Timing Chain P0018 P0302,304,306

Did you buy it new? That engine was not taken care of. Discoloration and burnt oil build up on the inside of the timing cover. Also the pad on the tensioner on the left Cam chain looks worn (better pic would help). I would change it anyway, last one I bought was only $70 OEM. Also change the timing chain guide, right side, bottom of the timing chain, big long guide. When you have it apart clean the hell outta everything.

You have any pics of the inside of the valve covers? Any sludge? Oil doesn't disappear, if it was low, it went somewhere.... Obviously some gunked up on the inside of the timing cover.

Chains should be fine to reuse. That's the least of your worries.

 

Timing chain replacement at dealership is wayyyyyyy more than $1500! Gasket kit alone will run $400 (OEM).

 

Great. Not really what I am wanting to hear. I'll have to ask my mechanic to price it out. Oh, well. Didn't really want that fishing boat anyway.

 

Last year, the lowest quote I got was from an independent garage at $3600 parts & labor.

 

Here's a cheat sheet on torque values I put together during my project that may help. Double-check the torque values vs. the shop manual to verify accuracy.

Timing System
Black nylon dampers go on pins with raised sides facing toward block, flat sides facing toward timing cover
Exhaust cam sprockets: 74 lb/ft or 100 Nm
#2 tensioners: 19 Nm
Right side guiderail bolts: 19 Nm
#1 tensioner: 10 Nm
Idler sprocket: install last after timing mark alignments, align knock pin with block hole, 60 Nm or 44 lb/ft
FIPG seal packing see pg. 26 of Engine Unit
Oil control valve filter plug: 62 Nm or 46 lb/ft

Front of Engine
Timing cover: 23 Nm in steps see pg. 26 Engine Unit for bolt length locations short vs. long
Tensioner Bracket: 36 Nm
AC Compressor: 21 Nm in sequence: top front, bottom front, top rear, bottom rear
Alternator: 43 Nm or 32 lb/ft, cable nut 9.8 Nm
Water pump: 10mm bolts 9 Nm, 12mm bolts 23 Nm
Balancer: 250 Nm or 185 lb/ft
Oil filter housing: 19 Nm
Coolant bypass: 9 Nm
Power steering pump: 43 Nm or 32 lb/ft
#2 idler pulleys: 29 lb/ft
#1 AC idler pulley: 40 lb/ft

Intake Manifold:
Intake manifold: 26 Nm in steps

Top of Engine
Valve covers: 10 Nm perimeter bolts, 9 Nm center bolts
Ignition coils: 10 Nm
Cam sensors: 8 Nm
VVT actuators: 9 Nm

 

And some notes I put together after the project:

Project notes for anybody else undertaking a timing chain replacement, with the caveat that this is for informational purposes only and should not be taken as authoritative:

-I soaked the new chains in clean motor oil prior to mounting them, to allow oil to soak into the pins & bushings. Also applied a light coat of engine assembly grease to the sprocket teeth, guide rails, and tensioner sliders as prelube. No dry new parts during initial startup.

-I removed the two threaded studs from the block at the lower side of the timing cover to allow more up/down movement of the cover during installation. They threaded back into the block easily after the cover was in place.

-Triple-check the oil pump drive alignment *before* applying FIPG to the timing cover. The service manual provides a drawing showing the oil pump center gear at about 1 o'clock, with the crank at #1 TDC.

-Do a few dry runs installing the timing cover without sealant and before the oil pump o-ring is installed. Build muscle memory for the process, it's a complex operation getting the oil pump, pickup o-ring, FIPG bead, and block dowels aligned in one smooth motion.

-I also left the crank seal out during timing cover installation, to allow more up/down movement of the cover. The new seal drove in easily after the cover was bolted up...seal drives in until flush with the timing cover surface, no more and no less. Leaving the seal out also allows for visual inspection of the oil pump center gear and drive, and wiggling the oil pump center gear to get it aligned during assembly if needed.

-The timing cover was most easily installed by placing the bottom of the cover onto the oil pan surface first, at a slight angle with the top of the cover away from the engine, and then tilting the cover onto the engine while gently pushing the lower cover onto the oil pump drive and the 2 block dowel pins. Again, do a few dry runs before installing the o-rings and applying FIPG sealant.

-Permatex "aviation" sealant did a nice job of holding the oil pump o-ring in place during timing cover installation. Light coat in the o-ring groove, light coat on one side of the o-ring, let both tack up for ~5 minutes, then press the o-ring into place. I used a large plastic carpenter's clamp and a plastic spatula-type scraper to apply light & uniform pressure to the o-ring while the sealant cured.

-Light coat of motor oil on the o-ring and oil pan surface it seals allows the o-ring to slide across smoothly during timing cover installation.

-The shop manual calls for removing the oil pan for this, I didn't. After the cover was in place and a few front bolts loosely threaded, I torqued the 4 bolts attaching the oil pan front to the timing cover bottom first. Goal was to compress the oil pump o-ring and ensure sealing. First pass at 7 N*m, then second pass at 14 N*m then final pass at 23 N*m. Then I torqued the front bolts in same 3 steps, starting at the center and doing figure-8 sequence outward. It's a lot of work doing all the bolts 3x gradually, but the thing's aluminum and avoiding warpage is worth the effort.

-FIPG sealant: The shop manual calls for 2 different FIPGs: one for the water pump passages, and a different one for the cover's main sealing surfaces. I used the Toyota specified expensive FIPG for the water pump surfaces, not sure if this was absolutely necessary but it wasn't worth risking re-doing the project to save $40. The #103 FIPG specified for the main cover sealing surfaces was only $15 at the dealership, the $40 water pump FIPG was special order.

