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3.7, 3.5 and 3.0 Duratec V6 Forum for the 3.7, 3.5 and 3.0 naturally aspirated Duratec V6 Engines

V6 Chain link count no markings

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Old Sep 1, 2021 | 12:56 PM
  #1  
aber57's Avatar
aber57
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7th Gear
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V6 Chain link count no markings

There are some of the V6 engines with a single marked link instead of 3 marks. If you find yourself in a situation where chain needs to be removed but not replaced and it is not marked fully then here is the link count and dimensions:
Crank to Bank 1 Intake Cam start between two chain side plates that make up a link and goes to the middle of the 37th side plate. Clean and mark two side plates from that mid point count 37 side plates and mark that 37th plate. The mark on cam gear will go in the middle of the side plate/link. That is 73 "teeth" if you want one more verification. If you want yet one more way then it is 18 3/16 inches or 462.5 mm mark to mark on chain. Bank 1 Intake Cam to Bank to Bank 2 Intake Cam is Bank 1 chain sideplate mid point to the mid point of the 49th side plate. 98 teeth, 24 1/2 inches, 621 mm. The bank1 cam mark is in middle of side plate to the middle of a side plate, effectively 48 links plus 1/2 of a link on Bank 1 plus 1/2 of a link on Bank 2. Share this at will. I wish I could have found the info without buying a chain unnecessarily. "the crank marked should be at about 4:30, about the middle of that groove on oil pump body" and using the cam locking tools can get you cam positioning codes once it is all sealed up and bolted together. The chain is the same for 3.5, 3.5EB, and 3.7. I have not dealt with 2.7EB, 3.0EB, nor the 3.3. The 3.3 is a Cyclone engine family little brother to the 3.5 but I have no info on the chain drive so I can't attest to it using these link counts and dimensions.


 
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Old Aug 15, 2024 | 08:40 PM
  #2  
mathent's Avatar
mathent
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You are my hero, this is exactly the info I was looking for. I had a crank pulley jump a tooth or 3 when trying to take up a little slack in the chain by turning the crank the wrong direction. I'm swapping a blown engine with one that has pretty low miles, but it'd be silly to not just go ahead and replace the water pump while the engine is out and the job is easy as it can possibly be, but I was starting to feel stupid for not marking the links when I had the cams locked-in before taking the chain off, especially faced with the prospect of probably having to replace the timing chain unnecessarily. I found the original chain only has the one gold link. I now have 3 marked links thanks to your post and a paint pen.
 
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Old Aug 16, 2024 | 08:50 AM
  #3  
aber57's Avatar
aber57
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You are welcome. I knew someone could use it. I was shocked the info didn't exist all over the place. It is almost universal to replace timing components any time someone opens one of these but I had a low mile religiously maintained 3.5 NA one that had no evidence of wear and no tensioner extension. I saw no reason to change the chain other than it was out of time when I put it back together and put it together and ran it. Using cam tools and placing crank in the place any illustrations indicate is not accurate enough.
 
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