My car is running rough(off and on) and my cousin said that it was the timing chain. I have had some work done on the fuel line and i am wondering if someone could have tampered with it while fixing the fuel filter. it didn't run rough like that before i had them change the fuel filter. I had the fuel filter changed because there wasnt enough gas getting to the engine. I also changed the spark plugs.
Is the timing chain on a 92 chevy lumina 3.1L exposed so that it could be tampered with or damaged.?
the timing chain is located on the side of the engine, it can not be tampered with because it's sealed up. it would take quite a long time for anyone to get to the timing chain.
Your motor uses coil packs instead of a distributor, so timing is computer controlled and can not be adjusted.
You cousin is mistaken. The chain should last the life of the motor, as long as it isn't run low on oil frequently it won't stretch out like people claim.
changing the fuel filter is good, makes the pump not have to work as hard.
Have you tried a bottle of fuel injector cleaner? anything over $6 is good, I like Seafoam, Techron, Gumout (yellow bottle) and Redline SI-1. anythign else is just kerosene and worthless, like anything that says STP on it.
Is the timing chain on a 92 chevy lumina 3.1L exposed so that it could be tampered with or damaged.?
You almost need to remove the engine to access the timing chain on this engine.
At the very least you need to support the engine, remove the passenger side motor mount from the body. Jack up the motor
Remove the serpentine belt, alternator, power steering pump, water pump, motor mount, crank shaft pulley, and timing chain cover.
Tamper with the timing chain somehow but still keep the engine in a running condition
Put all of this back together.
This would be about a full days work.
Sounds like an awful lot of extra work for someone to do to get a job changing a timing chain.
Sounds like to me through being a Mechanic, they yes tampered with something on your engine, I make no statements here because This is something I have to check with my own eye's to be sure.
If you dont trust the garage why bother letting them do repairs?If some one was to tamper with your car im sure they would not go to the timing chain,for its labor involved to get to it
My advice, better go to a mechanic that you really know, so that you could observe and learn at the same time. Having and maintaining a car is not a joke.
That's impossible to tamper with the timing chain on that engine Its behind the font engine cover and to get at it you need to take off all the accessory and the front cover it self. Its about a 5 hour job to do all of this if its your fist time. I would get the fuel injectors flushed out your engine uses the older style multi tech injectors which are very sensitive to dirt particles. The extra fuel pressure may have loosened deposits in the fuel system and now they are stuck in the injectors. The timing chain on the 3.1L can lest well over 200K before it wears out so the possibility of it being out of time is wrong. Your car would be running like crap 24/7 if the engine was not timed right. You should also get the intake cleaned out also. the car is 17 years old so that's allot of time for deposits to accumulate in the intake manifold. The plug gap needs to be at 45 thousands on those engines I still have the owners manual and that's what the gap should be at. Also the 3.1L has electronic ignition system with coil packs so engine timing is computer controlled.
