07 engine replace after broken rod.. no start

mrrsm

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Oct 22, 2015
7,639
Tampa Bay Area
You can't find the Bolt...or you can't find the Part Number?

As previously suggested... visit this link to my "Flickr-Bucket" for a view of the Majority of the Engine TTY Fasteners, OEM Parts, their Part Numbers and Packaging:


This is the GM OEM Fully-Threaded H-6 (H-8?) TTY Cam Phaser Hex Head Cap Screw (Bolt):

43350771592_e595a8dc26_c.jpg
 
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TollKeeper

Supporting Donor
Member
Dec 3, 2011
8,045
Brighton, CO
I think we need a break down of what is physically in the truck at this very moment.. We just need to know a base starting line so we can physically see what the problem is relatively speaking.

What year block?
What year head?
What year Crank?
What year cam phaser?
What year PCM?
What year truck?
 
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kincadefoster

Original poster
Member
May 6, 2020
18
Utah
I just wanted it to be done, so I went ahead and did it, I used a pick and a vise grip to hold the chain on the exhaust side and on the intake side a balancer bolt through one of the holes with a screwdriver handle propped between it and the block plus zip ties pulled tight through the hole right below the timing mark holding the chain to the timing mark to make sure it wasn't moving

I first tried using the phaser from the 04 block but it was too long in the middle and wouldn't go in so I used one from this 06 block that we had gotten from the wrecking yard.

I did 18 ft lbs + a little over 90 degrees, that's about where I started to really feel resistance. My thinking was the bolt is tty already stretched and it took ~50 ft lbs to break it loose so I made sure it was at least 40 ft lbs tight after the 90 degrees, that's my best guess as I believe 18 + 135 with an already stretched bolt may over stretch it and give it a weak hold

It purrs away now with an occasional lope in the idle accompanied by a tick up front, not sure if it's that used phaser or a worn timing tensioner (I didn't replace the timing set), but I may have to do timing stuff again.. HA

Maybe I'll try a new phaser first

There are three phasers, the 02-04 that won't fit in the later block, the 05-07 and the 08+

So, the crankshaft is from an 04 motor and put into the 08 motor. The 04 ran but had a dead no 2. The 08 used a 3 wire connector crank sensor so I replaced it with one of the 2 wire ones, same hole. The 08 is in the vehicle. The only reason I went through all this trouble was we already spent so much on an 08 engine that didn't work at the time and a 04 that ran but had a bad cylinder even though it was shipped from a supplier that supposedly checks them, I suspect they took advantage bc they weren't required to warranty it bc "we are private buyers and not a commercial mechanic shop"
 
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kincadefoster

Original poster
Member
May 6, 2020
18
Utah
Ok the ticking goes away if I unplug the fan clutch, false alarm. The slight lope in idle sounds like not a miss but more like the engine is trying to adjust, like maybe I should run injector cleaner through a vacuum port next
 
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Mooseman

Moderator
Dec 4, 2011
25,257
Ottawa, ON
Did you clean the throttle body? That would happen after the battery has been disconnected.
 

kincadefoster

Original poster
Member
May 6, 2020
18
Utah
Ok, summing up. I'm putting all this info here for anyone it may help

Doing an engine in this vehicle is a kick in the nuts job. but, easier in the right order. So, lift up, jack stands, front tires, remove the headlights, bumper, hood, air cleaner and windshield washer assembly stuff, then the drive belt, then use a 13mm wrench on one of the water pump pulley bolts placing it so that it holds on one bolt and stops against another so you have leverage and probably do that thing you hook a second wrench for leverage and I personally use channel lock or pipe wrench for the big bolt on the fan, I don't have any really big wrenches like that, then take the fan and shroud, radiator, etc, then you can reach the alternator bolts with extensions and wobbly/u-joint set up from near the battery (take off the battery crossmember if you haven't already and maybe the battery) yes to use an impact or drill for everything you possibly can as it is faster!

Then you can reach the idler pulley and compressor bolts with wobbly or u-joint + extension from the drivers side inside the fender, there's even a hole through the frame for the lower left compressor bolt, then, air cleaner and plenum and wired connectors for all the sensors, oil, temp, spark, throttle, etc, and just pull the whole harness and set on top of the fusebox/ fender area, so it's out of the way, then bolts holding pcm to plenum, then plenum, then all the knock sensors, crank sensor and ground straps, remove all that, then the front axles,

Put a floor jack or trans jack under the trans, remove the 6 bolts on each side holding the crossmember to the frame and you may need to remove the ones holding the air solenoid box or whatever it is and then remove the front drive axles and lower the trans jack a few inches so you can get to all the bell housing bolts, the top 2 are just an amazing feat of engineering, you need somewhere around 3 feet of extension + a u joint or wobbly setup, but that's later. remove the starter if you havent already and use the starter hole + big screwdriver to turn the flexplate + 15mm to remove 3 torque converter bolts, then push the TC all the way in,

Then, I found that a tow strap, rather than the regular chain works great here, double it up and on the passenger side, put it behind the engine mount bracket and behind the hub thing the inner axle on passenger side goes in and under the oil pan and up and behind the water connections and up and tie both ends to make a loop, I do it this way bc the engine needs to come nose up first to clear the firewall and crossmember, so then undo the 18 mm bolts top and bottom of the mounts and use your cherry picker to lift it up and off the mounts and remove them and now you can lower the engine, make sure you don't set the harmonic balancer all the way down on the crossmember and this will give you max room to remove all the bellhousing bolts, then the #6 ignition coil so it doesn't get smashed up against the cowl, then, you lift the engine up and yes it needs to come nose up to clear both the crossmember and the firewall and don't worry the water connections will hold and as you lift, maneuver the AC compressor line around the front of it as you lift, you shouldn't have to undo the AC lines! Even if you have an AC machine to recover the refrigerant, it is better not to as you risk creating a leak where there isn't already one, it's fine even if you have to bend the AC line some, then pull the motor up and out and then remove both sides of the whole front diff assembly that the stupid a** POS engineers decided should go through the oil pan and put it on the new or used replacement motor and then do it all in reverse

The 08 motor will not work with 07 or earlier, period... precisely bc the cast into the crank reluctor has the 48x or 54x whatever sh*t and the exhaust cam phaser gear has 4 index points, one is double, instead of 6 with one double. The 07 or earler crank will work in the 08 motor but you also need to change the phaser, I had a computer that was from an 08 trying to get that 08 to start before doing all this, but it didn't work with 07 body electronics I had no spark and even trying it with the 04 motor it ran but threw a code about crank indexes unlearned or something. I also tried it with the 08 after changing the crank and it still threw the crank index code + wouldn't run with the newer cam phaser. The cam phaser from 05-07 should fit in all engines but idk if it works with the 54x reluctor crank. The older phaser will only fit in 02-04 engines.

Also it ran with the older crank + newer phaser if I unplugged the cam sensor, albeit it ran crappy. I found this by accident as I had removed the valve cover to check that my timing marks hadn't moved and when I plugged stuff back in I missed the cam actuator and sensor connectors somehow
 
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Mooseman

Moderator
Dec 4, 2011
25,257
Ottawa, ON
So, is it running now?
 

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