Chevy MYSTERY Misfire - Part 3 (98 K2500 Labor Day Special)

So the 1998 Chevy K2500 is back in action and running very nicely with the new intake manifold gaskets.
Last issue is to figure out why it's setting a P1345 - Cam Correlation code.
I find a very weird problem with the distributor, but get it sorted NO PARTS REQUIRED :)
Enjoy, and Happy Labor Day!
Ivan

[@kenalex0353]

1000 miles from home my 99 5.7 dumped it's coolant in the motel parking lot overnight. Had to take it to a GM dealer and pay $600.00 (or so) to replace the intake gasket. Got it back and 20 miles down the road it threw the P1345. Got it home and found the distributor slammed all the way clockwise (plug wire boot half crammed under the intake) The tech knew he got it one tooth off but was too lazy to pull it and re-index... I pulled it and fixed that...6 months later coolant is leaking into cylinder over night. Replaced the gasket with a FEL-PRO MS 98000, converted from CPI to MPI using the Delphi conversion and ditched the DexCool.... that was 2014 and 80k miles ago never had another problem...

[@robertweir9034]

Good job!!

[@Garth2011]

Fel-Pro has been the leader in gaskets for several decades. Way better than ANY oem part and I wouldn't use an OEM gasket over Fel-Pro ever !

[@brianmason8400]

Garth Clark.....1000% AGREED!!!!

[@JamesSmith-xs7sr]

Fukn hacks.. I'd be pissed. They make it right?

[@keltecshooter]

White mystery mark aligns with a mark on back of intake , the rotor has a tang opposite the contact that aligns with the 8 on the distributor housing , when TDC cyl 1 , flipping the gear is an old trick to compensate for chain wear , great video BTW nostalgic for us older techs

[@frozenstang3868]

I have to take a nap now, been rolling my eyes so hard .

[@throttlebottle5906]

if you catch it in video, you'll see the gear is worn about 1/2 way through the teeth and there's a sharp step visible. if not for that it would be close enough still

[@kwils6685]

@@throttlebottle5906 I thought I saw a worn distributor gear too but only on one tooth and thought maybe it was a reflection, was there another spot in the video where you could see the wear better? With 147,000 miles on that truck, if they've never been replaced, I would suspect the gear and the timing chain for sure.

[@richavery6003]

Mr. Pine hollow I have a 2011 camaro ss ls3 engine ,after I bought car ,I'm In FL. Battery was 4 years ,I replaced because had to get jump , I use my car every day to go to work ,starts with no problems and when I finish work no problem ,but when I go to the store for bread,car almost doesn't start ,I do a circuit test for two hours and system never goes to sleep still has 12.5 v ,dealership says my car only draws v that it needs ,I'm hoping to add an external adj. Voltage regulator for 14 v all the time ,the form says there 12.5 is normal for camaro and when I'm at idle for awhile I've seen the v. Go down to 11.8 ,I think this to low and sug

[@hightttech]

@@richavery6003: 1. Do you mean that after you buy bread, the car doesn't START, or it doesn't CRANK??? 2. If voltage is 11.8V at idle, then troubleshoot the real cause of low voltage. If alternator at fault, then retrofitting an external V-reg useless.

[@tpformybunghole1974]

Attention fellow 5.7 vortec owners I got the correlation code also when I never did before. My suburban has 147k it was sluggish and downshifting too much trying to maintain speed. Long story short it was winter and the front calipers were essentially rusted stuck in the caliper brackets and had to be hammered off. Once I replaced the calipers and pads that took away that excessive drag and excessive load on the engine the correlation code cleared and never came back. In my research I found a worn distributor can also cause the code but figured I'd share my experience. Also my truck gets infrequent use usually only on weekends and for couple years it would idle fine but if I dropped it in drive and took off it would act like it was starving for fuel for about a block then clear up. This would happen every time truck was restarted even when warm. Because I use truck so infrequently it took 2 years before the engine light came on indicating mass airflow sensor reading wrong. I cleaned it by disassembling it and using qtips soaked in maf cleaner. Stumbling gone, big increase in power, and light stayed off. On the subject of MAF sensors on these trucks the transmission can be severely damaged if your maf is not functioning because transmission uses maf values to determine internal pressures applied to the clutches. I learned that from watching precision transmission KZbin channel, they do A LOT of 4l60e transmission rebuilds

[@robertweir9034]

You should have a channel. Nice work.

[@blue03r6]

😂 thats not how it works.

