Timing Mark help on 5.4, replacing timing chains
 

Hello all,
After reading posts I decided to take on a timing chain replacement job. My truck was bucking like crazy and sounded like a diesel. I open her up and sure enough the chain guide had deteriorated!

So now I have everything off except the chains and gears. Before I take them off I want to make sure i have the engine timed correctly.

From every thing I've read I need the two colored links on the chain to straddle the mark on the cam. That brings us to my problem. The problem is my stock chain doesn't have any colored links and my cams have TWO different marks on each of them. :blink: A dash on one side and an ENTER sign on another


https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.f15...c55ff30feb.jpg


Drivers Dash - ENTER is on the bottom


https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.f15...147c60ac69.jpg

Passenger ENTER sign

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.f15...bb73c5182c.jpg


Passengers Enter sign

Which one of these am I supposed to use?

Look in my album under my profile for the cam lobe picture. It has the correct position of the timing mark on the harmonic balancer and the correct cam lobe positions. Ensure that those are correct, if not, rotate the crank with a socket wrench 1 full turn and line the harmonic balancer timing mark up again in the correct position. Look at the cam lobes, by this time they should be correct. Mark the cam position with something like a paint marker or nail polish on a cap and an not journaled part of the cam so that you can make sure they are in the same position when finished, do more than one spot on the cams. Once that is good, use an impact gun to loosen both phaser bolts but do not remove them yet. Remove all of your timing guides, then the tensioners *hopefully you are replacing phasers and all timing components), then the phaser bolts and phasers, etc until all the old stuff is off. Install everything as per the first couple of pages in "the final guide to phaser noise" thread or whatever the exact name is, that thread is gold and will walk you through putting it back together. Make sure all colored links are correct and if you have to turn the cams slightly to get them back in the correct position to install the new phasers, a little is ok, use vice grips on a non-journaled part of the cam.
Good Luck
Tom

Timing Mark help on 5.4, replacing timing chains
 

^^^ What Tom said.
The "enter" sign is actually an "L" for the left side of the motor. New phasers should have an "L" and "R" on each phaser.
Basically, you want the timing marks (L,R, or dash) to be around the the 11 o'clock (for left side) and 1 o'clock (for right side) positions. The crank gear will have a dot, and that should be at 6 o'clock.
The vice grips should be placed just behind the phaser, and in front of the first cap.

Thank you both. Ok Enter sign is my mark. Definitely looks like it makes sense just wanted to be sure.

And by Left side you mean I want to put the Phaser with the "L" on it on the Drivers side correct?

The phasers should be same part number for each side, whatever side you're on, use the "L" or the "R" for the timing marks


You should get new chains if your doing this, they have colored links in the correct positions.

i ordered part #S21001 from rock auto and their chain and sprocket kit. They new chain has the colored links on it.