BIG PROMLEM? please say no!!

[SHIFT_240sx]

for awhile now i have heard a rattle in my engine. many have told me its my timing chain. they also told me 630 dollars would be the cost to fix it. i would like to know if just tightening the chain will help or should i just replace it. and if i do is it a job that isnt too difficult? any info will help. thanx

[hybrid_flyer]

First you should not hip shoot the problem just because some people tell you what it is. DIAGNOSE it. Start the engine and listen to find out where its coming from. If you need to use a stethascope, if you dont have one use a piece of tube or an extension to hear the vibrations. if it is the timing chain depending on how many miles you have on that chain, if its a lot then replace it, if it slips then the engine will be gone. if its a new chain, then something went wrong with the install. As for how hard it is that all depends on your abilitys, but TIMING IS CRUCIAL. So if the cam gears happen to move and you dont see BANG bye bye engine.

[w1ngzer0]

or if your parents won't let you work on your car take it to a shop and spend the 600 :P

[hybrid_flyer]

or if your parents won't let you work on your car take it to a shop and spend the 600 :P

geez what kind of parents dont want you to work on the ca, mine WISHED i would work on the car, but back then i knew nothing

[cvex]

i dont think you can just tighten the chain. Replacing the chain tensioner, yes. it works with your oil pressure. thats why mine at cold start up i would hear a rattle but 2-4 sec later its gone. My chain was still good at 120k little stretch . but with my tensioner is was wore down . looks sorta like a railroad track. I went ahead and ordered a timiing chain kit from " EXPRESSAUTOPARTS.COM" 3 weeks already, no tracking # no items. no car for me. at this point it seems like i got bend over, they took $300 from me. F*CKERS. Sorry had to let it out, good luck on yours

[HashiriyaS14]

Although, you could probably get another used KA24DE for less than $630...

I'm not sure what all goes into changing a timing chain, but I bet that the $630 includes mostly labor. See if there's someone in your area who's knowledgable about this sort of thing and will help you install it yourself. I would not recommend diving into something like that with no help though.

But yes, as the guy above said, diagnose first. Get help diagnosing if need be.

[BadMojo]

Is it a rattle at startup? Does it sound like it's coming from the front of the valve cover? Does it go away at higher RPM's? Does it still make the noise at idle when your car is warmed up?

[MECPInstaller]

not meaning to highjack in anyway but i have a constant ticking sound come from the lower center portion of the head and block, I checked my service manual and noticed theres a lower timing chain in that region. The question is if a guide or tensioner going bad would cause that constant ticking, i can't tell if it speeds up or not when i pull on the throttle cable, but does maybe 4-7 clicks a second. Also the tick is constant doesn't go away after its warmed up.

[Drift Machine]

If it's coming from the front of the head, where teh chain would be, and at the top it's probably the chain guide. Just remove it.

[Bronze MFP]

I had a rattle that I swore was the timing chain, it turned out to be my water pump. ~80 dollar part from nissan, took me a few hours to replace it. See if you can jiggle the fan up and down, since it attached to the water pump, if it moves, more than likely your water pump was going bad like mine.