timing chain guide problem. I think..... (2 Viewers)

[79F250]

New noise/rattle coming from front of the engine. It's coming from the top of the timing chain cover/valve cover, seems to be fairly constant. I think it's the timing chain guide. I just did the head gasket about 8000 miles ago (271K on it currently). How crucial are the guides to the timing chain? I guess my real question is, how long can I get away with driving it like this?

 

[BILT4ME]

New noise/rattle coming from front of the engine. It's coming from the top of the timing chain cover/valve cover, seems to be fairly constant. I think it's the timing chain guide. I just did the head gasket about 8000 miles ago (271K on it currently). How crucial are the guides to the timing chain? I guess my real question is, how long can I get away with driving it like this?

That's possibly a recipe for disaster. The chain will get loose and jump teeth or break and lock up everything in front. You need to properly diagnose, even if it's with a bore scope down through the oil fill hole to see if the guide are missing or chunks out of them.

If it was mine, I'd be freaking out.

 

[79F250]

That's possibly a recipe for disaster. The chain will get loose and jump teeth or break and lock up everything in front. You need to properly diagnose, even if it's with a bore scope down through the oil fill hole to see if the guide are missing or chunks out of them.

If it was mine, I'd be freaking out.

Yeah.......
I guess I have to pull the valve cover off....
(f*&k............)

 

[BILT4ME]

Yeah.......
I guess I have to pull the valve cover off....
(f*&k............)

You can inspect through the oil fill hole with a camera

 

[LongDuck]

With 271k miles on it, expect that the plastic sections on the Timing Chain Guides are going to be brittle, if they're still intact at all. When I did my OEM short block 15k miles ago (252k total), the rebuilder said while he was inspecting the guides, they disintegrated in his hands...

Be careful in there with your borescope to avoid making things potentially worse. Also be aware that the hydraulic tensioner could be losing the battle with age, and a little rattle on cold start is common place. Good luck, and hope for the best,

 

[79F250]

New noise/rattle coming from front of the engine. It's coming from the top of the timing chain cover/valve cover, seems to be fairly constant. I think it's the timing chain guide. I just did the head gasket about 8000 miles ago (271K on it currently). How crucial are the guides to the timing chain? I guess my real question is, how long can I get away with driving it like this?

Mystery solved, it was a camshaft bearing cap, No. 1 bearing cap right behind timing gear. Both bolts were completely backed out of the threads. The rattling was the cap bolt hitting the cam timing gear.

 

[79F250]

See the problem?

 

[ChargedSHOTaco]

Mystery solved, it was a camshaft bearing cap, No. 1 bearing cap right behind timing gear. Both bolts were completely backed out of the threads. The rattling was the cap bolt hitting the cam timing gear.

WTF. Probably wasn’t torqued properly.

 

[79F250]

WTF. Probably wasn’t torqued properly.

Had to be my error when I did the head gasket. I'm usually meticulous about such things, but must have overlooked it. I got lucky this time!

 

[mudgudgeon]

Had to be my error when I did the head gasket. I'm usually meticulous about such things, but must have overlooked it. I got lucky this time!

Dodged a bullet by the skin of your teeth.

 

[FirstToy]

Wow buy a lotto ticket!
Do you have to go back and loosen all of them and re-torque in the correct order? Just tightening that loose one isn't it, is it?

 

[mudgudgeon]

Wow buy a lotto ticket!
Do you have to go back and loosen all of them and re-torque in the correct order? Just tightening that loose one isn't it, is it?

If you follow the FSM, that one really has no tension on it.
I'd be ok with just torquing that cap, and checking torque on all the rest.