Sounds to me like you've found the source of the lack of power, now the question is; what else did the 'mechanic' screw up? I'd send the guy the pics and tell him that you still haven't found out why it died or what the noise is, but from the quality of work in evidence so far it's probably due to similar incompetence (you can include the pic of the blowgun that was left in the engine compartment if he questions you). I had my doubts about the mechanic's skill level when you said they installed a used lower intake plenum.

Definitely plan on emailing this "mechanic" (had his ASE certified shirt and everything! GASP!) once I find out how many teeth the crank is off, and persuade him that in the future he might want to brush up on his skills to ensure he is selling a mechanically sound vehicle. I realize people make money by buying dead trucks and bringing them back to life. A perfectly viable source of income, but it shouldn't be at the expense of the person you are selling to. Being a naturally honest person, I don't understand the thought process of "just good enough". When I sold off my crew cab diesel, I fixed (definitively fixed) what I knew was wrong with it before selling it, and told the buyer that the hydro-boost was going out, but had not repaired it due to lack of time, but offered to fix it prior to him taking possession. And I wasn't even looking to make a profit, just trying to get out from under the payment and took a slight loss. I guess I shouldn't jump to conclusions. I really have no idea if this guy maliciously sold me a known bad vehicle, or blissfully unaware of the situation. All I know is I bought what this guy told me to be a sound truck, and how much money he had into it, and the reverse was the case. Rant over. Been one of those days....

I know nobody wants to ask this, but I'll be brave:

How far out on timing before damage happens?


John B.

A tooth or two shouldn't hurt, Mark's tensioner blew out and lost tension it was ok.

I guess my biggest fear is I drove 600+ miles with the timing off and hot rodded it a bit towards the end thinking it just needed the gunk burned out. That's bound to cause some damage.

Alright fellas. Can anyone clue me in as to how to remove the spark plug boot in cylinder #3 without removing the intake? I've read it can be done, but I can't seem to get that bugger out of there. Got my timing corrected last night and want to check all of the plugs. Plus I'm going to do a cranking oil pressure test and need to have all of the spark plugs out for it. Tips? Magic Wand?

PM RyanY and/or Dylan, as they have both done this recently.

John B.

I always take my intake off, easier than trying to mess around with not taking it off.

I ended up getting it out of there. Had to get the coil packs out of the drivers side and get enough slack on that cable to be able to wiggle it forward and out of there. A pain, but I guess no more of a pain than jacking with the intake.

Wow, I just read this post to get back into the loop of whats going on and had no idea all of this was happening just around the corner from me. Where is it you live, like 10 seconds away from me. I know I havent been the most reliable source of help lately but I dont mind stopping by the lend a hand in the evenings. And also if you would like another opinion on the anything, I can usually offer my 2 cents over a frosty cold one. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cheers.gif" alt="" />