I spent 8 days in Biloxi like I do every year for Cruisin the Coast, but this year I had to have my Vista Cruiser towed back to TN. The timing chain has jumped, I can only assume that it has the original nylon covered cam gear. The first time it acted up it was so sluggish it wouldnt even move, after a lot of diagnosing we put a timing light on it and found the timing retarded about 15 degrees. So I reset the timing and it ran ok for a few days, then it died again and now the distributer barely spins when cranking the engine. Im now working on getting the spare engine (403) running on the engine run stand that I recently bought so I can put that in the while I am rebuilding the 330 out of the car. Before anyone asks why I didnt just fix it there most hotels dont like you doing that kind of work in their parking lot, plus I didnt have another car for chasing parts.

 

Ouch, bet that was expensive!!

 

I would not be afraid of doing a timing chain job at a parking lot. If you do it discreetly and don't make messes, you can likely get away with it. I did a transmission swap at a school parking lot when I was in college.

The bigger problem is the chunks of nylon at the bottom of the pan, which will not come out when you drain the oil.

 

I wouldn’t put the 330 back in. A bone stock 403 puts down 320 ft-lbs torque and that will increase with better components. The 330 can’t ever hope to match the 403’s low RPM grunt.

 

Sorry to hear this Toocool.

I completely agree with Fun71. A 403 is the better way to go on a 4100 lb vehicle. You have to load up on a 330 in order to do what a 403 does half asleep.

 

At least you were able to diagnose the problem and get her home.

 

Depends on the parking lot. There's a big difference between a hotel or other touristy business and a school. One is trying to present an attractive appearance, and the other couldn't care less. The hotel is not going to want their parking lot to look like a junkyard.

But it seems like it might have been possible to move the car from the hotel to a location, like a school (as long as it's a weekend), or maybe the outer edge of a mall parking lot away from everything, where it could be worked on.

 

I'm a little more pragmatic with this one. I'd replace the chain and move on. Assuming it runs ok otherwise. The nylon in the pan wouldn't bother me. I agree it shouldn't be there but it likely wont cause an issue.

 

The issue with pieces of nylon in the pan is that it can restrict the oil pump screen intake, I've encountered it. I've also seen where it didn't cause a problem so...??? It's a roll of the dice.

 

I agree 100%. How many of these cars had this failure back in the day and didn't get the pan cleaned? Chances are it'll be ok

 

The engine is tired, it uses a quart of oil every 400 miles and smokes when it idles. Thats why I already had this 403 waiting in the wings. I knew it was a gamble taking it on this trip but I didnt expect THIS to happen.

 

I'm not trying to dissuade you from a rebuild but my 330 was doing the exact same thing- wicked oil consumption and low power. I pulled the valve covers and every single valve seal was broken/missing or rock hard. They were so brittle they cracked like glass. I replaced the seals and it doesn't use a drop of oil anymore. It also picked up some power. I can only surmise that once the oil stopped puking past the intake valve that the spark plugs were clean enough to actually light the mix off. It may be worth checking out.