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Years ago, I remeber being told that you should change your timing chain every 100,000 to 120,000 miles. I had aloways heard this for older motors, but does this still stand true for today's newer engines?
I have a 95 F-150 with 5.8 that has 132,000 miles on it. It runs fine, but I have never had any internal engine work done to it. I plan on driving my f-150 for quite awhile, so if it needs to be done I will try to get it done soon.
You can check the timing chain to see how much slack is in it to know for sure. Take the distributor cap off so you can see the rotor. Turn the engine clockwise (using a ratchet or breaker bar on the crank) until you get to TDC on the damper. Now turn the crankshaft counterclockwise while watching the rotor. Turn it until you see the rotor just barely move. Now look at the damper and note how many degrees you turned the crank. If it's more than 5 degrees, the timing chain is stretched sufficiently to warrant replacement.