SR timing chain skipping

[IRN]

in the process of assembling my head and got pretty much everything done up to the timing chain. cranked it until i got tdc with sprocket dots lined up with chain marks. cams are already set (#1 lobes out). tighten the sprockets down and then goes in the chain tensioner. crank the engine over 2 times (slowly) so the chain will seat and adjust to the tensioner but in the 2 turns the chain skips on the sprockets. or maybe on the bottom. throws the timing off. any ideas?

[Big Bronze Rim]

How do you figure it is skipping sprokets? It's basically impossible. Are you concerned about the dots lining up every time? You do realize that it won't line up on the dots every rotation. I can't remember how many but it takes alot of rotations of the crank before they line up again.

[landins13]

it takes about 8 full rotations of the chain for it to line up on the sprockets, thats not 8 rotations of the crank, but of the chain thinks itself.

the chain wont line up every time because there is 56 links on the exhaust side and 48 on the intake

[IRN]

i know it dosent line up everytime but i am concerned about the loud clicks it makes. sounds like the chain is skipping.

[fueled by hate]

you sure its not your cams you're hearing?

[Big Bronze Rim]

It is fairly noisy when you rotate the engine over like that. You hear the cnain sliding over the tensioner as well as the cams working the valves. If you did everything correctly (which you probably did), then the chain should never be able to skip. Plus, when you start the engine with oil pressure it will apply more tension to the chain.

[Silverbullet]

bump to see if IRN found the culprit of his problem?

im having a similar situation. I set the intake and exhaust cam dots set in right position (about 10 and 1 oclock) with 1st piston at TDC. I put the tensioner in and tighten the bolts down. Afterwards, i would hand crank to make sure the tensioner releases from the hook, and a few more good luck cranks to make sure it comes back around right and it indeed did. I was in process of putting the valve cover back on and hooking everyting back up until i just had the feeling that i should crank it a few more times. I cranked a total of 10 times, lifted the valve cover and noticed the dots where NOT in the same position as they were at TDC back when i set them. They were way down in the motor.

This wasn't the only time i did it today eitehr. The first time i noticed, i thought i didn't bolt down the tensioner all the way; so made sure that was in tight the second time, yet i got the same result. The only thing I noticed is there is additional slack on the chain between the in and ex cam. It was significantly more than after i made sure the tensioner was released. This leads me to believe the tensioner could be bad. Is this fies able? I find it wierd that it would be fine for the first few cranks and be off after a few more, espeically when it gets tighter with oil flowing into it.