Hi everybody, it's been about a year since I bought my first thirdgen, an '89 RS with the L03. My question is when replacing the timing chain do I have to drop the oil pan. Both the Chilton and Hayes don't mention it.

It does have a roller cam and roller lifters if any one was wondering.

 

Welcome aboard.

You don't have to drop the oil pan to do it, but there's what you can do and what you should do. The issue is getting the front cover disengaged/re-engaged from/to the pan, and the best way to do that is to at least lower the pan.

 

Getting it OFF is easy. Just lever it off of there.

Getting it back ON is a different story. Trimming the "wings" off the internal lip of the cover is practically mandatory and dropping the oil pan down a smidge in front is also helpful, sometimes required. This is a fine art- getting the timing chain cover on and off without dropping the pan completely (and not having it leak afterwords!). It's one of those things you get a feel for after you've done it a few times.

 

Update, I put on doller-roller timing chain and as usually wrong timing marks, but I managed to correct the problem. Now I have to find out what that wierd rattleing sound at low rpm's are.