Hardbody Chain Rattle

[DaveTheGoat]

Well my 97 HB w/ 140k started rattling all the time. used to be just for a couple seconds at start up. I've seen alot of info on the web and I'm thinking of doing this job myself. Does any one have any pointers or things I should watch out for ? Also, where is a good place to buy the parts ? I'm deffinitly going all OEM.

[DaveTheGoat]

So I got bored and pulled the Valve Cover expecting to see a loose a** chain. To my surprise it was tight I was able to push the tensioner side guide in with a screwdriver. It had good tension and pushed back into place. The driver's side guide was missing the plastic rail but since it's a 97 it still had the metal backing piece in place. So the rattling is from the chain riding on the bare metal guide. How much damage could that do ? I'm thinking not much other than rattling. What do you guys think ? I'm tinking just to let it be.

[seang]

A cool thing about the 96-97 ka24e models is the metal backed timing chain guides. pre-96 engines had plastic backed guides that wear out and can cause big problems if neglected. My truck does this all the time and I simply turn the engine off for a second, and restart it 2 or three times until it gets tension. I'm trying to avoid the hassle of re-doing the timing chain. Some dude told me I'm gonna kill my starter, but it takes but a few cranks to start up anyway, so I'm not having any problems there. I have 133,000 miles on my truck, and I believe the starter is origional, as is the alternator. So yeah, I don't think its a big deal on your particular truck unless it really bothers you. I used to just let the truck idle up and rattle for a few long seconds, but I really feel that turning it off and restarting it is the better way.

[DaveTheGoat]

yeah, I don't want to screw something up trying to replace the chain if I really dont have to. But The rattling will probably drive me to do it.

[DaveTheGoat]

What happened to my signature ?