Hi there. I bought my 97 12v with 400000km on it I know my brother inlaw did the main bearing and rod bearings before I got it just because. So I bought it now and I removed the timing cover to do the dowel pin and it is not there. Nor is there any damage. My brother in law bought it from an auction with the same km's but lost interest in the project. Can I run this with the kdp gone?

 

Yes. Its a factory assembly alignment pin for the base plate of the timing cover. Locked in place, or removed. Either way works as far as I've ever heard.

 

A necessary evil only when replacing shaft seals. Once the case it torqued down, you can remove, or tab, or stake the pin.

 

Thanks guys I will continue bolting it back together.

 

I would disagree. I beleive it needs to be in place at all times. It is critical to keep the injection pump drive gear in the precise position it needs to be in. The idea that the bolts may keep it in place once tighten ignore the fact it still has a gasket between the two mating surfaces. It may be a very minimal amount but the timing case will walk from the engine block without that dowl pin.

Just like you wouldn't install a transmission bellhousing on the back of an engine without having the alignment dowls in place, I would not be running a timing case housing without its alignment dowl.

Will the engine have a major failure, probably not but its not something I would take the risk on. It will at least allow excessive wear on both the cam and injection pump drive gear. It also allows a quicker failure of the timing case gasket and likley the front crankshaft seal.

 

No! You're there, replace and tab the KDP!

 

Agree, the pin is like 3 bucks from Cummins, put it in and tab it. Many of these things shake the case bolts loose over time, and the pin is a safety.