[@COUNTSLURPULA]

Awesome. 👍

[@leoashrae4199]

I'm afraid you took a header down the rabbit hole this time. Check your #2 video at 2:46 and 3:00. Right after you dropped it back in, it was off one tooth (shaft turned one tooth clockwise). All of us old-farts who noticed that knew exactly what was going to happen. Don't beat yourself up... it was just your turn to learn about it. This is a common problem and has been a problem with this engine ever since its original incarnation as the 265. And, back then it was worse. You had to index the distributer shaft with the oil pump drive tang while simultaneously getting the distributer gear timed with the camshaft... all at the same time. That's why SOP for small-block intake service (or removing the distributer for any reason) was to ALWAYS set the engine at TDC, mark the base of the distributer to the intake manifold (that was your mystery mark) , AND mark the rotor tang alinement to the distributer body before we pulled the distributer... and then disconnect the battery so no one could bump the starter and mess it all up.

[@HouseCallAutoRepair]

You went into much more detail.. nicely caught details!

[@Garth2011]

I saw that too. Best to mark it in three places, the manifold, dist housing and the rotor just to make it easy and line up with the oil pump blade.

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

I thought that I might be a tooth off, but shifting it one tooth (55 crank degrees) is was too far. That's why I had to reinstall the distributor gear 180 degrees so that it would effectively shift 22 degrees to its happy spot 👌😉

[@yomomma9070]

Yeah, TDC #1 b4 disturbing dist is SOP, and best to do to ease reassembly, but I've neglected to do it too on a 4.3 Astro Van to be precise. I was kicking myself for not doing that critical step in the end. A mistake I learned from. Mine was misfiring tho, timing way off.

[@leoashrae4199]

@@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics Actually, when you noted that you had gone from 18 degrees retarded to 34 degrees, that was the precise point when I was certain that you were originally off by one tooth. So, I went back to Video #2 and found where you did it. It's fairly clear. Before you pulled the distributer out, the rotor tab was farther to the right (more counterclockwise) than it was when you put it back in. Then, to verify that what I saw had to be correct, I noted that if you had repositioned the distributer in the correct direction, it MUST land somewhere closer, either in it's control region (for 0-degrees at idle)... or at the very least it would have made it better, not worse. Why GM designed it so you can get a 0-degree retard even when the distributer is off a tooth is beyond me. As you found out, the ECU can compensate far enough to make you think you've found the correct position at idle, only to find that under load, at higher RPM, it runs out of software control range... and you get your code back. At least in the old days we had plenty of indications that something was not lined up right... like the steel vacuum advance line won't line up with the distributer and can't be connected, or plug wires mysteriously became too short, and sometimes (if you were more than one tooth off) it wouldn't run at all. Hence, the mantra that all of us old guys use on small-block GM V8s: whenever we pull a distributer out you set it at TDC, mark the distributer body to the intake manifold, mark the rotor contact tab location on the distributer body to verify it's at #1, and then disconnect the battery so nothing moves. BTW: You did something that I have tried many times, but have never been very successful at: you didn't strip all the accessories from the top of the motor and you still got the intake on without moving the gaskets out of position. I suppose I'm not steady enough, but I always end up with a leak (usually coolant) if I don't get EVERYTHING out of the way... and I've done this job five to ten times a year for over forty years. I always quote an extra hour over book because I have to clear off everything that can touch the manifold. And then, to make sure the gaskets don't move, I Permatex High Tac them to the heads so they can't budge. When you dropped that manifold on (with a thud), I thought for sure you'd have a leak... You've got the touch.

[@billziegmond4943]

Uuuugh our friend cam crank correlation code. Nice fix Ivan. Enjoy your Labor Day my friend.

[@mariosaccoccio1688]

"You cannot put the rotor 180° out of spec." The early GM rotors had a round plug & a square plug. I pulled the distributor to replace a vacuum advance. When I installed the distributor, following my mark, installed the rotor, the car wouldn't start. Someone had installed the rotor backwards (yes, Virginia, you can put a square plug in a round hole) so I reinstalled the distributor 180° & the car ran fine! "For every fool-proof plan, there's a fool to screw it up!"

[@robertweir9034]

Good point.

[@Garth2011]

Elephants and bears shouldn't be working on delicate parts !

[@mattcat231]

ive actually done the rotor 180 off on an old gm 2.8, so in my infinite wisdom on the side of i-90 in Minnesota at 2am, i just swapped the wires on the cap and got it running enough to get me back to Pittsburgh, that was 20 years ago

[@johnclamshellsp1969]

Great videos as always. Regarding the 1996/1999 GM 5.7 Vortec with the distributor gear off 180 or 1/2 tooth, and being aftermarket, here is the 99% issue. That model distributor has a weak metal plate that the rotor screws into. Most just replace the whole unit for this. The real cure is to tap one size larger screw (fine thread) and drill out the rotor one size. Use red LockTight to lockdown. Can be done on the vehicle and just blow out shavings.

