William R. Walsh wrote:
> Hello all...
>
> Recently, my mother's 2000 Chrysler Grand Voyager van (195,575 or so miles
> on the clock) seems to have jumped out of time. It was going down the
> highway at the time, probably about 45-50 miles per hour and it just quit.
> Subsequent examination shows that the engine is very clearly out of time but
> it will try to run, albeit very poorly. This experiment was only attempted
> once, and the engine only ran for about three seconds before stalling. The
> rhythm of the starter motor is also very clearly off.
>
> I read through some old posts here and it seems like the lifespan of the
> chain should be about 200,000 miles. Okay, fine. I won't argue with it over
> 5,000 or so piddly miles. Stuff happens.
>
> What nobody ever seems to say one way or another is whether or not the 3.3L
> V6 engine is an interference engine design or not. People have asked and the
> answer that comes out is "why does it matter, the chain is good up to
> 200,000 miles". Well, that's fine, but if it slips or fails at that magical
> point, one needs to know if the engine can simply be retimed, the chain
> replaced and everything goes on as it did before...or if repairs to bent
> valves and such may be required. That's why it matters!
>
> The van ran fine before this unfortunate incident.
>
> I'd also like to know how much of a job it is to change the timing chain. Is
> there anything in particular to watch out for? Things that should be done
> "while we were in there anyway"? Many thanks to anyone who can shed some
> light on this.
>
> William

I don't know this engine at all, but is the water pump driven by the
timing chain, or is the w.p. accessory belt-driven?


--
Bill Putney
(To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my
address with the letter 'x')