Is the 2.8 an interference engine?

[Homer]

Timing belts are a regular maintenance item.... Timing chains are not...

Chains are regular maintenance, the service interval is just 100,000 miles. When you change the chain you usually chain the gears too. Usually after 100,000 or so timing chains and the gears start to get a decent amount of play where they could make the engine run rough.

[El-Stupido]

i had a '68 fury with a 318, good example of neglect in the timing chain department. the chain was so slack it skipped a tooth or 2 and bent 9 valves and every pushrod, there were even niks in the piston tops, still ran though. i didnt have the tools to do the valves myself, so it wound up costing over 200 bucks for the local head guy to do.