I am ordering up the bits to replace the timing chain on my 05 grand caravan as it is making that awful clacking sound and I am really getting tired of the racket. I checked out a couple retailers online and ordered from dodgeparts.com. After placing my order they put it on hold and told me that since my van was built post 01/01/05 that I have a different timing setup than the early engines and they had to change a couple part numbers on me so that I would get the right bits for my van. Seemed good enough to me.

Over the weekend I was reading about the job itself and stumbled upon this site:
http://www.enginebuildermag.com/Arti...8l_engine.aspx

They say that dodge has superceded ALL of the front covers and that now they take a single front cover and that I also need the new timing gears to go with it, and I can't figure out whether I am now in a whole heap of trouble and will have to change my front cover to go with the gears I have now ordered, or whether I will be fine. Can anybody help?

I don't know where to check the build date on my van but the last 8 digits of my VIN are 5B391672 if that helps.

It looks like I have on order:
Timing chain - 4740275
Gears - 4448154, 5127185AA

 

Another quick bit of information, looking back through the emails those part numbers did not change from the original invoice, but they said they had to supercede some parts, so I would assume those are the original part numbers. Were the parts right the first time, and should I be calling back to have the part numbers switched back before it ships? I did provide them with my VIN when I made the order and he said the change was based on that information, however he didn't mention anything about needing a different front cover or not...

Here is what they said:

 

The vin number shows you need the updated timing chain cover, part number 5137544AE, Timing chain 4666059AA, Sprocket package 5137663AA and the crankshaft gear 4648921AA. These are all Mopar part numbers.

 

Curious, under urban city driving conditions, how long does the chain usually last on average?

 

on the 3.3l and 3.8l, they should out last the engine itself.

 

Need, as in I cannot use these parts without a new front cover, or need as in if I am replacing my front cover already I can only get that part?

**EDIT**
I just called 2 dealerships and they both say my van was built May 10, 2005 which means I should already have the narrow timing gear on the van and that the front cover I have should already be the right one for the narrow gears, but they are basing this on there being no superceded parts for the timing gear, not on firsthand experience. Do I need to replace the front cover or should I be fine re-using mine...?

 

The timing chain should (and probably will) last 250-500k miles, however some of us are experiencing a clacking noise that can be pinned down to the timing cover area. Apparently this is caused by there being excess slack in the chain allowing it to bang on the cover, for this reason I am replacing my chain and gears prematurely. In case you are curious, my van has 112,500km on it right now and has made the noise since I bought it at 110,750km.

 

My '06 is making the same noise. Will watch this thread to see what answers you get.

 

The key word you said the dealer told you was SHOULD. So they don't know if you have the correct parts already on the motor. All of the part number I posted are either the correct and superseded part numbers.

 

How is it possible that even with the VIN number nobody can tell what parts I actually have on my van?

Given that the timing cover costs about $510 and the sum of the rest of the parts is only $171 including shipping I think I have to pass on ordering it as a "just in case I need it" part. If I get in there and the gears are a different width then I think I'll just put everything back and live with the noise... This isn't worth $500 more than what I have already spent just to get rid of a noise.