Chain Tensioner Movement

[Solarian]

I recently changed the timing sprockets because they were really worn, and I changed the chain tensioner as well. I made absolutely sure that the timing is correct by lining up the mark on the crank pulley with the mark on the block and then locked the flywheel. Then I set my time squares to be perfectly in line, just like in all of the pictures I've ever seen, etc... Since my car was fully stock before, I'm absolutely certain that my timing could not be messed up and I'm not smacking my valves into pistons.

The thing that is weird to me now, and this may actually just be the normal operation of the motor, but when I turn it over by hand it alternates between being somewhat hard and very easy to turn. I'm using just a regular half inch drive to turn it so that I can't put much torque on it (short handle) and I can't really bend a valve (in theory). The effort experienced feels like I'm bringing something to the top and then dropping it. It pretty much completes the second half of the turn on its own.

I was looking to see what's going on when this happens to get a clue and I saw the piece that presses against the chain tensioner moving along with this cycle. It pushes in the tensioner at one point, and then it goes back to normal.

Is this normal? I think that when I was turning it over before I did all this stuff it still had a kind of periodic nature to the strength required as opposed to just being equal and constant, but it wasn't as dramatic as now. I suspect it could be because this tensioner is new so it doesn't have oil pressure in it yet. By the way, I extended the chain tensioner before I put it in, I didn't put it in short because I worried about skipping a tooth.

I just keep thinking about it and looking at the diagrams and I can't see why that thing should be moving to be honest. And it's also really weird to me why the effort level varies like this when I turn the motor over. Should it not be balanced because there are four cylinders?

[roguetoaster]

Not sure about the tensioner movement, but rotating the engine by hand usually feels like what you are describing. Just as long as you aligned the arrow to the actual notch on a tooth of the vibration dampener and not the middle of the window you should be good to go.

Remember, the pistons move as pairs, not individually.

[Dj Buttchug]

op is fighting compression by turning the engine over by hand.

[Solarian]

Plugs are out, I actually figured out why there's the alternating difficulty. There's a small period when no valve springs are being compressed since the pistons are in pairs. That's when it's easy. The difficulty comes from compressing them. My main concern is with the tensioner and why it keeps expanding and contracting.

[vpilarrt]

Its going to to that when turning the engine slowly (like by hand). With the engine running the tensioner is pressurized by the oil and is therefore stiffer and won't have time to compress during the valve actuation periods.

[Solarian]

Its going to to that when turning the engine slowly (like by hand). With the engine running the tensioner is pressurized by the oil and is therefore stiffer and won't have time to compress during the valve actuation periods.

Awesome! Just wanted some kind of confirmation before I close everything up. Well, I still have to helicoil most of my valve cover bolt holes, but I can close it up when I'm done that :)

[Dj Buttchug]

Awesome! Just wanted some kind of confirmation before I close everything up. Well, I still have to helicoil most of my valve cover bolt holes, but I can close it up when I'm done that :)

use a stud kit instead. So much more effective with less headache down the road.

[Solarian]

use a stud kit instead. So much more effective with less headache down the road.

I don't mind doing it since I have to helicoil the damn things anyway, but what about availability? I need it sooner rather than later.

[Dj Buttchug]

you can get everything you need at your local hardware store for less than $10. M8x 1.25 thread pitch and whatever washers and finishing nuts you want to use.

[Solarian]

Ahh, is there any particular reason you increased the size of them? I thought the original ones were M6X1.