Timing Chain might be off a tooth?
Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Apr 2020
Posts: 27
Likes: 3
From: Portland Oregon
Year: 1995
Model: Cherokee (XJ)
Engine: 4.0 L6
1995 Jeep XJ 4.0
So i went to fix the last oil leak in the Jeep, the front main seal. Saw that my chain had lots of slop and decided to swap it out. I lined up the marks and did the replacement with new gears and chain. I think that I might have been one tooth off after firing it back up. It has a hard start and stumbles when given gas from take off. These problems only happens every now and then. Sometimes it fires right up. Other times it takes two or three times.
My question is how to double check if the timing is spot on or off before taking it all apart and/or trying to reset the timing by one tooth. Or if I do have to take it apart how to make sure the timing will be 100% dead on before reinstalling everything. Any tips and tricks would be greatly appreciated!
Oh and the new seal works great, no more oil leaks! One step forward one step back hah
So i went to fix the last oil leak in the Jeep, the front main seal. Saw that my chain had lots of slop and decided to swap it out. I lined up the marks and did the replacement with new gears and chain. I think that I might have been one tooth off after firing it back up. It has a hard start and stumbles when given gas from take off. These problems only happens every now and then. Sometimes it fires right up. Other times it takes two or three times.
My question is how to double check if the timing is spot on or off before taking it all apart and/or trying to reset the timing by one tooth. Or if I do have to take it apart how to make sure the timing will be 100% dead on before reinstalling everything. Any tips and tricks would be greatly appreciated!
Oh and the new seal works great, no more oil leaks! One step forward one step back hah
Junior Member
Joined: Jul 2020
Posts: 50
Likes: 10
From: Los Angeles, CA
Year: 2001
Model: Cherokee (XJ)
Engine: 4.0
If it makes you feel better I did the viper coil mod, swapped in 4 hole injectors and a THOR intake. Reset the computer, fired it up, revved it a few times and blew my upper radiator hose 😂
Old fart with a wrench
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 14,398
Likes: 740
From: Manlius, east of Syracuse, NY
Year: 2000 XJ Sport & WJ Laredo
Model: Grand Cherokee (WJ)
Engine: 4.0L
Mount a degree wheel on the crank balancer and bring the engine to TDC compression. At this point, both rockers should be the same height. Without doing a lot of research, the only numbers I could come up with were for the 3.2 Pentastar. Slowly moving the crank in the direction of normal rotation, the intake valve should start to open 2* After TDC while the exhaust will be closed at 12* after. Any serious deviation from this will show the chain is off time. Remember that the cam turns at 1/2 the speed of the crank and being one tooth off will change the valve timing considerably. Take the time to do this before you rip it apart.
CF Veteran


Joined: Jan 2017
Posts: 3,402
Likes: 394
From: Connecticut
Year: 2000
Model: Cherokee (XJ)
Engine: 4.0
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Old fart with a wrench
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 14,398
Likes: 740
From: Manlius, east of Syracuse, NY
Year: 2000 XJ Sport & WJ Laredo
Model: Grand Cherokee (WJ)
Engine: 4.0L
Yeah, Dave, I had my head up my butt on that one. What was I thinking? Those specs I gave were WAY off! I guess I was thinking exhaust stroke.... or something.
Looking to those specs makes me want to put a cam in my WJ. They certainly detuned it for emissions.
Looking to those specs makes me want to put a cam in my WJ. They certainly detuned it for emissions.
Last edited by dave1123; Sep 15, 2020 at 08:34 PM.
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