Have not started yet. Just putting the Engine back in the Car. I will report when it is tested. Thanks.

 

Shouldn't be much play between the two camshafts. I just recently did a rebuild of a 2.2 that jumped and bent 3 intake valves. Once the marks were lined up I double checked by rotating about 30 revolutions to bring the marks back together. Takes a while, but I wanted to insure I wasn't going up have any collisions during startup.

Got about 5k on it now. Good luck, double check everything and keep us up to update.

PS- if just the engine is out. You'll save some headaches by removing the harmonic balancer. Much easier to slip the engine back onto the trans. Unless you went out the bottom with the trans, in that case just drop the car back on it!

Some will argue that it's a one time use bolt. That's fine, I have done this to 4 HHRs. Haven't replaced it yet, fingers crossed I suppose. I found it impossible to drop the engine back in with the balancer on.

 

Do you reuse the camshaft sprocket bolts too?

 

The "book" says to replace almost all engine bolts. But none that I can find are actually listed as "stretch" bolts; even the head bolts. They are awfully cheap to be "special".

Strange thing; the LCA bolt that calls for 180 degrees after the torque does not call for a new bolt.

 

BTW, I started the Car this morning and it runs like a Champ. Thanks for your help all.

 

The message area doesn't seem to be working properly but I have a cursor so I will five it a shot. There is one thing I have seen that might relate. The long black (usually) guide on the intake side has two guide bolts (top and bottom) I bought a 2.2 VVT HHR that had jumped time. It had evidently done it before because the aforementioned guide wasn't bolted at the top. The original guide had broken (parts in the pan) and the top.bolt is hidden behind a plug. Whoever did the last timing chain job had only boltedvthe bottom bolt. There was no old guide left around it but but the bolt was still there, but it didn't go though the new guide. The top end of the guide was just floating free. That guide was intact but the engine had broken new guides and jumped time. I've also seen a few comments where people didn't know about the top guide bolt hidden behind the plug.

 

I’ve been here since 2011, haven’t seen much about no front guide upper bolt, I have seen a lot about a replacement bolt that fastens into that plug hole


This type of bolt.

 

I wasn't referencing only this forum, but it does seem to be a problem for the novice. I read a post somewhere within the last ten days in which the guy just put the engine back together using the old guide because there was no way to get it out. He complained about the poor design. Some members talk of wear to the guide bolts when the guide breaks or wears completely out. I just pulled an engine apart where the upper bolt was in place, but not through the guide hole, indicating that someone didn't even know it existed. I remember noticing the upper hole in the long guide during my first personal ecotec timing chain repair. I went looking for how to get to the bolt and found the plug. The old guide had already fallen completely out and the new guide went right up in there just fine even if it wasn't providing any useful "guidance".

 

Most times the upper bolt rattles loose then the guide shakes and breaks and then the timing chain flails and damages that upper bolt. I’ve found them in the oil pan, and on the road after the engine died through a rod and made a hole in the block.

 

The upgraded bolt is such an easy and inexpensive preventative measure, everyone with an ecotec engine should do it immediately.

The discussion of what broke first, or if somebody forgot to tighten the bolt or didn't know it was there is pointless.