While OE timing components are available from the dealer and other channels, aftermarket suppliers such as Cloyes and Melling offer improved products for specific applications with known timing chain issues. If the engine also has variable valve timing, it’s a little more challenging to be sure the cam is where it is supposed to be since the gear can move around on its axis and throw things off.
The cam and crank must correlate to within a certain number of degrees set by the ECU, which could be less than 8 degrees in some vehicles.
#SBC TIMING COVER DIFFERENCES CODE#
On a chain-driven timing set, you simply change the crank seal, clean up the mess from the oil leak and move on.”īecause modern vehicles use so many electronics to control the engine with crank and camshaft timing sensors, engine builders and technicians need to make sure the alignment of the timing chain is “dead-on” or, as some say, “dead-nuts.” The cam gear cannot be off by even a tooth, or the engine may set off an engine code or worse. Thinking back to the days of timing belts, if the front crank seal leaked on an engine to the point of coating the belt, you would most likely find the belt nearly shredded when inspecting it due to the oil saturation. “The chain is also, for lack of a better word, more durable. “In most cases, if the engine is properly maintained, service intervals would be the main advantage to a chain over a belt,” says Risinger. Even though belts will not last as long as a chain, they are quieter, create less friction, and often easier to line up with the cam and crank locked down. While timing belts have been steadily giving way to chains due to their longer service life, belt manufacturers have made strides to improve their belt life to more than 100,000 miles, in some cases. I would also think a vehicle that does not require an expensive service, such as a timing belt replacement every 50k, would be more appealing to customers.” I’m not sure if the carbon footprint might also come into play, either in belt production or the waste of throwing the belt away every 50k. I cannot imagine the amount of packaging space required to do this with belts. “Most are DOHC, and many have an idler sprocket that transfers the crankshaft rotation to the two chains that drive the cams. But why is this the case when chains are more expensive to produce?Ĭale Risinger from Melling Engine Parts believes it is due to the complexity of the newer, primarily V-style engines. If you’re building late-model dual overhead cam (DOHC) engines, you’ve probably noticed that a chain rather than a belt drives the camshaft.
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