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Originally Posted by wrenchman Because the crankshaft rotates clockwise when viewed from the front, the "right side" of the chain will be tighter than the "left side". The crank gear is effectively pulling down on the chain against the resistance of the valvetrain (cam gear) thereby pulling any slack from that side of the chain. Once a chain gets some usage on it, it will tend to stretch some and that slack in the chain will show up on the "left side".
Some slack in the chain is acceptable, but only to a point. As the chain stretches, the position of the camshaft changes in relation to the crankshaft. The cam timing retards little by little as the chain stretches.
Hope this helps... |
I agree, some years back I had a 1970 Mustang that just wouldn’t start one morning. It was my timing chain. It had stretched to the point that it jumped the sprocket a couple of teeth and wouldn’t run. Once I replaced the timing chain and set the ignition timing, it felt like another 20 hp under the hood. As the chain had been gradually stretching, it was retarding cam timing and I was slowly losing hp. Those chains seem to go bad in Windsor engines between 120,000 to 140,000 miles. Anytime you get past 100,000 miles, replacing the timing chain is a good way to pick up lost horsepower.
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Bill
1970 Mach 1 w/351C-4V, Shakerhood and 5-speed
2003 Mach 1 w/281-4 Valve, Shakerhood, and 5-speed
69 mustang timing chain information needed 
