Tming Chain 99 vs 00

[Riptides]

Have a car here with the 3400 in it where the engine LIM issue was not addressed and cylinder number 2s bore cracked, the car itself is still a decent value hence me getting it for trade for some work done. So nothing so far in the car money wise I got a replacement engine from a 99 Grand Am and getting ready to send it to the machine shop and while it's there start getting parts.

Then I run into the issue, no not the one regarding quality from the searches I've done, but one dealing of the number of links in the timing chain. The old broke engine has a 80-link chain, and the new one has a 64-link chain.

Are both style of chains/sprockets swappable or are they year specific?

About to pull the old engine out and cannibalize it for useful parts and curious about this.

[cavalier3400z]

Everyone I know uses 99 and lower as the are stronger. I believe you need the kit with both sprockets. Do a search on 99 timing chain or pre 2000 I'm use there is many discussions on it.

[Riptides]

I should have said the garbage engine is from a 2000, so the newly rebuilt one will be getting the matching 99 chain, it's just my curiosity was piqued over the whole thing since I'm going back and forth with 2 different year engines with very minor changes ensuring everything I get will match up. I'll be re-using the 2000 intakes.. etc.. but didn't know if the difference in chain link count was also a gearing size difference.

[pocket-rocket]

I can't imagine you can mix chains and sprockets between styles of chain.

FWIW I've heard the new style are trash compared to the old ones in anything other than a stock build. Even so, if it were my engine I would use the older stronger style even in a stock engine if it's apart. Piece of mind.

Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2

[robertisaar]

yeah, the single setup is stronger, apparently by a large margin. for some reason, GM did the same thing with the 4T60 to 4T65 change, went from a single chain drive to dual.... turns out, the guys pushing lots of power with a 4T65 end up having to use an expensive single wide chain, rather than 2 narrow ones.

[3400-95-Modified]

00+ version is in my hand



I had the 00+ one in my engine first but it stretched out really quickly with the cam I had... I then killed a cheap 99 replacement set because the crank sprocket was some Chinese POS and then my most recent set has lasted at least 3yrs that was all OEM GM parts and sent for Cryo treatment. I think this year it's about due to be replaced which is why I got my DRTC setup.

[Riptides]

I can't imagine you can mix chains and sprockets between styles of chain.

FWIW I've heard the new style are trash compared to the old ones in anything other than a stock build. Even so, if it were my engine I would use the older stronger style even in a stock engine if it's apart. Piece of mind.

Oh lord no I'm not going to mix chain/parts at all, was just curious as to the actual differences. Only thing mixed is to be using the intakes from the 2000 engine, rest of the lower will be rebuilt 99 with new timing kit.

00+ version is in my hand
I had the 00+ one in my engine first but it stretched out really quickly with the cam I had... I then killed a cheap 99 replacement set because the crank sprocket was some Chinese POS and then my most recent set has lasted at least 3yrs that was all OEM GM parts and sent for Cryo treatment. I think this year it's about due to be replaced which is why I got my DRTC setup.

I actually did some searching before posting this thread, so I did read all about your escapades with your chain on the performance cam/springs. Your pic is a big help at noting the differences, I got my kit in the mail today from DnJ, everything made in Taiwan, will post up pics later when I'm home but the chain looks a bit different from both of those in your image. The cam sprocket looks to be heat treated on the teeth, the crank sprocket does not. But I'm not doing a performance build everything will remain stock.

[Riptides]

Here's the DNJ timing kit.

[unchained01]

IDK how much you paid for it but I would have gotten one from BEN
Or found the part numbers from the discussion thread and went from there

Your choice Your car

[Riptides]

Well not like I sat here and ordered the "cheapest" part I could find. All the parts that came yesterday were from DNJ, my bearings, piston rings, and the timing kit respectively. I've used them before on other engine rebuilds with no problem. I didn't choose Cloyes because of reading the threads here and seeing that it was a grab-bag of what you may get, and they were the cheapest choice. Compared to the chain off the 99 Engine I've got here it's pretty much the same except for the style of the cam sprocket.

[unchained01]

I understand and wasn't trying to be condesending at all
If your happy with your decision that's fine I was just talking about peace of mind
And know I installed the best I could

[Riptides]

Just wanted to update this, I wanted to re-use the timing cover off the 00 engine that was orig to the car because I had put in a new waterpump before realizing the engine had a cracked cylinder (water pump was bad it wasn't just throw a part to see if it sticks). When I took the cover off the 00 to put on the 99 I saw the 00 timing chain was about as stout as a bicycle chain.

There was so much play (stretching) to the orig chain at 120k miles that I was nearly able to walk it off the cam sprocket.

The engine is now in, all except for heads (long story but they're almost done).
The engine is a 100% full rebuild done with care and I've decided to make this my daily barring any unforseen issues.

But Free Alero + $100 replacement engine +$600 in parts = Win in my book.
All thats left will be tires, tag, and insurance once the heads and IM is installed.

[3400-95-Modified]

Chain looks different because that's a pre 2000 Cloyes chain in the pic... POS it will bend in both directions. the one you have is a "rocker joint" one that will only bend in the direction it needs to which is the same way the GM chain is.

The cam sprocket is not a GM one, and the crank I can't quite tell. The Cam sprocket I originally got with my Cloyes set was stamped GM so that was one odd part. It was only the crank sprocket which had that same hardening ring look to it that chewed up and actually had the teeth curl a little. It's really hit or miss on these parts, but if your not running a wild cam with heavy springs you'll most likely be fine.