timing chain problems. with 87' Ford club wagon?

Question

I have a 87' Ford club wagon van. The timing chain is off by 1 tooth. Someone has told me it might blow the engine or other components if driven.
And yet some people tell me it wont mess anything up itll just mess m over top speed or acceleration wise.
Can someone answer this for me please i need to know if driving my vehicle in this state is ok because i dont hve enough money for a new timing chain at the moment. THANK YOU

Answer 1

I would not drive the vehicle. Once the chain jumps the sprockets are badly worn & engine performs very poorly. If it has jumped a tooth already, & jumps another, a more costly repair may result. Park it until you can afford to repair properly.

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Answer 2

This is what is called a " free wheeling " design, meaning that the valves will not hit the pistons in the event of a timing mishap. The cam gear on your van is steel, with a nylon cover. The nylon has cracked off of it, adding excessive clearance to an already streched timing chain. It wont hurt the engine to drive it, but when it goes the rest of the way out it will shut off instantly, potentially at a bad time. The safe thing to do is to park it untill you can replace the chain and gears. The timing is 12 oclock on the crank and 6 oclock on the cam gears..if planning on trying it yourself......

Answer 3

Driving it "one tooth off" on the timing isn't going to do it any good...also it probably runs rough. Think of "why" it jumped that tooth, it did it because the belt is worn, and the tensioner couldn't keep up with it anymore. So yes, it will damage the engine if it breaks completely, and the valves are already dangerously close to the pistons now...

Answer 4

first, is your battery stable. you could take it to vehicle zone for a unfastened attempt. 2nd, in case you have some electric, like lights furniture, yet no gages, there's a substantial fuse between your battery and laptop, in many circumstances approximately an 80 amp. This must be checked. they're approximately 4 money. third, examine your battery cables, exceptionally the only working on your starter. sparkling all terminals. Fourth, you could now replace your starter. I recommend changing the starter and solenoid on a similar time. you do no longer choose for to try this returned every time quickly.

Answer 5

it wont hurt your engine to drive it but if it has jumped a tooth it wont be long until it jumps another tooth ot the chain or the gear breaks.