Topic: Has anyone ever actually had a cam chain "skip a tooth"?

[Tugboat]

 I'm not sure it's even possible. Set wrong by a PO - yes. But just skipping a tooth while running? Hmmmm...

[Bailgang]

Well yes sort of but it was an 350 SBC in a friends truck, the original plastic cam timing chain sprocket was so shot all its teeth were rounded over. Every time he'd turn it over to try to start it it would emit a growling kind of sound coming from behind the water pump. That sound was the timing chain slipping over the rounded off cam sprocket, I had to drop the oil pan to clean all the cam sprocket fragments out.

[MCRider]

I'm not sure it's even possible. Set wrong by a PO - yes. But just skipping a tooth while running? Hmmmm...

I agree, set wrong, possibly. Actually jump a tooth after being installed, I don't see it. Even with a worn chain and bad tensioner.


Maybe if the chain and tensioner were REALLY bad... but I don't see it.   

[kmb69]

I'm not sure it's even possible. Set wrong by a PO - yes. But just skipping a tooth while running? Hmmmm...

If it actually skipped while running, you probably got several TRASHED parts in there.

[Don R]

 I saw a cb900 that was so loose it ate a hole in the cylinder block. Still ran OK except for the leak.
 
 I too had a 350 HO pontiac V8 lose a fiber covered timing gear, bent all 16 valves, pushrods and broke some of the guide plates.  Yeow.