With the damper out of the way, you can see the damper spacer and the square key. These are the next items we will remove.
Gently pry the square key out with a screwdriver. These usually offer very little resistance, but they are easy to lose. Be sure to keep yours in a baggie with the damper spacer. They are inexpensive and readily replaced if damaged.
The damper spacer is just a sleeve for the front seal to ride on and is not physically fastened in place. But they can get tight and bound in place over time. If it won’t pull off you can try tapping around it with a plastic or brass mallet. In some cases, we have had to use a 2-inch muffler clamp and a three-jaw gear puller to get them loose.
Remove Timing Cover and Timing Chain Assembly
Removing the cast-aluminum timing cover is a straightforward matter of removing the bolts. Most of the fasteners are 5/16 inch and have a 1/2-inch hex head, except for the two lower ones in the front on each side, which are 3/8 inch and require a 9/16-inch wrench. Keep track of which bolts go there.
There are also four fasteners on the oil pan that thread into the timing cover. These must be removed before attempting to pull the cover away from the block. With all fasteners removed the cover should pop right off with only a few taps from a plastic mallet and minimal prying.
After the timing cover assembly is removed, store it with the various sized bolts that go with it for easier reassembly.
Now that you have the timing cover removed, you can see the timing chain and gears for the first time. Depending on the reason for this engine needing a rebuild, it is always interesting to note how much free play is in the timing chain before you replace it. Careful inspection during disassembly can help resolve many mysteries.
Next pull the oil slinger, which is just a piece of stamped sheet metal, off of the crankshaft snout.
Go to the single center bolt in the cam sprocket and remove it. It has a 5/8-inch head and might be tight enough to justify the use of an impact wrench. Be certain to make note of the position of the thick washer behind the cam bolt, and the fuel pump eccentric.
With the cam sprocket center bolt and washer removed, you can usually get the timing sprockets and chain off with some wiggling, prying from two sides at the same time, and perhaps a light tap or two with a plastic mallet. Brute force is rarely, if ever, needed; the trick is to keep both sprockets parallel with one another and even with the block as you go back and forth until the one on the cam comes loose. Then you can remove the chain and cam sprocket and concentrate on the crankshaft sprocket, which may be stuck to the keyway. If you find a large flat split washer as a spacer behind the cam sprocket, discard it now. None of the replacement timing sets use them, and trying to reinstall one with a new timing set will cause serious interference problems. Since the timing set is almost always going to be replaced, you can use a chisel between the teeth to split or spread that crankshaft sprocket if needed, but it should slide off with a bit of effort.
Remove the Oil Pan and Pump
If you’re working on an engine stand, it’s now time to spin it over and remove the oil pan. The pan is retained by lots of 5/16-inch bolts. Make sure you get all of them out before trying to pry the pan loose.
The pan gasket will have become pretty well stuck to the block after time in service. I often use a razor blade or knife to walk around the sides and try to break that seal a bit before prying on the easily bent sheet-metal pan itself.
Badly damaged oil pans should be replaced; they are readily available. This one has seen better days.
