Hi, this is my first post. I have a 04 g35 coupe. I was changing the water pump and I think I may have skipped a tooth on the timing chain while installing. I went ahead and finish the install anyways started the car it cranked right up I drove it. Everything seems fine but there was a little bit of smoking coming from the left side of the engine. The car has been sitting for a few weeks so it is possible that it was just smoke burning off from sitting. My question is, is it possible to skip a tooth on one or even both sides and the car still run?? Any advice is appreciated, TY!

 

Well then.

 

Definitely possible and one tooth might not be enough to cause a zero clearance issue. Typically it will be running really wierd if you're off by a tooth though, if there was any question about it I personally would take the front end off and strip the timing cover off to verify all the alignment marks are in the correct place.

If you set the engine at TDC like you're supposed to then there's no chance of spring back on the cams though, it's still possible to skip a tooth but if you kept tension on the chain then you're fine.

What makes you think you skipped a tooth anyways? Be descriptive.

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As for the smoke, sounds like your valve guides are shot and oozing oil past them.

 

So as I was turning the crank to create slack in the timing chain to remove the water pump it felt like it jumped and the was a loud clicking sound like springs coming apart. Then before I realized how far the chain tensioner could be compressed to reinstall I was struggling to reinstall the tensioner so I was playing with the crank trying to create enough slack to reinstall the tensioner and it felt like it jumped again and all my slack was gone, this being on the left side of the engine.