-Prior to initial startup of the engine, I removed the fuel pump fuse and used the starter to build oil pressure until the oil pressure warning light went out. Three short cranks of a few seconds each was all it took, and probably helped pressurize the new #2 chain tensioners which don't have ratchets like the #1 chain tensioner. When I reinstalled the fuel pump fuse and started the engine, it was quiet.

 

@craigs1
Damn man!
What can I say? Very cool of you to offer up your advice and experience to help a guy out. Pain in that ass to type it up I’m sure. This shit will be useful to me too one day I’m sure.
Thank you,

 

While I’m out at the auto parts store I just wanted to be sure what all gaskets I’ll need to purchase to put this all back together? The water pump seems at have some sort of gasket riveted to the timing cover and also what sealant can I buy locally at the auto parts store that I will need?

 

The sealants are listed in my notes above, however I used Permatex Right Stuff Gray in a cheese-whiz can for the main cover FIPG instead of the Toyota stuff...easier to apply in a uniform bead. I did use the Toyota coolant-specific FIPG for the water pump passages thru the timing cover, expensive stuff. Also used Permatex "Aviation" sealant to lock the main oil pump pickup o-ring in place and minimize risk of it falling out during assembly.

The water pump gasket isn't riveted to the timing cover, it's a multi-layer steel gasket and the rivets just hold the layers together.

I bought a gasket kit under Mahle part # CS54462 that had all but the intake manifold base gasket and oil filter housing o-ring seal...bought those separately.

 

Any tricks to removing the crank shaft pulley without making the engine rotate in the opposite direction? My torq isn’t taking it off and if I put the breaker bar on it, it will start to rotate the motor counter clockwise which I understand is not good for it. Any ideas would be great! Other than that everything else is off

 

Here are the broken metal pieces from the reluctor on the camshaft actuator. Thankfully found them. Chain is tight and all guide rails are tight. What’s my next move to get the drivers side back in time now?

 

Also will I need a new tensioner or does this one look ok?

 

Also wondering if the teeth look worn on this center sprocket in the last pic

 

Out here in retail land where we have to warranty stuff, all that crap would get replaced. Chains, tensioners, guides, etc.

IMO it should get at least chains, tensioner(s), and the actuator with the broken reluctor. The crank sprocket is probably ok. Check the guides really good.

 

Ok I’m absolutely strapped for money but I’ll see what I can do about getting the tensioner, chains and reluctor. All the guide rails looks solid and aren’t chipped or broken. I’ll also need valve cover gaskets, sealant for the timing cover, water pump gasket or can it be reused? If there’s anything else I’m missing just let me know cause this is my first time. Thanks very much

 

Get a water pump gasket

 

You'll be removing the #1 tensioner whether you replace the chain or re-time the existing one at bank 2 intake cam sprocket, so it's a good opportunity to examine the ratchet mechanism...we still don't know what caused bank 2 to break the timing reluctor wheel and jump a tooth. You can likely reuse the guides and black plastic dampers, examine them for wear and make a decision. But I'd replace the #1 tensioner whether it checks out or not.

That long shiny line on bank 2 actuator near the failed reluctor wheel running parallel to the sprocket teeth...is that a scratch, or a crack in the housing? It's getting replaced regardless, but if it's a crack that may be a clue as to the failure.

Get at least 2 cans of brake parts cleaner spray and a bronze wire brush (not steel wire) to clean the timing cover and block/head sealing surfaces. CRITICAL: stuff a rag in the oil pan and cover the oil pump pickup (round hole at front of oil pan) with masking tape so no debris gets in there. That black bead of old FIPG sealant needs to be completely removed in order to get a good seal during reassembly. Most of it will pull loose by hand. Don't use a metal scraper, the block and timing cover are soft aluminum and will damage easily...thus the bronze wire brush and do it by hand, with final cleaning using the brake parts cleaner spray and a clean towel.

Also: you'll want to remove and clean the VVT oil control valve filter baskets. They are on the side of each cylinder head under a 14mm cap bolt, and tend to accumulate sludge. It's been my experience that the crush washers can be reused *if* you put them back on the same orientation they came off, head side and bolt side. The filter baskets can be cleaned and reused if they're not damaged, remove them gently...check this thread for pics:

https://www.fjcruiserforums.com/for...718118-2008-fj-cruiser-sludge-vvt-filter.html

 

In my experience, loss of oil pressure to the tensioner is what allows the chain to jump time.

Visually check oil pickup tube for blockage, check oil pressure soon after getting it back together, and above all check oil level frequently!

 

On this engine model, the #1 chain tensioner has a ratchet mechanism to maintain position of the piston. Loss of oil pressure won't cause it to retract, unless the ratchet mechanism has failed. The two #2 chain tensioners between the intake & exhaust cams, however, have no ratchet and rely on oil pressure to remain extended against the chains.

If the shiny line on his VVT actuator is a crack, my theory is that a loss of oil pressure allowed the actuator vane assembly to slap around inside the housing while the engine was running. The vane slamming into the housing may have cracked it and expanded it enough to press against the reluctor wheel with enough force to break it. It's a theory. I disassembled the one I removed from my engine, pics are below.

 

@Hdiscus7 , which brand oil and weight do you use?

That discoloration of the internal surfaces, I have seen from both regular use of Royal Purple, since their color additive stains, or engines that go on very extended drain intervals.