After the Opti install I finally fired her up with out the WP, Belt and Air Pump just too see if it would start. Its started on the first try, but it made the most god awful knocking noise Ive ever heard from an engine once it started. All of the wires are correct and ran smoothly other than the knocking which sounded like a chain hitting metal. So, my first thought is its something with the Timing Chain now and im trying to figure out how it could have messed up. Could I have pulled the crankshaft a liitle forward when trying to get the Balancer off and now the chaing is hitting the cover? Can the chain be broken and the car still run? This has turned out to be a nightmare and I havent driven my baby in almost 2 weeks .

 

See if the water pump drive shaft has any play. If the bearing is bad, since you don't have the pump on it, it may have moved around a bit. Kind of hard though since it comes all the way out the timing cover. Try pulling on it to see if it comes further out the cover. If so the bolts that hold the bearing in may have backed out.

Don't forget if you have to pull the timing cover, you will have to let the oil pan down. Before you remove the opti or the timing cover, do one thing. Put #1 at TDC and remove the cap on the opti. See if the rotor is pointing in the direction of where the #1 contact is located in the cap. This will tell you a lot.

Don't forget to replace the seals in the timing cover, the gasket and the o-rings for the pump drive shaft.

 

Can starting the car without the WP, Belt cause the clanking sound? I just did it that way to make sure the Opti was on right before reinstalling everything. I sure as hell hope I havent spun a bearing, or brokn the Chain.