KA24E Timing Chain Finale

[elbles]

OK guys, I know this topic has been gone over again and again, but after searching through old posts, I still have questions and comments.

First off, the question has to be asked, what is the first thing that fails in these engines, that will cause a timing chain rattle?

From what I can gather, the first thing that usually fails is the tensioner itself. This will cause the chain to have slack at lower RPMs which will go away at higher RPMs, due to the fact that the tensioner is supposedly actuated by oil pressure (there seems to be some debate on this topic, though the FSM makes it out to be oil pressure actuated, IIRC). Not only will a rattle be heard, but the chain will slowly wear away at the guides, and if the guides are the original ones with no metal backing, they will wear down to the point of failing completely, which will allow the chain to rattle against parts of the front cover where coolant flows, which in turn can cause PERMENANT failure-inducing damage to the engine. With revised guides (ones with a metal backing), I would assume this to be less likely.

The reason I bring this up again is because the chain has been rattling in my rebuilt engine for a while, and now, after 9 months and 7,500 miles, I may have to do a timing chain job. (DON'T EVER BUY AN ENGINE FROM RECON!!!) The chain rattles loudly at idle, and though the guides appear fine, I saw bits of black material that I would assume to be from the guides the last time I took the valve cover off, and who knows what else it is hitting, without taking the whole front cover off.

I should note that most of this is speculation based upon what I have read and my own experience, and I'm looking for people to either back it up, or refute it (I don't care which, I just want to know what fails, how it fails, what usually happens from the onset of the problem, to the failure of the engine if allowed to get to that level). Sorry for the long post . . .

[elbles]

No ideas???