Help diagnose this timing chain problem!

[APCdude]

Soon, I'm going to be replacing the valve stem-seals in my KA24DE. While I am in there, I figured I'd try to fix my timing chain. I don't want to spend upwards of $100 on a new kit, and I don't want to wait till I have the whole thing open until I order them. Perhaps some of you may know what best to do? Here is the synopsis:Idle is random, between 550 and 750 often.On startup, the RPMS shoot up to about 1300, then dip dramatically even as low as 350, then go back to the 550-750 range (within about 2 seconds). From then on, idle is relatively stable. Never stalls.When cold, that horrid clanking chain is not loud at start. However, when warm at startup the thing clanks loudly.

Anytime I hit 2k RPM, it clanks/grinds/whatever it's doing. Same around the 3k range, and sometimes randomly in the 2k range. It also clanks around idle after the engine is warm, especially on hard vacuum (like a stopsign).

A few months back, I lifted the valve cover to remove that top guide, to find that wear had snapped off the top piece. Only owning the car for roughly 2 years, I thought perhaps the old owner may have done something with it/took it out already? I removed the remaining metal, looked as best I could, but couldn't see the missing metal piece. (It would be about what, an inch long and maybe a quarter inch wide?)

Some might say that the metal plate fell in the chain somehwere, or maybe disintigrated into bits all over the chain, but the fact that it doesn't always rattle, and the fact that I think it would be a bit louder if there were pieces of metal flying around make me think otherwise. It's hard to tell, because it definitely always rattles at certain RPMs, and is often quiet in other ranges.Perhaps it is a mixture of both metal chunks flying around and it is time for a replacement?

At any rate, any input would be helpful. Thanks!

[180fan]

First of all, 100 for a timing chain kit is a damn good price, if it's OEM stuff. I'd plop that down in a heartbeat assuming it comes with new tensioners, guides, chains, bolts, and o-rings.

Pull the oil pan. You will see more bits of it flopping around.

[APCdude]

Well, the kits were more around $150- and they were from EBay. I don't know how much to trust that... but sponsored sites offer the kits around what, $250?

See, I haven't opened up that bad boy yet. But when I do, I want to make the job as fast as possible. I don't want to waste this money on a whole new kit when say, a $60 tensioner could do, or even just removing the guides. To add to the fact, I REALLY don't have cash lying about, and while I would if I needed to, I would MUCH rather not buy a kit.

Then again, I would hate to open it up, realize I need a kit, then wait a week before it gets here.

Any help?