Timing chain

[02P3wZ71]

Well, I got a slightly bigger 6.0l cam for my 4.8 and am going to swap it myself that way it will be worth it for the little gain I will get. My question is this, my truck has about 44,000 on it with some occasional towing on it. I plan on keeping it for a while and don't really want to have to dig into it again at least for a while, (until 100,000 or so) Now, is it worth it for me to go ahead and change the timing chain and gear set now or do I really not need to worry about it? Could there be that much wear on it now? And waiting to see how much slack is in it when it is torn apart is not an option, I need to order the parts now if I'm going to do it.
Thanks

[farmtruc]

That's a close call on that one, but i say skip it, your chain is probably fine.
If you have the time and money , it's just going to help if you change it,
I haven't seen any chain failures yet either,


allen

[Flyer]

I would waitunti there was a better cam to throw in there. That cam is going to give you minimal gains for the 3-6 hours it's going to take you.

If you haven't worked on one of these before it's prolly going to take you more than that, prolly more like 6-8, over a weekend.

About the chain though ... I would wait a little longer, and swap the chain when you got a bigger cam in there.

[fullthrottledan]

i would buy a chain, and keep it for the install. if you tear the engine down and it needs one, you already have a chain sitting there. if it doesnt need one, then same it for a better cam.

[RedHeartbeat]

Put a new chain on it. It will stretch the first 100 miles and be better than the older one. Late cam timing due to using an old chain will offset some of the performance gains you would see from the new cam. Chains are cheap. I don't see a need to install sprockets at 44,000 miles.

[Hit Man X]

Eh, hrm... if you have the funds I'd consider changing it. It's not going to be a necessity but if I had a few extra bones I'd do it while I was there.

[ONE04FX4]

i put in a 6.0 cam and i didnt change mine. 49,000 miles on her.

[RedHeartbeat]

Delayed valve timing will affect your performance. I cannot remember which way it goes but if you want more torque I think you advance the cam a couple of degrees and if you want more top end you retard the cam timing. One of you guys that build performance engines all the time feel free to correct me if I am wrong. There is a reason that people use a degree wheel to dial in their camshafts. They are meant to work at a specific crankshaft to camshaft timing to make everything work correctly. Gear sets and Jesel drive belts rock. I want a Jesel dry belt system for my LS1 but doubt they make one due to the tight fit of everything in the front end of the LS1. It would be awesome to be able to quickly check for camshaft timing deviation, not to mention being able to change a belt in less than an hour.