How much is acceptable? Is slack normal? I saw a video on YouTube of a guy with an extreme duty timing set with about the same slack as mine, I have posted a video on YouTube of mine and will post it shortly..

 

Here it is
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJ4_y...e_gdata_player

 

Mine was just like that, i put a clydes timing set and there was no play

 

Mine may have had more than that.

 

My stock one had that much slack at 60,000. I replaced it with a lt4 set and it was nice and tight again. To me that seems a little excessive, but what do i know...

 

Way too much play. Ideally, you want it to be snug. When you push on it you want about 1/4-1/2" of play.

You may want to invest in this:
http://www.jegs.com/i/Cloyes/220/S505/10002/-1

Then again, I have only built a few motors

 

I already have that exact new crank sprocket ...

 

Measure it, if its more then 1/2" play replace.

 

All chains will have a little slack once they are run-in for a few thousand miles. The key is if it is excessive. 1/2" of slack is actually a lot, as that means an inch of total space if pushed between extremes.

In the pic you provided you have around 1/4"+ of slack, I don't think it is quite a 1/2" just yet.

You are fine, but if you want to make yourself feel better, buy a new chain. Just be prepared that if you check it in 5-10k miles it will probably be the same.

Some chains are extremely tight to begin with when new, as the manufacturer knows they will have a certain % of stretch and are designed that way. The key is accounting for it in the design and it stabilizing to the point where it doesn't stretch much more over the lifetime of the installation. Dual roller timing chains are one attempt at controlling chain stretch (but they still stretch a certain amount). Some of the big single roller chains stretch about the same as double rollers due to thier overbuilt design.

Key is choosing a quality chain from a quality manufacturer. I prefer Rollermaster billet timing sets for dual-roller timing chain applications and ProGear bigly single roller setups for most LT1 applications when it is decided that an electric waterpump will be used. If you want to keep the stock waterpump drive you have no choice other than a stock LT1 timing set, or even better yet a LT4 Extreme Duty timing set. The stock LT4 timing set is too weak for any high-revving and stout valvetrain setup (seen a couple break). Also, if you choose a stock timing set, make SURE the chain is from a reputable manufacturer. I have also seen an aftermarket version break and take out a brand new motor with less than 1k miles on it.

 

Yeah, I Wana retain the water pump drive for EWP emergency failure situations.. The chain on it now is a 60,000 mile chain I looked at 3 different auto parts store chains one of which was a cloyes and they all seemed cheap and loose..and I would rather use my GM made one then a piece of ****. So I guess I keep trying till I find a good and tighter chain...

 

If you want to retain the stock water pump, Cloyes makes a replacement stock chain and an oversize crank gear to make it fit without any slack. I think Jegs has them. The part#'s are (C506) for the chain and (S505 oversize) for the crank gear. It will be snug, but not too tight. Hope this help.

 

I would stay with the origanal AC DELCO there is a reason that these motors last so long with them...origanal parts from them are quality parts IMO.

 

beleive it or not thats normal........my stock ls2 chainhad more than i could even immagine and its normal........the cloyes i ran on my LT1 has virtually none though........with the kind of ptv clearance im running i cant take any chances......a few degree shift and i hit valves.....

 

Thanks quick!

 

I just had a look at my chain and it has about 5/16 of defelction and looks very similar to the video. When it went on, it was rather snug but clearly has loosened a bit which everyone claims is normal. Planning on reusing.

 

I just installed a brand new GM timing chain and sprockets and the chain has the same slack. The chain had 'Morse USA' stamped on the links. You have to believe that the GM engineers knew what they were doing when they designed these parts. If they wanted the chain tighter they would have made it so.

 

My old one had that much slack give or take. I replaced it since I was there doing all of the gaskets anyway so I threw on a new Lunati stock replacement timing set (chain, sprockets, etc.). Didn't change a damn thing. I have come to terms with it and I don't worry about it. Good luck!

 

My $0.02 -

My Cloyes chain had that same Youtube amount of play after about 50K miles.

Yesterday, I replaced the chain (only) with a Sealed Power unit (Made in the USA! PN = SLP 222-499) for $15 from Summit - almost no deflection now.