yes. break the crank bolt loose and unscrew it several rounds.

setup the puller so its pulling on the center of the balancer, rather than the outside edge. remove balancer. it's keyed, and will be fairly tight, and you might have to setup a couple of times to pull it all the way off.

remove water pump.
remove timing cover.
remove spark plugs so engine will turn easier.

clean the sprockets with brake cleaner. locate the timing marks and paint them with a dab or paint or orange rtv. rotate engine to line up the marks.

remove cam bolt. maintain alignment. remove chain and sprockets as a set. maintain alignment.

with new sprockets marked. slide crank sprocket on. its keyed. slip the chain over cam sprocket and slide those on over the crank. maintain alignment.

 

so im looking at 5 hours of work?

 

If it were me and I did not find a chain tensioner in there I would install one.
http://www.hughesengines.com/Index/p...0&partid=11213

 

Sounds about right. I did my 5.2 in a little more than that, but I'm slow. It was my first and it is fairly easy. Use a new crank seal, of course, and don't be surprised if it drips a drop or two for a couple days.

 

I personally am not a fan of the tensioner. They are made for race engines that get taken apart frequently (after every race or so). You have some composite contraption rubbing on the chain, and both are getting worn, which in my mind , is putting more than normal debris into the oil. Not to mention, it is simply something else that could potentially break. A double roller timing set is more than enough for a regular daily driver IMHO.

 

^me too. i didn't come from the factory with one, and doesn't need it.

 

Put a dab of blue loktite on the cam bolt when you reinstall.

If the chain is really stretched, and you line up the marks on the Cam and Crank, they may not line up exactly with the new unstretched chain when you try to install it. If this happens, be sure the crank marking on the new keyway is lined exactly straight up like the old one and just move the cam the fraction of an inch to get it into the keyway.

If you've got to rotate more than 1mm to get it to line up, back away and ask for help.

Miss you guys!

 

Nice to see the "rodent" back.

 

just put the new chain on, the old had a lot of slack (154K miles). One question, the book says to tighten the vibration dampener with the crankshaft bolt. Is this the correct way?

 

That is correct. A little lube on the crank snout will keep it from binding.