timing chain hitting valve cover.....opinions wanted

[jesse1984]

below are some pics of what it looks like under my valve cover. you can see in the pic that the previous owner already took the top guide off...but... the tensioner is stuck and i couldnt get it unstuck and if you check out the other pic you can see markings on the bottom of the valve cover (top left in pic) so i was thinking about getting a new tensioner/chains....then i thought while im in there why not do the dual exhaust cams. then i remembered reading an article in the latest "Project car" mag the article on the white s13. they said they chaned the timing a little....so i guess here are my questions.....

1) by putting the exhaust cam in there, will i need any kind of tune?
2) average cost of the cam? any years better than others?
3)brand timing chain/tension that has a good rep?
4) what can you determine by looking at the coloration in the head?
5) with the timing....do you advance or retard it and what exactly would it help/hurt?

ill do more research on the cam install just wanted to get the questions out there and the pics posted since its going to me an early morning tomorrow. thanks in advance
http://i459.photobucket.com/albums/qq320/jesse1378/240sx/Resampled_2011-11-09_18-15-18_42-1.jpg
http://i459.photobucket.com/albums/qq320/jesse1378/240sx/Resampled_2011-11-09_18-14-56_682-1.jpg

[word sux]

you won't need a tune


by looking at the pictures it seem this thing has not had its oil changed as often as it should have

don't mess with the timing unless you know what your doing, set it to the oem setting

[s14j]

1) NO

2) 20-50 bucks used you can take them to get micro polished.

3)OEM Dealer or osk

4)its had very little oil changes

5) there's no point in retarding the timing you wont really feel a difference just leave it at stock.


:bow:

[pndjones]

I am confused as to what you mean by "dual exhaust cams" there are 2 cams in the ka24de one controls the intake valves and the other controls the exhaust valves. Please explain what you mean.

I have heard several times that the s13 ka exhaust cam is a little more aggressive that the s14 exhaust cam but I havent noticed that much of a difference.

And you dont want to mess with the engine timing. The KA motor is an interference engine that means when you start adjusting your engine timing thats when your valves and piston become too close of friends. Thats also when you may find yourself buying a new heads or pistons or if you are lucky just valves.

if you do decide to do your timing chain yourself it might be smartest to remove the whole engine if thats possible. I did mine in the car and its was more work than necessary.

And your fun fact of the day:

When you hear people talking about retarding and advancing timing... It has nothing to do with the timing chain. (confusing concept) but the timing they are referring to is the time at which the ignition occurs. This is normally measured in degrees from top dead center (TDC).

If you have no idea what Im talking about you should not do your timing chain by yourself. Get someone who understand how this works to help you. Im not trying to be a dick Im just trying to save you a lot of headaches and money.

[jesse1984]

thanks for the input guys. when i say dual exhaust cams i mean replacing the intake cam with another stock exhaust cam. so that there are two "orange" cams in there instead of the green/orange combo. i know hw to change timing chains, i had to do it on my lightning (supercharged V8) and when i had it tuned i know they just messed with the timing in the tune. but that was forced induction and pushing over 400hp to the wheels. i cant take the engine out of the car...and yes i understand how much of a pain in the a$$ it can be while in the car...that how i did the lightnings. well i guess ill be on the look out for an exhaust cam and a timing chain set....ill leave the timing stock since it wont make much of a differene. thanks again.

[nightsauce]

you can buy my exhaust cam. $50 shipped :)

[nissandrift]

I just sold my spare 248 S13 exhaust cam for $20. Personally I'm a fan of the 248/232 setup where you run the S13 Exhaust cam on the intake side, and the S14 exhaust cam.

1) No tune needed.
2) $20+
3)OEM
4)Lots of burnt oil.
5) You rotate the exhaust cam 4 teeth so that the #1 lobes point away from each other when the motors at TDC. I've always advanced my timing a few degrees without issue.