[@blue03r6]

Another very common issue was the cap screw would blow out the plastic tab on the distributors base so the cap wouldnt stay on. I found a company who actually started making metal distributors and a better rotor attachment option. Way more threads. I put one in mine and all of the known distributor issues went away for me. I never had the correlation issue because i know how to install a distributor properly 😂

[@CarEnthusiastForever]

Thank you for this series of repairs . It saved me alot of stress

[@colorblind1983]

Good ol’ 4 bolt main 350. Great video trio!

[@tracydiller9378]

Great diag. and fix video Ivan.That customer may still have a worn timing chain but them after market parts are horrible. I always advice to use O.E. parts if possible.Thanks for this L.D. weekend videos.

[@dougkubash8673]

Good job! You got the old Chevy sounding good. Back in the '80's we had 4 1983 F-700's with the 429CI gas engines that had constant problems with leaking intake gaskets. It wasn't a bad job to replace them but the intake manifolds weighed about as much as a complete small block Chevy! haha

[@Eaglerow77]

Dude, that was worth watching all 3 parts..I had a hell of a time with my 1999 k1500 5.7 after the new distributor got put in for Several months only to finally find out it was the distributor pick up coils and this issue with the 180° off..now I have a OEM distributor GM and it didn't have this problem. This is a Chevy deal. I love the truck but damn, the simplest thing can throw the whole system off. Thanks for posting this. I will share this all my garage buddys.

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

Nice! Glad the info was useful 👍

[@Rbenterprises4]

I watched all 3 of these videos and they brought back many memories since I have had my 97 GMC K1500 5.7 for 20 years. I have changed virtually every part thar you did in these videos at one time or another. My latest saga began with a no start. After changing the cap and rotor, the engine started up and appeared to run fine. A couple of weeks later, a check engine light, code P0300, random misfire appeared. I changed the wires and plugs and cleared the code. A new code, P0304, #4 cylinder misfire immediately appeared. I rechecked fire out of the cap, and fire to the plug. When I pulled the plug to run a compression check, to my surprise, the brand new iridium spark plug outer wrap-around electrode was collapsed on the center tip, and the plug was wet with fuel. (I had a hard time starting the plugs in the dark the previous evening in the dark. I must have inadvertently pushed too hard on the socket, collapsing the electrode.) ( By the way, the compression was 170 psi.) The engine ran fine on all 8 cylinders and no codes returned. The only sad part about this repair was that the persistent random misfires fried the passenger side catalytic converter, as it sounded like a barrel full of rocks! Thanks for these detailed videos!

[@pantherplatform]

I'm so glad you didn't make us wait a week or a month like these other guys.

[@robertweir9034]

He could of done all this in one video.

[@arnaldofettuccine5227]

Wow, the things you get into with these vehicles are mind-boggling. 😮🤪👍

[@shotgunreport]

That was the most amazing diagnosis I've seen you do.

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

Really? It's just a Chevy truck distributor... But some math was required 🙂

[@shotgunreport]

@@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics My impression was the truck was not throwing the timing code when you started the job, only after you pulled the distributor, the intake gasket was replaced, and you re-installed the distributor. If so, then it would follow that you did something to cause the timing code to appear as you touched the distributor. If my lay persons assessment is correct, then I would deduce that you did re-installed the distributor wrong. I don't understand how the truck ran with the distributor gear installed incorrectly.

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

@@shotgunreport it must have been at the limit of adjustment, not far enough off to set the code 👍

[@tomh6779]

Not sure on this one Ivan. I think you may need to start fresh on this all over again. Back to number 1 TDC and go through the routine. Something isn’t right.

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

It's perfect now

[@robertweir9034]

@@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics not according to your readings from your scanner. It will be back. Stop being stubborn.

[@johnturner8829]

I still have that same P1345 code on the 99 Suburban from when I did intake manifold gaskets. I did replace the distributor because the OE had decent wear marks on the teeth but ran fine. Maybe I'll put the OE back in and see if the code goes away or may have to do the same thing to the new one. Always good info Ivan. Thank You sir.

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

Definitely need a scanner to read that data PID

[@robertweir9034]

@@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics and maybe your thinkpad doesn’t

[@tanman34fl]

@@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics i wish i knew what the timing adv was when you finally got the retard set. I think you could use that setting to adjust it if you dont have a expensive scanner that reads retard. I adjusted mine through trial and error until the light went out.

