a double chain...

Since I changed the chain, and dumped the iridium plugs, I haven't heard a single ping.. I can't help but think that chain stretch plays a significant role in engine ping.. all it takes is a slightly advanced spark, and there you have it..

 

Updating this, I finally got around to doing the water pump. and when we went to start the truck the battery was dead, went and got a replacement and the truck still will not start.

Could this be caused by us putting 2 gallons of antifreeze in the system? it was not 50/50, let me explain, the person at autozone told us that our system holds 5 Gallons total so if we put 2.5 gals of 100% antifreeze and then 2.5 gals of water it would be mixed nice and be filled. My brother and I went to do this and the system topped off at 2 gallons of antifreeze...this left us stuck having an unmixed amount in the system...
Also we did NOT purge the system of air because we didn't know that this was required... I read on this forum that we should park the truck on a steep hill or jack it up, but since the truck will not start I have no way of doing this... also no jack.

So tomorrow I am thinking drain the system and try to put 50/50 and see if it starts the truck.

I should add, when turning the key, the fan and belt spins the car just doesn't turn over...and there is some sort of burning smell almost, that I am not familiar with, it kinda did seem stronger around the radiator but could have been coincidence. Thank you To Anybody who can give their input! It is very much appreciated.

My questions are,
would 100% antifreeze in the system stop it from starting the truck?

How can I get the air out of my system without lifting the truck?

 

it will still start, it just won't cool they way it should.. it'll run cooler..

the air will purge itself, it will just take a LONG time.. it's better to lift it as said, or force flush..

Did you make certain all the connections were back on? the coil is easy to forget, as it is on the bottom of the coil and out of sight..

 

There are also a couple ground cables up by the power steering pump, you don't have to remove them for the job, but, check 'em anyway.

Does the truck crank, just not fire?

 

I will have to go back through and check those cables, but... I think the crank fires I mean if the belt spins and it makes the usual noise it does when trying to start I think that means it fires right?

 

if it's firing, you'll hear it cough through the exhaust, instead of just the starter motor..

 

Ok so I checked the coil and it is plugged in, this truck has been sitting for a few months now, and we have owned it since early 2008 and never had a tune up done... not sure when the people before had last gotten a tune up but they owned it from 1997. I took the spark plugs out and this is what I found http://twitpic.com/3pzk3p ...We have only owned it for 3 years but I know we have put LOTS of miles on it traveling between southern California and Washington state quite often. I hope that this is the cause of the problem, what do you guys think?