2.6 Timing chain R&R, and carburetor to intake bolts

Never fear about what they say about the 2.6. It is a quirky motor, but we'll help ya keep it truckin.

Moderator: 89ARIES

2.6 Timing chain R&R, and carburetor to intake bolts

Postby wjajr » Sat Jan 05, 2013 6:42 pm

Long time no post, or visit to this site, as my 1982 LeBaron Mark Cross Convertible has be wrench free since taking delivery in May of ‘82, excepting strut mounts and other suspension components. Oh, and a complete replacement of brake system last year after a front pad replacement sometime in the late eighties.

I gather there are few 2.6 lovers here, but I have had no trouble with mine excepting a carburetor drivability problem recall around 1985 that Chrysler performed for nothing; the carb has not been touched since.

Now that I have 71,500 miles on this rig, timing & balance shaft chains are getting noisy, so I ordered up a chain kit from Rock Auto, and are currently in the process of installing it.

I must say removing the chain cover is beyond a PIA as I was not able to slide engine over enough to extract a few of the long cover bolts without resorting to redneck garage methods not listed in any manual... The resulting flood of coolant cascading over chain, oil pump, and resulting mess once cover broke free from block began to test my patience. Then the process of flushing all coolant from bearings, and engine oil slopped onto floor etc. makes me think for every three steps forward, I have to take two back to see any progress on this project. My conclusion is; timing and balance shaft chain R&R is less than user friendly with a 2.6 than a 2.2, and the second time around it will go much smoother sometime around 2042 when I’m 90 years old.

Enough bitching, I’ll just suck it up, get on with the job and report back in a few days with a progress report.

I suspect that the 2.6 was a last minute thought for an off the shelf power upgrade which was shoe horned into a front wheel drive car clearly designed for a less bulky engine.

One thing that has me concerned are the two long bolts that fasten carburetor to the carburetor/valve-cover brace and manifold were heavily corroded at the threaded end. What is the deal with this, are they exposed to coolant in the intake manifold? Do I need to fully remove carburetor, install heli-coils and new bolts?
wjajr
 
Posts: 5
Joined: Sat Jul 26, 2008 2:24 am
Car Information: 1982 Chrysler Lebaron Mark Cross Convertible

Re: 2.6 Timing chain R&R, and carburetor to intake bolts

Postby wjajr » Fri Jan 11, 2013 12:43 am

Today I finally got the timing & balance shaft chain kit installed, and timing chain cover and motor mount back on. Tomorrow alternator, distributor, water pump pulley etc. go back in.

One reason for the lengthy repair are the “while I’m at it side projects” the pop up such as new motor mounts, cleaning, sand blasting, painting, and detailing accessories before they go back on.

Mission creep is also taking over thanks to close-out pricing at Rock Auto for this car, new front suspension bushings, more sandblasting & painting, and for the second time in a year new output shaft oil seals on the transaxle. I’m tired of the leaking mess this car has been for the last twenty years.
wjajr
 
Posts: 5
Joined: Sat Jul 26, 2008 2:24 am
Car Information: 1982 Chrysler Lebaron Mark Cross Convertible

Re: 2.6 Timing chain R&R, and carburetor to intake bolts

Postby wjajr » Fri Feb 01, 2013 3:21 am

A few photos of chain replacement project. This is the old stuff to be replaced. The light color casting behind left cog is the oil pump that has an opening on top. This opening proved to be a PIA when a gallon or more of coolant cam cascading down onto it:
Image
Image

Top side; due to cascade of coolant down front of engine when removing timing chain cover, and buggering the end of cam shaft removing oil seal behind water pump drive pulley, I had to pull cam and inspect for damage, and sand the bugger off where seal seats on shaft. The engine is now all reassembled, oil pan sand blasted and repainted, as much of engine block, cross member, and steering rack degreased. Both bolts securing carburetor’s “A” frame brace to valve cover ere corroded, and not biting into their female counter part, and required installing two Heli Coils to repair.

When carburetor was removed, and old gasket scraped off, I discovered the sub EGR valve was stuck open, so it got freed up; this may help the chug-chug loading up condition of what I thought was a slow choke pull off annoyance that has been plaguing this car for at least ten years.

Image

Last winter I serviced the transmission, and removed the covers & pan for sand blasting & paint, and new leak free gaskets:
Image
wjajr
 
Posts: 5
Joined: Sat Jul 26, 2008 2:24 am
Car Information: 1982 Chrysler Lebaron Mark Cross Convertible

Re: 2.6 Timing chain R&R, and carburetor to intake bolts

Postby wjajr » Thu Feb 07, 2013 1:23 am

The LeBaron is back together, and running. Once it warms up outside I'll drive it out of the basement, get her warmed up and top off the fluids.

I turned the engine over with the plugs removed to fill the carburetor, oil filter, and charge the oiling system. Then installed the sparkplugs, connected the coil, cranked her over, and she fired right up as if I just shut it down five minuets ago.
wjajr
 
Posts: 5
Joined: Sat Jul 26, 2008 2:24 am
Car Information: 1982 Chrysler Lebaron Mark Cross Convertible

Re: 2.6 Timing chain R&R, and carburetor to intake bolts

Postby wjajr » Tue Feb 12, 2013 10:29 pm

Temperature got up to 32* yesterday warm enough to open basement overhead door to get LeBaron out for a fluid top-off, and short shake down drive.

Now that the sub EGR valve is operating once again the carburetor is now acting like it did twenty years ago incrementally automatically stepping down off high idle. I was able to top off coolant and transmission fluid, and then go for a quarter mile ride. The top was down, and it had started to snow just before finishing the top-off; Mrs. Wjajr thought I had lost my mind… I can hear her now; “nothing to see here folks, just move along.”

I may have two vacuum line swapped around, but will leave that puzzle for another day later this spring. Also she has to be timed, needs an alignment after changing out bushings, ball joints, and tie rod ends; that will happen when the roads are free of slop & salt, probably sometime in late April.
wjajr
 
Posts: 5
Joined: Sat Jul 26, 2008 2:24 am
Car Information: 1982 Chrysler Lebaron Mark Cross Convertible

Re: 2.6 Timing chain R&R, and carburetor to intake bolts

Postby wjajr » Thu Feb 14, 2013 6:35 pm

I had a chance to get car out for a front end alignment between storms, cold weather, and salt on the roads today. Engine kept surging at light throttle, and lacked power during twenty mile round trip to shop.

As I suspected I had incorrectly connected two vacuum lines during reconstruction, one being the vacuum advance, the other to some widget hanging off the carb. I swapped them, and set base timing with light; surge from reed recirculation system is gone, and car drives as it did before all this screwing around.

That is it for this little buggy until May, back into storage she goes.
wjajr
 
Posts: 5
Joined: Sat Jul 26, 2008 2:24 am
Car Information: 1982 Chrysler Lebaron Mark Cross Convertible


Return to Mitsubishi 2.6 Engine.

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 3 guests