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

@@tanman34fl You need a scanner to dial it in.

[@gregorypace2641]

The Vortec has a hardened camshaft (roller cam) they are good at eating up the gear on the distributor shaft. The cheap plastic distributors are also famous for cracking at the distributor cap screw holes. I recommend replacing the distributor with an upgraded aluminum distributor. I also always put the crank at #1 TDC prior to removing the distributor, I have done a lot of there and never had a problem.

[@RobertCiampa9112]

Thank You for the LD Special!

[@LimestoneCoastCustoms]

Well, after watching the 3 videos I'm starting to think maybe it my inlet manifold gasket that is defunct! I have a rough idle but it revs fine & have now discovered an oil leak at the back of the motor which I originally thought was a valve cover gasket. I did do a smoke test on the inlet chasing what I thought was a vacuum leak but couldn't see any smoke at the rear. It's a pretty big job on mine as I also have other accessories like an air compressor mounted over the power steer pump. I've never been a fan of no inlet manifold bolts in the middle but mine might be a failure at the rear. Thanks for the videos, I think they will be of great help! P.S. there isn't many of these trucks in Australia (only 460 sold) so there's no one with any experience but I'm happy to do all my own work anyway. Cheers!

[@tonymaiettasr.7340]

Good series. Hard to fix when the tool gives you the wrong data. Good thing you have multiple scanners

[@bobb7792]

Ummm tool didn't give wrong info. He's still off no within parameters

[@jerrymoore7669]

My son's 98 GMC with the 4.3 had a bad distributor causing it to misfire on humid days. Put in a after market distributor from Amazon. It never ran right it caused us run down some unneeded rabbit holes trying to figure this thing out. Couldn't get the timing right. Broke down and bought an ac Delco distributor, problem fixed instantly. 2 years later It has never missed a beat yet .

[@_RiseAgainst]

It took me years to track this same problem down. Aftermarket would work fine for a few months then on humid days it would misfire until it got hot. AC Delco solved this and taught me a valuable lesson in avoiding "OEM style" parts.

[@justcubbin]

Some of the shoddier aftermarketers have a bad habit of pressing the rotor head on to the shaft just a bit off.

[@mikechiodetti4482]

On some of the distributors, you could file down the stop edge and gain the extra 3 degrees which would zero out the cam/crank. You still have a worn timing chain. Rocking the crankshaft back and fourth you'll see more than 3 degree slack in the chain.

[@throttlebottle5906]

just switch the retainer bracket out with one for an older distributor vehicle, which is what that truck already had done. sure the timing set on those wear down, but that gear was eaten up nearly 1/2 tooth at the crest of contact area, hard to catch on camera. **note: the aftermarket dists. tend to wear the thrust bearing washer and gear mating surface, which allows too much vertical shaft/gear movement which throws the timing off also :)

[@kirilchuk]

Hello Ivan thank you for taking time and showing step by step video , i have the same issue and i also did go through many ideas except where you had to mess with the distributor gear . So i think i need to start there again i might be of a tooth , my timing is advanced no matter what i do with distrebutor left or right will only give me code p300 multiple miss fire or a p1345 camshaft / crank correlation. This sucks .

[@mkilptrick]

Hope you also have a happy Labor Day Ivan.

[@bergankas]

Thanks for the great three video series, loved all of it, very informative!

[@charlesmiller7861]

I might not have all the high dollar code readers like you, but I do use the same oil filler funnel. Nice Series. Wished you lived around me, I would keep you busy.

[@stevenhzoll7057]

Used to work on a lot of 4.3 V6s, people would ignore the money light till the vehicle would not run right. The PCM can correct the coil firing timing quite a bit, but the rotor to distributor terminal timing would get so far off it would carbon arc the cap and misfire, backfire and no fire. DD (down and dirty) fix was to do some creative grinding on the dis hold down to bring the rotor and cap into better alignment. Needs OEM distributor and timing chain and gears to do it right

[@bonedaddy4670]

Thanks for the vid and happy Labor Day to all!

[@AP9311]

Vortec don't really like aftermarket stuff, only oem stuff, i had that 1345 problem with crappy distributor, i bought oem , it went away. Weird or what lol. Great video ama happy labor day!

[@williamwhite9767]

Ivan, you fix problems the owner didn't even know he had! Fantastic! No telling how long it had been that way.

