Symptoms
A rattle from the front of the engine on start-up, or broken guide pieces in the oil pan.
The fix, step by step
- Remove the timing cover, fit new guides positioned toward the outside of the block, install the crank and cam gears with the chain's bright link on top, tighten the straight guide and tensioner bolts to 9 ft-lb, set the curved guide so the tensioner is mostly retracted, then torque and reassemble with a new gasket set (per LC Engineering's instructions).
Tools & part numbers
- Metric sockets
- torque wrench
- LCE metal-backed guides (1985–95)
- chain
- tensioner
- timing cover gasket set
Where to buy the parts
22R/22R-E metal-backed timing chain guides (1985–95)LC Engineering ↗Amazon ↗
22R/22R-E timing chain tensioner (1983–95)LC Engineering ↗Amazon ↗
22R/22R-E single-row timing chain (1985–95)LC Engineering ↗Amazon ↗
22R/22R-E timing cover gasket set (1985–95)LC Engineering ↗Amazon ↗
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Rated for a competent home mechanic with a decent tool kit. Confirm torque figures, fluids and procedures against the factory service manual for your VIN, support the truck on stands rather than a jack, and work at your own risk (disclaimer). Some parts links are affiliate links, which pay us a small commission at no cost to you.