Found this while changing my valve cover gasket.

[unicoder]

So I got this car yesterday. It had a valve cover leak that was pretty gnarly, so I went to change it out today. I found what seems to be some kind of Timing Chain Guide just laying on top of the chain, snapped off from its mount. The base where it bolts down was very worn, as if it has been there for a while.

From looking on these forums, it seems pretty common that people remove these, and they are known to break off, but I guess I want to know WHY it broke off. My chain seems tight, it's a wonder it didn't fall down and grind up in my gears! Did I dodge a bullet here?






It did a number on the inside of the valve cover too

[PapaSmurf2k3]

Yeah I'd say you dodged a bullet. Get that thing out of there ASAP!

Maybe just the normal NVH and heat cycles lead to the thing breaking.

[centralcoaster33]

Wow! Lucky that didn't fall into the engine any more. Take it out and the rest of it with the two bolts. Check out the timing chain rattle threads for further instruction. http://www.nicoclub.com/archives/fix-yo ... attle.html You may have to de-gum your chain tensioners and you may have another guide on the drivers side to remove sometime in the future. I removed both guides and cleaned both tensioners on my s14 a few years ago.