[@arthurfricchione8119]

Reminds me of my youth. Set the engine with cylinder #1 TDC point rotor to #1 firing position and install distributor. From there set the timing with the old timing light oh don’t forget to disconnect the vacuum advance and you would be set to go. No scan tools back then. Ivan thanks for sharing and stay safe and well Artie 👍

[@robertweir9034]

Notice he did not do these procedures. That would be the way to do it!!

[@robertweir9034]

Excellent suggestion and procedure.

[@arthurfricchione8119]

They don’t do it because everyone relies on scan tools.

[@Garth2011]

Not likely he has a timing light in his tool box. Makes sense, rarely used in his experience.

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

@@Garth2011 actually I do have a timing light in my kit and know how to use it 😂

[@craiggoodwin9704]

Thanks for sharing. Happy Labor Day!

[@robbflynn4325]

Happy Labor Day to you also. Hope you are relaxing and not working!

[@madmike214]

Ha! Man I haven't seen this issue in like 15 years!!! Bright back memories 😆 we used to get this all the time with distributor replacements...the original distributors would come in with stripped or broken ears for the caps so a new distributor was needed ..after getting the code we would remove the gear and install 180° and problem went away...never knew why and not sure how we figured it out but that was the fix lol good to see it wasn't just f.m. (f#*king magic) lol

[@zx8401ztv]

Smashing job as always ivan :-D Scanners and there misleading data, you pay a lot for a computer with a fancy program. You don't expect the basic stuff to cause program problems.

[@dennymcelhaney8652]

That was awesome thanks for the footage!

[@duanenelson3202]

I have had the same deal. Got it to 4 degrees the ML stayed off for a few miles, but return. Finally got it to 0 been no problem since.

[@apollomorelos727]

Another fine job.

[@claytoncoolidge992]

Woo-hoo way to go ivan nice choices all around on this one. Hope you holiday weekend was great and relaxing.

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

Thanks Clayton!

[@thememeboi9782]

Went down the rabbit hole with that distributor. You need to idle the engine up to around 1200 rpm, rotate the distributor, while watching the scan tool. It needs to be at 0. These Vortecs are extremely picky with timing. The flat spot on the distributor cap should be parallel to the back of the plenum, or very close. Lining the paint mark and the dimple is correct. This allows for the rotation of the gear when #1 is at TDC. It drops straight in. Good practice it to always bring #1 to TDC before removing the distributor. This does away with any discrepancies in the marks you make on the distributor.

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

Great points! Finally got the rabbit 👌😁

[@monomille1]

Corollary to “every tool has a hammer side” is “every pointy tool is a drift” 😀

[@danrose3233]

I have a 99 suburban 2500 with similar issues--primarily fowling of plug #5. Strange enough a separate issue caused a need to change head gaskets. The symptom seemed to clear up which might suggest the same root issue with the gasket. Now the issue has returned. Maybe it is a chronic issue with this gasket design(?). I appreciate the thorough diagnosis.

[@shawntiaquino4714]

I have had the same problems when I worked for GM and the thing that got me all the time is that didn’t put the distributor back on the same pace my fix was just to put it on TDC and reset the distributor thank you the great video

[@brianw8963]

Thanks for the Labor Day weekend GM trilogy Ivan!

[@joewild4424]

That was really good and you were very thorough I like it I have a 97 with the remanufactured block I'm not sure yet maybe it was a full re manufactured motor but I got to look into it I'm the second owner and it's in really nice shape I just want to get it running Tip Top thank you very much

[@donrosscojoe5014]

You have a lot more patience than me, I would have removed the bulb from the check engine light a long time ago, God bless you.

[@robertweir9034]

Now that’s funny!!!

[@danschevy]

I worked at chevy engine plant for 35 years all distributors were dropped into the engine with the cap on them. The little drilled dimple in the shaft was turned so it faced toward the front of the engine with number one cylinder at top dead center. drop the distributor in and the engine will be in time.

[@phillloyd8625]

Really like your approach Ivan, another great video

[@claytoncoolidge992]

The rotor mount has a tendency of slipping. Its only a very light press fit. I've had a few do that to me. It even the slightest catch happened when the distributor was turning it will slip.

