Thanks for the input. I could not find a spec in the Bentley manual for timing chain slack between the sprockets, but I was thinking that there shouldn't be any. Most of my experience is the VW 4 cyl & Alfa Romeo 6 cyl belt driven motors. Because my Alfa has an early style hydraulic belt tensioner, I can rotate that motor any direction I want all day long with no problems. Later style mechanical tensioners on these motors will detension if the motor is rotated backward. Either way, there's not supposed to be slack between the cam sprockets. That's what I'm used to. Not much experience with chain driven motors except for a few American pushrod motors.

I was thinking I could loosen the intake cam sprocket, rotate it independent of the cam in order to remove the slack between the sprockets, reattach it to the cam, & then reset the tensioner to take up the slack. Of course, I'd keep all three timing marks were they need to be. Is this feasible, or is the camshaft keyed to the sprocket?

I will double check firing order as well. Don't think I got it wrong. I was sure to orient the new distributor the same as the old one, & the firing order's stamped right on the motor. Then again, I have been guilty of the occasional brain fart. I'll also point the rotor to the #1 spark plug & see how much advance I have. Incedentally, I changed the distributor because the P/O fitted a distributor from a turbo & plugged the vacuum advance, & the car's had drivability problems since I bought it.

The other thing is that this motor is of unknown milage. I just recently bought the car, & the odo stopped working a long time ago. It makes excellent compression, but I do occasionally hear a rattle at the top end that sounds like it could be coming from the area of the timing chain. Perhaps it's just time for a new timing chain & sprockets.

Michael Keith
Houston, TX
87 900S

posted by 205.174...

• I rotated my engine backwards, Michael Keith, Sun, 29 Aug 2004 12:37:09
  • think you have too much play between sprockets., Saabu , Mon, 30 Aug 2004 06:59:01
  • I hope you get an answer!, Russell Giuliano, Sun, 29 Aug 2004 21:58:43
  • Re: I rotated my engine backwards, Phil, Sun, 29 Aug 2004 20:17:39
    • Re: I rotated my engine backwards, Michael Keith, Mon, 30 Aug 2004 08:42:08 <-- Viewing This Message
      • further confirmation in Bentley, Saabu , Mon, 30 Aug 2004 10:34:46
        • Re: further confirmation in Bentley, Michael Keith, Mon, 30 Aug 2004 11:24:39
          • not sure but i was driving one with 13 mm, Saabu , Mon, 30 Aug 2004 12:46:06
            • Re: not sure but i was driving one with 13 mm, Michael Keith, Mon, 30 Aug 2004 13:57:46
              • got mine from eEuroparts but dealer may be more, Saabu , Mon, 30 Aug 2004 16:09:04

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