22RE: I just finished up my timing set using ENGNBLDR's 4-piece kit. I've put on 30 miles since the work, always good oil pressure and the truck is running fine. I now notice an odd noise around 3k RPM that varies with engine speed. It sounds like the gear whine you would hear with a gear-driven timing set. Could this be part of the new oil pump or chain and sprockets breaking in?

I did have an issue when I installed the oil pump the first time - I pinched the o-ring against the timing cover so it leaked. Only ran like this for a total of 20 minutes in the driveway while I tracked down the leak.

Pinched o-ring:



Even got into the oil pump gears:



With a new o-ring, the oil pump area is dry. I'm 95% sure I installed the oil pump gears with the dimples out as required. Again, I have typical oil pressure according to the dash gauge.

Perhaps I damaged the oil pump with that o-ring incident and that's where my gear whine is coming from? My next steps are to isolate the noise - remove AC and PS belts and check again. I won't be able to get to that work immediately, though.

Has anyone else had a similar issue? Any guesses as to what this is?

 

I have in the past pinched the oil ring like you just did. You didn't by chance have a piece still stuck in the gears did you? Seems like the dots are facing out but it has been a while since I have changed an oil pump and could be wrong.

 

Yep, dots face the block. ENGNBLDR thinks it will work fine even if the outer ring is installed backwards. I think I got them in there right though.

Yes I could have missed a piece of the o-ring, but I think I got it. If there is a piece in there causing this noise, it should go away as the piece wears out. I could take it apart easily enough, but I'm monitoring it for a while first.

 

I never specified this is for a 22RE, sorry.

I'm currently focused on my alternator as a potential culprit, the bottom mounting bolt doesn't look right to me and it lets the alt pivot all over the place. Additionally I'm getting wear on one side of my new alternator belt. I'm trying to figure that out, then I'll look at the other idler pulleys as previously mentioned.