[@hooptierescue2540]

On a lot of those old pushrod vehicles, when the timing chain starts to get a little sloppy, you can get to where you can't time them anymore. What my test was is to roll it around forward to TDC, pop the distributor cap off, then while having an assistant watch the rotor, roll the engine around backwards until the rotor starts to move, then check where your harmonic balancer mark is on your timing scale. If it rolls back 10 degrees or more it's time to replace the chain (and usually at least the cam sprocket). Many of the cam sprockets are aluminum with nylon teeth which tend to degrade and just break over time just due to age and heat cycling. One can usually use a steel sprocket, but on an automatic trans vehicle the rapid RPM changes, with the additional inertia of the heavier steel sprocket will have a tendency to stretch (or even potentially break) the chain. This is especially true if the trans has a shift kit installed. One could have a tranny shop soften up the shifts (which alternatively wears out the tran's clutches sooner) or just resolve to use the nylon and aluminum gear. It's definitely helpful with the latter to prevent the vehicle from overheating if at all possible. On a manual transmission, unless one is really banging the gears street racing it, the steel gear should be fine on the engine. I did a lot of those timing chains back in the day, because it was one of the most misdiagnosed things by the mainstream shops (usually after they'd changed the distributors, carburetors, heat risers, spark plugs, wires, etc....) when it was all that was necessary to make the vehicle run like new again. The symptoms would usually be slightly flat acceleration curve just before the shift points, a (perceived) hard shift, cold bloodedness, stinky exhaust, reduced fuel economy, and (if left to go long enough) burned exhaust valves.

[@jonnelson3705]

Engine at TDC #1 Cyl the rotor contact tip pointing at #1 hole. Turn oil pump slotted shaft or bump engine over until dis drops down fully.

[@Iloveyhwh_1974]

😂😂 I bet your eyes were as dry as the Sahara after setting that distributor! 😂😂😂😂😂😂. That cooling fan is a mutha. 😂 great video.

[@jamesbruno5896]

Nice job Ivan happy labor day!

[@throttlebottle5906]

the factory distributor hold-down was non adjustable other than a tiny amount on pretty much all those engines, so if it has the old style adjustable clamp someone has likely changed the distributor already or corrected for gear/chain/sprocket wear, which that year range is well known for chewing dist. gears off(all size engines), luckily the cam gear was always fine. It's common to get an adjustable hold down added then, as often the timing set wear, plus gear lash can be bad enough to need advanced a tooth then dist. retarded back so it physically clears everything.

[@04DynaGlyde]

My 02 Silverado V6 popped up P0300 misfire code. Cap, rotor, wire plugs, MAS, all around a year old was replaced. 2 weeks ago I replaced the coil and Ignition Module. Not to mention thr air filter still looks good and I even CLEANED the EGR valve on the manifold. And I replaced the fuel filter due to the lack of power. That somewhat helped with throttle response. My engine is very high mileage, yet, there's no smoke or engine noise. I've tried to hunt down air leaks. Could it be a crank sensor, or the spider injection. How can my problem be pin pointed down without braking the bank? Lord knows I can't afford to go to the stealership. I'm at 310k miles now, and was hoping to get to 350k or 375k before a new engine. My fellow Chevy Silverado brothers, Please HELP me because I'm broke and living on credit. As Cheech & Chongs once made a movie about, Things Are Tough All Over! Nor does the economy and high prices help that has hit us all in the year 2021. I sure would like to keep my old girl on the road, anybody got in useful tips or advice. Or know a straight forward honest, trustworthy, reasonable priced mechanic in the Arlington Texas area. I appreciated the pain staking effort on this video to solve the problem on that 98. I feel that's what I'm going through now. Unfortunately, I'm only a little bit of a shade tree mechanic WITHOUT a fancy scan tool. Who is somewhat mechanically inclined. I also noticed the T sign hanging sideways in the front of the garage, good for you. Happy Labor Day, thank God we live in a FREE country with hard working people. ❤ 🇺🇸🙏🇺🇸☝

[@alanmcclelland5245]

Made my weekend watching this repair. That must be one happy customer.

[@denniekorpi5264]

Awesome job!

[@stephendee7839]

That was generous only charging 30 mins for diagnosing and fixing the incorrect aftermarket distributor. Nice.

[@coolacadien]

Wow you have some patience and I wish you could work on my 96 Chevy. I have 4 cylinders not firing up. I’ve replaced rotor and cap twice, plugs and wires, spider injectors. I have proper fuel pressure and spark at each cylinders. 😡

[@yomomma9070]

Will cam/crank variation relearn not fix this? I've been out of the field awhile, but I remember using this function on the old MT2500 "red brick". I remember SI instructing you to do it anytime you messed with any of the timing and firing components and ckp/CMP sensors. This was to compensate for minor nuances in different parts.

[@robertweir9034]

You have a strong point there.

[@upload15613]

I'm wondering the same thing. I know newer gms will set a code if you replace the crank sensor and no do the relearn. Some won't even start I've heard.

[@yomomma9070]

Maybe we can get Ivan to follow up with us. I'm curious and have long separated from my scanner.

