Newbie with timing issue

Need help. Was given a 2014 2.4L Equinox with a bad piston and rod bearing. Rebuilt engine with new pistons, rings, rods and crank with all new bearings. Valves and Cams were in excellent condition so did not replace. Engine assembled and installed. Starts right up and runs but, getting P0016 after it warms up. I have torn down the timing chain and cover and reset the chain and marked links according to specs, #1 cylinder TDC on exhaust at end of exhaust stroke, exh cam mark at 10, (notch on cam is at 7) intake cam mark at 2 (Notch on cam is at 11) with 14 links between the colored links, no slack from the intake to the crank gear with keyway at noon and timing mark at 4.5/5 on the dial. Colored link hits perfectly. Replaced the tensioner and made sure all chain slack was on the exh side of the crank timing gear so tensioner could take up all slack. Have done this 3x after getting codes and when i disassemble valve cover, chain has some slack although fully tensioned when assembled. Not much but enough play to cause concern considering how tight it is when timing is set (you need to maneuver the exhaust cam to get the notch to line up and variable timing gear to align perfectly, tension snaps chain back in place and taught. Tensioner and all other guides were replaced at time of rebuild. Replaced both cam and the crank sensor to be sure those were not an issue. Changed out the variable timing solenoids (exh and Intake) as well.

Definitely runs rough and in low power mode after warmed up so this does not appear to be a false code due to wiring or a short plus the slack does appear in the chain when removing valve cover. Where am i going wrong? I am really about $1500 into this so still inexpensive car but, would like to avoid 1K+ for a pro to redo the timing chain. I know the mechanical stuff pretty well, the electronics not so well. Need some experienced input here. Can't figure this one out even after reviewing other threads. Thank you in advance!

Have you got any luck with that issue?

Hey Max. So a quick update. I changed out the cam gear phasers and it looks like the intake one was bad although it was new. Got rid of the codes however when i put it on the code reader, still have a P0011 code but pending so it is still a bit off. The plan is to borrow a more sophisticated reader from a friend and see if i cant get more details. Definitely runs better but not being street driven yet so not sure if the P0011 is a matter of the ECM resetting or not. Any thoughts on this would be appreciated. Thanks!

Thanks for sharing. I encountered a similar issue after replacing the timing chain, P0014 and P0341. I reopened it yesterday, verified the marks, all were correct. The cam phasers appear fine, moving with the shafts, but I decided to order new ones regardless. I also replaced both camshaft position sensors and the knock sensor. I plan to reassemble everything over the weekend and conduct tests. Looking forward to see you street test results too.

Here is the process that i photo documented for my own benefit. Note the crankshaft timing gear shows pre and post tensioner release with the slack showing to the exhaust side of the crankshaft on the before and the slack being taken up after. There are many videos out there but this one detail is not apparent in most and it is super critical. The other that shows on some is the need to put a wrench on the exhaust cam and rotate it slightly clockwise to get the cam shaft gear aligned to the pin position. Once you get that to pop on the end of the cam, you release the tension on the wrench and the chain is very tight from exhaust mark to the intake mark. All of that with number one at TDC on exhaust stroke so the intake lobes are really in contact with the intake valves on number one but not yet enough to open the valves as that happens immediately on the downstroke for intake of fuel/air as the engine rotates. This job can be done by removing the air filter housing etc on the top and the passenger tire and some of the wheel well trim however i found it much easier if i supported the engine with a jack and block of wood and removed passenger side motor mount assembly. The rear engine mount (drive axle passes through it) and the transmission do the majority of the work when supporting the engine but the jack allows you ability to align the access hole with the pulley tensioner and then everything else is more visible. Good luck! Will keep you posted on the road testing.
In the photos, note the rag stuffed into the small access to the oil pan below the crankshaft. Highly recommend this precaution or something will land in there and you are now dropping the oil pan too.

Hello, thank you for the photos,
I got mine assembled back again, with the both new Cam phasers, all the marks are like on your pictures. Still had camshaft position error codes all over and the engine shut itself off when rev more than 1000 RPM. Codes were P0340, P0097, P0014, P0113. ECM reset gave no help. Changed both camshaft sensors to new GM's, without resolution.
Then I checked PCV vacuum, there was none, so I drilled a hole in the intake and cleaned it, there are many instructions about it online.
After fixing the PCV, I changed the intake camshaft sensor AGAIN for a new one and that got me rid of those codes.
Still have a sole P0446 EVAP system code though, but it is another story I guess.
Driving with precautions for two days, still no those codes back.
Do you have any update on your project?

Hey Max, Apologies for the radio silence. Been on the road for work the past couple of weeks with limited connectivity.
Car is running as planned with one exception. Before the exception, had a bad mechanical knock when all was assembled and took it about 15 miles. No codes. Thought it was a rod knock at first but turns out 4 lifters lost their lift so went through the process of removing the head, replacing all lifters and clearing all the oil passages as a precaution. Went back together and then drove 100 miles to reset everything without issue other than a slight slip 2nd to 3rd. Did a tranny fluid change (not a full flush) and tranny was down about 2 quarts once we completed it. Cured the slip and drove the car for couple hundred miles. Next trip it started doing something odd. It idles in the 750rpm range and when in drive and stopped at a light, it would idle steady but car would try to surge forward and vibrate. Shifting to neutral solves it but very strange action since the RPMs are healthy and no codes show up. Oil is topped off and fresh, engine sounds fine it just does this randomly when engine is warmed up. Not sure if the torque converter is not sensing the full stop in drive or some other issue. Have not dug too deep yet but need to.
I have not had to handle the P0446 evap code issue so not sure i can offer any input on this one. Don't want to send you spinning in the wrong direction.

Hey, you have the same symptoms as mine: steady RPM on idle, however slightly bucking/vibrating. I'm driving with the OBD scanner constantly now and noticed that Timing Advance is not stable and alternating. I'm not sure what causes that. Regarding P0446, I've revised the EVAP canister and tubes, cleaned them with vacuum and blew with pressure. Added cheap Fuel Performance additive. The code still comes back sometimes, it is not constant now, and at least I can fill my tank normally now.

Great timing. No pun intended. So the surging was only happening at a very warm engine, driven at least 15 minutes before the symptoms reappeared. Noticed one thing that i did not mention previously, there was a strong fuel smell that was subtle but not normal. Looked at what felt like 100 forums for equinox, terrains, malibus, etc. - anything with a 2.4L There was not consensus on this issue but there was a consistency. Cam Actuators and VVT solenoids were often the issue. I replaced my VVT solenoids going from an off brand to AC Delco OEM and what a difference it made! The off brand are just not capable of the sensitivity needed for this engine. Did this yesterday evening and drove aggressively for 50 miles doing the last 15 in stop and go traffic lights without issue. 95% confident this fixed the issue. Never did get any codes. I did 2 other things as precautions since i was there already - took the throttle body off and checked intake for oil pooling or other blowback issues - nothing of significance. Also replaced the air filter housing screws that had all stripped out. Just went to number 10 screws that self tapped into the plastic in case i was getting a vacuum leak at idle via vibration or similar issue. I may go to the next level and JB weld some nuts on the base filter housing so a threaded screw can go in and it is not relying on holding the plastic in the threads. In the end it appears to be addressed. Will update after a week of driving. Hope this helps!