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I went about 265,000 miles on the original timing chain in the Red, 190,000 on the Black and 130,000 on the 'vert [did the 'vert only because it is going to Brownville for the rest of my ownership of it and my mechanic buddy isn't coming along]. The Black that 2 seater got from me still has the original timing chain at 215,000 miles [the car has 100,000 more as it had an engine/tranny swap]. These are 300,000 mile motors before any engine work needs to be done. I think you are looking for a big problem when your issue is a much smaller one.

Perhaps there are memories of the old days when GM and perhaps others used a synthetic or synthetic coated timing sprocket which did break down and chip off. The 3800 has an all steel timing set with a tensioner. The photo is of a workup on a junkyard project engine but is the typical setup. In this case it is using the original (old) style tensioner. The only thing the chain drives is the camshaft and the balance shaft. There is no load from an oil pump as that is crank driven. This is also a non-interference engine as well.

Keep in mind that the 3800 engine has a timing chain - not a belt that needs to be changed as part of routine maintenance like most newer engines have. The chain and gears are intended to last the life of the engine as Dave said. Changing the water pump is a relatively simple job that only requires draining the coolant and removing a few bolts. Replacing the timing chain is still a pretty big job, even when you have the water pump off, that isn't justified unless you suspect a problem with the timing chain or the engine has extremely high mileage.

The wires being stuck on tightly is a good sign that they haven't been removed for a long time. Perhaps the plugs in the back weren't changed at all and they need to be. If you think the wires being crossed is causing the problem you could trace the wires back to the coil to verify without pulling off the spark plug wires. If you find that they are wired wrong you could just swap the wires on the coils to see if the engine runs better. I put new plugs in my car when I first got it about 13 years ago. To get more clearance in the rear I removed one bolt from the dog bone and pulled it up, then used a long pry bar to pull the engine forward and I held it in place with a tie down strap from my boat trailer. I still had to lay on a piece of cardboard on the engine but it gave me a little more room for my big hands to get the wires off and remove the plugs.

First, for an engine to run 4 things are needed: 1. Fuel. 2. Air 3. Spark 4. Compression Now on to number 2, air. Usually the problem is the engine measuring the wrong amount of air, which could be a sensor (others mentioned the MAF) or it could be due to a vacuum leak, which may not cause an engine code. I would check the following: Check air filter for clogging Visually inspect the vacuum lines, particularly those connected to the throttle body, valve cover(front of engine) and PCV valve(near the power steering pump I think?). Look for any vacuum lines that are disconnected or damaged. Wiggle them and see if that effects the rough running. Check to see if the intake manifold or valve covers show signs of significant oil leakage. If you have a bad enough leak in these gaskets it could cause vacuum problems. (slight oil leaking doesn't mean you have a vacuum problem) Let me diverge and talk about the positive crankcase Vacuum (PCV) system for a sec (disclaimer i am not an expert, just my basic understanding of it). The PCV system uses engine vacuum to pull a steady vacuum on the crankcase. This is to capture very very small bits of unburned hydrocarbons that inevitably slip past the piston rings during compression and bring them back through the intake to be reused rather than building up in the crankcase. If you have a bad PCV valve or a bad enough vacuum leak somewhere either in the hoses or gaskets, it will pull air into the intake that has not been measured by the MAF. If bad enough this can cause poor running. Another indication that you have a bad PCV leak is if you pull the intake hose off the throttle body and see that the throttle body is very oily. It may be dirty but shouldn't be oily. What happens is if everything is sealed up properly there is very little actual air flow. But if you have a leak, now you have air flow from that leak. If it is bad enough, it will drag oil mist from the crankcase up into the intake. The other thing to check is the idle air control valve (IAC). this regulates the flow of air at idle to ensure proper RPM and smooth running. If it smooths out when you press the gas it could be a bad IAC. One other thing to mention is that it is entirely possible that a rough running problem is a combination of things. Maybe you need new plugs and wires AND need to clean the MAF sensor for example. This is just kind of my general methodology of what to check.

I think when it comes to troubleshooting rough idle/running you have to start by eliminating simple causes and progress to the more complicated ones. This is how I break it down when I am troubleshooting an issue. First, for an engine to run 4 things are needed: 1. Fuel. 2. Air 3. Spark 4. Compression These areas are where you focus, although I would leave 4 for last unless you have reason to believe that there is a compression issue. I usually start with spark. So things I would check in relative order of complexity are: Spark plug wires connected properly? Are the terminals at the coils or plugs corroded? Any signs of deterioration of the wire insulation? Does the car run differently in dry vs wet conditions? Get a spark plug tester and test that each plug is getting spark. Keep in mind that having a spark doesn't mean that the spark is as strong as it needs to be. Remove the plugs and check for fouling or incorrect gap (should be .060). You could eliminate all these by just going ahead and replacing the plugs and wires. Do make sure to check the gap even if the store says they are 0.060 I bought new plugs and they were all at 0.045 even though advertised as 0.060. If it is not any of these it could be the coils, I don't really know the best way to troubleshoot coils other than replace so I would come back to coils after checking some basic things from the air and fuel categories. I will post on those here in a bit

We've been in the upper 70's ever since the cold front moved on here in Brownsville, Tx. But it has been windy.

Finally, looks like the weather is going to change for the better. 67 degrees here right now. Not Spring yet but it could be a lot worse.

I would agree with the statement, but not sure there is anything to improve on the instructions. They were very clear to me. I think it just sounds more intimidating than it actually is.

It has been a while since I looked at mine but I believe history and current are actually spelled out below the code on the CRTs.

There are 4 buttons along the bottom of your speedometer. Press the one way to the left and it will switch to miles. Also when you get below 1/4 tank you can another one of the buttons and it will show how much gas you have in your car by quarts.

Thanks Ron, I have her in the garage , when warmer I'll have it fixed. I have the manual, but could not find anything on ignition lock cylinder! TKS Ron