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

Newer GM vehicles with fine resolution crank trigger wheels like the LS trucks are more picky about this for sure.

[@AppalachianDIY]

The cam crank relearn is used to stop false misfires reporting due to worn timing chain. So to prevent erroneous misfire codes. The problem he was having setting the retard was most likely due to worn timing chain. Plus it should be plus or minus 2 degrees. I know he said that, but still left it at 3-4 degrees. The Russian repairs are ok for diy or less professional situations. But in a professional shop with things like warranty and comebacks, the correct repair here would likely be new timing set, and new distributor if that gear was in fact worn.

[@scuba422123]

hey ivan have a good time off today.... the light wont come on for the fuel level sensor but the code sets....the light on for the 1345 it would as the pcm sees it....so messed up with the snap on they are good with gm i put a paint mark before pulling the bad boy out... the 4.3 had the one way hold down under torqued ?? warped intake?? why did that gasket drop?? strange

[@Dancing_Alone_wRentals]

tHanks for that bonus footage.

[@OneLegged-honda-mechanic]

I've had my Snap On Solus Ultra cause me to chase my tale with incorrect data pids on a 04 Civic. Glad I have my Autel, but it took me 30 minutes before i realized something ain't right.

[@robertweir9034]

He does state that most scanners have their problems.

[@OneLegged-honda-mechanic]

@@robertweir9034 👍

[@tomharrison6762]

You are a hero !

[@pantherplatform]

I use rock auto constantly to look up parts and variations or dimensions before calling the parts store an hour away.

[@Garth2011]

As long as you are careful and know how to validate what they have listed and pictures.

[@int53185]

Flying wallet wings on the distributor? Thanks for the Labor Day special!

[@johnwaby4321]

Very nicley sorted 👍👍👍👍👍.

[@adotintheshark4848]

About the fuel gauge, five will get you ten the problem is in the cluster. I used to work on a ton of these and the culprit is the main connector. It's corroded and has weak solder. Remove cluster, replace the connector (J1) and remove/replace solder on the other connectors. You'll be good to go.

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

If the problem was just the cluster, then why would the PCM set a fuel level sensor code? 🧐

[@adotintheshark4848]

@@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics good question. Anyway, I'd have removed and refurbed the cluster anyway just because (as long as customer agrees). They do give problems.

[@throttlebottle5906]

@@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics yep, it's the fuel sender in the tank. simply shaking the truck will make it contact and work again for an unknown amount of time.

[@carmenjimenez8233]

Thanks for all you teach me.

[@HighTideTrio]

At least Ivan got to fix something mechanical for once!

[@kens97sto171]

I think somewhere it said that the number had to be between 0 and 2. And even after you redid the gear it was showing 3 point something. That may be why the snap-on is still showing the code. But perhaps it's within some threshold to not throw the check engine light on the car even though the ECU has stored a code.

[@spinb]

I agree. The Snap On Verus is showing the code because the Cam Retard is STILL out of spec at 3+ degrees! The Thinktool failed at discovering this issue.

[@111-c7x2t]

Happy Rosh HaShanah

[@tonymonastiere8510]

Yup, buy those chubbies... it's the pain that just keeps on giving!!!

[@weshawkins7165]

ThinkTool pro, ya buddy. Got to get one ordered.

[@tejastechman9212]

Hello Ivan good video. Question can you turn the distributor to get closer to that spec of 0 to + or - 2 degrees above 1000 rpm. 🙏👍

[@robertweir9034]

No. These distributors are not adjustable like the old days.

[@neilmurphy845]

The first thing I would do would be to check the timing chain and replace that distributor with a GM part

[@eloygutierrez09]

Nice video 👍

[@geronimomadmartin3499]

I have a 1997 K3500, which Thinktool would work best on it? The reason I ask is that there are a couple of different ones with different code clearing capabilities.

[@LethalBacon479]

What about the wear on the distributor gear? I know the cams are hard and the gears are soft, making the distributor gear the wear point. I noticed when you had some shots of the gear you could see some decent wear at the root making the teeth smaller. I can appreciate your fix making everything better (honestly wouldn't have thought of that!) but do you think the tooth wear contributed to the misalignment and timing issue? I've had to replace more than one dist gear after I took it out where it ran fine before.

