SOLVED: Jeep died, throwing P0340 code, distributor assembly seems broken

[GregBelleville]

One other thing I just noticed today is that the harmonic balancer seems extremely close to the timing cover. See attached picture. Does this look correct? I can rotate it just fine with a ratchet and don't hear any rubbing, but there is almost no gap there. I tightened the bolt on it to 80 foot pounds according to the FSM.

 

[TJBUD]

FWIW, my new harmonic balancer (on a new stroker crank with new woodruff) ended up very close too. I haven’t noticed a problem in about 1500 miles. Knock on wood. TJBUD

 

[GregBelleville]

FWIW, my new harmonic balancer (on a new stroker crank with new woodruff) ended up very close too. I haven’t noticed a problem in about 1500 miles. Knock on wood. TJBUD

View attachment 409051

View attachment 409052

Thanks for the peace of mind, that's pretty much how mine looks too.

 

[GregBelleville]

Happy Sunday everyone! Well I'm back at it today, attempting to remove the oil pan to replace the gasket I messed up while replacing the timing chain.

I have jacked the transmission up slightly at the bell housing and supported with Jack stand, removed the skid plate and removed all bolts for the oil pan. Also removed the starter ace have the exhaust pipe loose to give more wiggle room for the pan.

I've got the oil pan loose but I'm having difficulty completely removing it because the pan seems to be getting hung up on the lip of the plate on the front of the transmission. Any tips on how to get the oil pan up and over this lip? I took a pic to try and show where I'm getting hung up. So far no amount of jostling and pulling has worked, help!

Would jacking the trans up higher help maybe?

 

[JKP]

Somebody with an AT needs to verify for you, but I believe that piece is a dust cover and can be removed. Mine are MTs so I can't verify that for you.

You can also check the FSM.

 

[GregBelleville]

Somebody with an AT needs to verify for you, but I believe that piece is a dust cover and can be removed. Mine are MTs so I can't verify that for you.

You can also check the FSM.

You were correct, factory service manual also says to remove that plate to remove the pan. Came right off once I removed that cover.

 

[GregBelleville]

This link should assist the OP in whether the distributor was installed properly.

Alright it's been weeks but I have what I hope is the final update on this thread!

So today I was able to reinstall the distributor with cylinder 1 at TDC and she fired right up, running smooth with no visible leaks!

@CharlesHS thank you for that YouTube link, that video was key because he described at the end of the video a problem he ran into where he couldn't get the distributor to align properly and he showed how he had to resolve it by punching out the sleeve that holds the helical gear on to the distributor, he rotated it 180*, which correctly aligned the gear and it slid right in to place in the motor after that. I had the same issue with my distributor, apparently it is not uncommon with these aftermarket distributors! My suspicion is that this issue was why my mechanic couldn't get the timing correct in the first place, and it really was not due to the timing chain at all. All that said, the confidence and knowledge I've gained over this project has been invaluable.

Anyway, I just want to say a BIG THANK YOU to everyone who contributed advice and encouragement to tackle this job on my own, it was highly rewarding to hear that motor fire up today after over 2 months of wrenching on it in my spare time.