Anyone familiar with the GM VORTEC V6

My father in law is rebuilding a early-oughts (2002) Vortec V6 and he's a little freaked out by the play in the new timing chain. First he tried some local parts store brand, and the tension felt far too loose for his tastes. So he tried Chevy dealer pieces and got the same result. He's a little nervous about slapping the rest of it back together as it sits without more info.

So, anyone familiar with the intricacies of Vortec timing chain tensioning?

jg

Was it align honed?

Using just a new chain or new timing set?

It's the same as a SBC, not much intricacy involved. There isn't "tension" with brand new chain sets, per se, there's just "less slop" than new ones.

Bryce

Ranger50 wrote: Was it align honed? Using just a new chain or new timing set?

Probably should have mention this. Yeah, it was align bored and ten-thou taken off of the crank. All new pistons and rings.

And in both cases it was a new timing set. Chain and gears.

jg

There's gonna be a little less play because it's new (unstretched), but eventually the slop comes in. Even with a throw it together rebuild and no line hone involved. The nature of the beast. The only real fix aside from a tensioner is to get a shorter chain, or a set with larger diameter gears. No idea where you'd find that. Surely the shop he got the machine work done at, can point him in the right direction. I'd'a thought they'd mention it upfront with the job. Obviously not, though.

If the timing set is standard SBC, you can get an align honed set that is larger in gear diameter and/or shorter in chain length. Cloyes does make this exact setup.

Brian

Its just a Chevy, don't worry about it. Ranger 50 is correct, though.

Dont do Daytona 500 Burnouts in somebody's cornfield at 1 am with one, it ruins the power steering pump.

Steven

Ranger50 wrote: If the timing set is standard SBC, you can get an align honed set that is larger in gear diameter and/or shorter in chain length. Cloyes does make this exact setup. Brian

It's not the same as SBC.

in 2002 you had a 4.3 Vortec V6 and a 4.2 Vortec L6. The 4.3 is extermely similar to an SBC except it has a balance shaft IIRC

i think (not 100% sure) that the vortec V6 uses the same timing chain as an LT1, and i do know there are chains available for that engine to compensate for a line bore. another option would be to ditch the balance shaft and use a regular small block Chevy timing set that compensates for the line bore.

Parts guide shows the physical chain as being the same but the gears are different.

Also that there's supposed to be a tensioner. I wouldn't know first-hand, have never needed to have a 4.3 apart that deeply before.