[@RonP0310]

In my experience the digun works great on older GM's

[@Mr2004MCSS]

When removing a distributor, I was always taught to mark the body of the distributor to the intake, mark the rotor to the dist. body and then as you pull the dist. out, you mark where the rotor turns to on the dist. body. Installation was the reverse. I've always followed the +2, -2 range for the cam retard. My 98 K1500 with this engine is still running the original distributor but the ears are cracked and will get a metal body dist. when it needs replaced. I have the same metal body dist. in my 98 K3500 with the 7.4L and it's been running that dist. for about 13 years. Luckily I have an older AutoXray 6000 scanner that can read the cam retard on these engines so that I can adjust if needed. The distributors on these engines are in the worst spot and are a pain to deal with.

[@MitzvosGolem1]

Excellent... Tzastrovia comrade Curious if one could grind a small amount off distributor lock plate to get more rotation in order to compensate for extreme timing chain wear ? Old school type adjustment . I always put #1 at tdc compression and lock Motor on all engines to keep all in sync.

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

Isuue wasn't with the lock plate, but clearance between cap and intake manifold :)

[@robertweir9034]

@@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics where the hell did that come from. Grasping at straws now?

[@MitzvosGolem1]

@@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics oh ok. Excellent content Thanks. Should I get the Autel rather than the Snap On?

[@chrisland169]

Hum i think this truck it's not done yet , 3 .38 degrees on thinktool and 4 degrees on snap on , it must be at zero because you have a little bit of slack on the timing chain so it will probably coming back! I done multiple of those truck (i own one 99yukon) and i use my favorite red brick snap on for accuracy, and when you go out of 2 degrees you play with fun !!

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

No worries it won't set a code for the next 100k miles 👌

[@leoashrae4199]

The Brick is the perfect tool for this truck. Wish I had never traded mine in.

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

@@leoashrae4199 I still have mine... Used it maybe 3 times before upgrading to the Modis then VERUS then Verus Pro 👌

[@josephneal4858]

Snap-on tools even there scan tools are no better than the other top names!!!! You should really check out the Ancel X7 bro you wont be disappointed !!! You can even write VIN's with it man its a sleeper scan tool i bought it and wow its great!!!! sits in line next to the Autel!!!!

[@mrgrumpy5116]

well done

[@CARRJ142]

A great video.

[@OzFrog48Z]

There are other possibilities for cam sensor timing issues. One could be a worn timing chain. The other is the shutter blade on the distributor that the rotor bolts to is pressed onto the distributor shaft. Sometimes over time it will slip and cause the cam timing to retard. With the distributor installed grab the rotor and try to turn it on the shaft. You have to pull pretty hard. If it moves, that's the problem.

[@WeAreLegion1]

It is a pain to put them back in because they rotate some going in. I just gave up the mark game and just put them in TDC now and start fresh it is more work but saves more time than hoping you get the mark right.

[@kellismith4329]

Very interesting video for sure - I am ready to refire my truck after replacing the dist, hopefully the aftermarket aluminum one I installed has the gear in the right spot - fingers are crossed

[@AndyEffertz]

I’ve seen these 5.7 and the 4.3 have long crank to start and blow the muffler inside out if the cam isn’t at 0°

[@fredsalter1915]

I'm surprised Ivan left the distributor at 3.5 degrees and didn't go the extra bit to set it to zero.

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

@@fredsalter1915 I accounted for future timing chain stretch 😅

[@fredsalter1915]

@@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics Good answer! :-)

[@blake8297]

Pretty sure I could vaguely see the white paint mark, you put your mark just under it.

[@robertweir9034]

Yes he did. Maybe he should watch his own videos.

[@Hybriddiag]

Finaly PHAD did it✌

[@ericcorse]

This one was a bit of a stinker well done.

[@byrd203]

ghost gas gauge working in this clip truck is haunted lol gas gauge working lol 9:18 was the trucks ECM updated to the latest software or you could have rebooted the snap on software I have heard of the mis read if you don't fully reboot the snap on OS and sometimes delete the old info from the system like the data save it will pull data save instead of a new scan

[@mikesvirtualgarage9917]

Very interesting! Imagine if you didnt have that other scan tool, you'd be frustrated beyond all belief :D. Excellent diagnosis and dialogue as always.

[@IamDerick]

Nice catch on the distributor gear. Cheers.

[@Theferg1]

Sir what type of scanner are you using? Thanks

[@josephneal4858]

your much better with late model cars than them oldies!!!! Nice work man!!!! call that a fix!!!! and who would have thought the Launch Scan tool would be better!! when everyone realizes Snap on scan tools always give false codes famous for it that's why i'll buy something from Autel or Launch before a Snap-on scan tool!!! great video man!!!!

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

Ha yeah gotta stay sharp with the old tech too, people underestimate that "old is easy"... Often times it's quite the opposite 🙂

[@josephneal4858]

@@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics totally the opposite!!!!!