Timing chain and gears on 59 Deville

[Daryl Chesterman]

Did the OEM camshaft timing gear on the 59 Deville 390 have plastic teeth, like I have read about on earlier models?  I have started hearing a random "clunking" sound from the front of the engine, on the 59 Deville that I am working on, and am wondering if the timing chain is loose enough that it is occasionally hitting the side of the cover. Concurrent with the "clunking", the engine doesn't idle correctly, and the vacuum is only 16.5, but steady.  I have asked the owner of the car to contact the previous owner to see if the engine has ever been overhauled or had the timing chain and sprockets replaced.  This is really a job that I don't want to do, but I have to remove the radiator to get it repaired, and while it is out, if the timing components need to be replaced, it would be the best time to do it.  What can any of you tell me about the timing components on the 59 390 engine?

Daryl Chesterman

[Roger Zimmermann]

Both pinions were full steel. With the time, the chain can get elongated.

[TJ Hopland]

Like any engine you should be able to manually turn the crank back and fourth and watch the distributor rotor.  What you are looking for is when you change direction on the crank how long it takes for the rotor to start moving.   The more delay the looser the chain is. 

[Daryl Chesterman]

Thank you Roger, for letting me know that both gears are steel.  I can use T. J. Hopland's suggestion to see how much wear there is in the chain/gears.  Thank you for the suggestion T. J.  I'll check it out next week and proceed from there.

Daryl Chesterman

[Daryl Chesterman]

I got back to the 59 Deville today and used T J Hopland's suggestion to check the "slop" in the timing chain
and gears.  Not good news!  Looks like about 10-12 degrees of crankshaft rotation to affect the distributor shaft rotation.  So, it looks like I get to do a bit of mechanic work.  If any of you have any tips for the job I am doing, I would appreciate them.  Mostly, I need tips for installing a new rear main seal, and installing the pan gasket, so that I don't have leaks when the job is done.  Would it be wise to install a kit in the oil pump?  If so, does it need to be filled with oil so that it primes properly?  The service manual says nothing about this.

Thanks for all replys!

Daryl Chesterman

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

I would be putting a mechanical oil pressure gauge into the sender port to see what the actual oil pressure is before simply replacing it.

Plus, if you are going that far, do a compression check, both dry and wet to check the condition of the compression rings and valves.

With a timing chain stretched that much, you might just be in time fort a rebuild.

As for priming the pump, the new one that is, fill it full of oil, and before you fire the engine up, pull the distributor and manually prime the whole oiling system.

Bruce.