why does the timing chain have to be at a certain spot on the sprockets.
I know that the sprockets must be at a certain spot with respects to the other sprockets, but why does the chains location matter?

 

because I say so

 

My guess is to help the initial positionning of the chain, it would be easy to just slide one tooth (when the chain is not align with a gear tooth you go foward or back to drop in that could cause an incorrect timing if you did not have a mark to indicate a start or match point.
I guess engineer like marking these thing.

 

maybe to indicate if the chain is jumping teeth or used as a start point to count ratios

 

hummmmmm nismo that has gotten me thinking now

 

Ugh. Yes if you can somehow position the sprokets PERFECTLY then you can put the chain on anyway you want. But do you realize how hard and utterly impossible that would be? The chains have marks so once you put it on the crank w/ the bright link on the sproket marker, you can now align the other sprokets on the other bright links on the chain. Now you KNOW all the sprokets are in proper phase with each other.

What do I win?

 

 

um jeff so the ONLY reason is that you will be able to know that the sprockets are correct. Makes a whole lot a sense, I was always told Nooooo!!! It must be put this way but i never understood why. I knew that the sprockets must be alligned and I see how the markers would be very helpfull if by any change the sprockets would move when u were putting on the chain. So i'm guessing the chain is all the same all around, ¿right?

 

 

Same all around? It's a chain. Align the chain on the crank and then position the sprockets according to the chain links. Period. There's more than one chain also. I believe 3.

 

has anyone else noticed an abundance of noobs lately? ...good thing