Rinkle_Stinkle wrote:
so.... the timing chain gear should be replaced to improve oil circulation?
NO, it is not the timing chain that is responsible for the oiling of the timing chain, it is the top gear that has groove/channel(s) to let the oil flow at the right volume. SO the day you decide to change the timing chain because of the slack, look carefully at the NEW timing gears vs. the old ones.
Rinkle_Stinkle wrote:
also help me understand oil pressure, low oil pressure is better than high oil pressure correct? does high oil pressure mean a possible blockage? i'm just trying to understand the difference.
Low vs. high is a whole topic of Low pressure/High flow vs. High pressure/Low flow. We need the right amount of flow to cool/lubricate the moving parts.
Basically our instruments were not designed to last over 10 years. My first oil pressure trouble was at around 100Kmiles and it was the voltage regulator built into the temperature gauge that gave up. In fact it seems that in my case the voltage regulator fails every 100Kmiles or so. There is a whole section in the shop manual that gives you direction to test the accuracy of the gauges. In your case 40-50ish at highway speed is good, 30ish when slowling down, the gauges can be finicky / inaccurate. Also we do not know what oil was put in the engine, and most important your gauge is not really calibrated or tested - there is a topic somewhere about how to do it-
http://fsjnetwork.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=8334
and here with link to shop manual called TSM
http://www.fsjnetwork.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=9404
Rinkle_Stinkle wrote:
I want to keep the vehicle in an original looking state so prefer not to replace gauges with upgraded ones.... however I imagine there is something I can buy that can be discreet like a plug where I can hook something up to get a more accurate reading? I have found "EngineStat" which is expensive but seems like it might be what i'm looking for. anyone else know of another company that does this?
If you calibrate or test your gauge you will realize its shortcomings, you can modify it the voltage regulator in the temperature so you can keep the original gauges or at least be aware of their accuracy...
Rinkle_Stinkle wrote:I will listen to the engine in more depth this weekend to see if I can narrow down the noise.... if its a lifter where will I hear it? if its a rod (which I doubt) where will I hear it and so forth....
lifter is more likely in the valve cover, intake manifold, and for the fun you can try to listen to another vehicle engine for comparison. Rod knock will get louder as you move the hearing screwdriver toward the base of the engine, but as said before the tapping is different, IIRC the lifter will drown at higher rpm while the rod will get louder -other can probably explain it better than I do
Rinkle_Stinkle wrote:I really appreciate you guys helping me out, i'm pretty new to engine fixes... I can do pretty much everything else but engine diagnostics aren't my strong suit.... yet
You will learn, otherwise your bank account will shrink ...