please read! timing chain guides!!

[kg4wih]

So everybody knows to take the guides off, well I procrastinated on this one. It started making noise last friday 02/09/07, I put it off because I had several thing to do. That was a bad mistake. Yesterday 02/13/07 I left work for lunch, got in to the parking lot of Burger King, as soon as I was turning in POP! engine quit. I thought "well there went my timing chain". But no, I had it towed home were I pulled the valve cover off and the sprocket end of my exhaust cam snapped off............ The top guide had come off and got in between the cam sprockets and that isn't a thin piece of metal somethings got to give. Oh yea, the chain is still together....

So everyone who hasn't taken theirs off, go home and get to work!!!!!

i will post pics tonight.

[DeXteR]

good lord, what a horrible first post!

sorry to hear this. i guess i was pretty lucky with mine. i don't know how long i drove around with that guide bouncing around on the chain. i heard the noise but couldn't figure out what it was. then one day i decided to get around to changing that leaky valve cover gasket... HOLY CRAP! there was the guide, sitting right on top of the chain.

well, that was long before i knew about nico or anything about the 240sx or ka24de.

best of luck with the repairs.

[94_240sx]

This is a must for all KA owners. It's like a 20min job, so you better take care of it. I took off upper guide, but I hear small noise coming from lower guide. Don't know when I'll take it out....

[kg4wih]

Yeah I have been on this forum (not a member) for a long time. But i have either resolved my own problems or found it already on here. But I felt I should share this one..........

[wmdavis007]

Sorry to hear that about your motor. I started reading on this website soon as I got my vert...which already had a blown up KA. So I found out all I could before I went back to rebuild my KA. I removed both guides. Good luck on fixing your ride. Everyone and anyone that hasn't taken the top guide off really should do it...it takes very little mechanical know-how. Great post.

[kg4wih]

Its going In the back yard till I can get my LS1. flame on everyone..........Its going to be a basturd child.....lol

[Eikon]

Welcome KG!

Thanks for posting that warning. Good stuff!!

As for the LS1... Rock on Brotha! Keep us updated when you begin that project.

[BOOMSHAKALAKA]

I've heard that annoying timing chain rattle also...my dad keeps telling me it's nothing and I keep telling him it's something. I'll mention your story and try to convince him that we need to work on it.

[kg4wih]

yea its like nine bolts to get the valve cover off. then two more to get the bracket off. its easy..........when i had it towed home i had it off before the driver handed me my bill..............

[slip69]

Sorry to hear that about your motor. I started reading on this website soon as I got my vert...which already had a blown up KA. So I found out all I could before I went back to rebuild my KA. I removed both guides. Good luck on fixing your ride. Everyone and anyone that hasn't taken the top guide off really should do it...it takes very little mechanical know-how. Great post.

is there a how to on this or pics of the guide so i can do it this weekend.

[kg4wih]

this should be it

zerothread?id=207928

[94_240sx]

this should be it

zerothread?id=207928

Sorry. These should be it.

zerothread?id=105618http://forums.nicoc ... ?id=104485

1. You have to apply permatex on the gasket front and back half circle areas just about right. 2. When you tighten the bolts, you have to do it in this order.

[kg4wih]

there it is. i've been looking for that. quick on the draw 94!!!!!according to that mine was missing a bolt or 2. whoops and not one person has mentioned the search button............. i like
Modified by kg4wih at 4:14 PM 2/14/2007

[slip69]

thanks!!!!!i just replaced the gasket a few months ago. if i knew about this then i would have done it. thanks again

[94_240sx]

thanks!!!!!i just replaced the gasket a few months ago. if i knew about this then i would have done it. thanks again

Yeah, it's good if you can do it when you replace the gasket, but still you should do it cuz there's no point on waiting for next gasket change. You know what I mean? I removed mine right away as soon as I heard noise for the first time.

[kg4wih]

here is some pics from my phone i forgot my camera.......

[94_240sx]

here is some pics from my phone i forgot my camera.......

IIRC, someone bought a 240 for like $500 from the old lady and it needed engine work. When he opened the valve cover, it looked exactly like yours. He posted pics in 240 gen forum I believe. The car was in good condition overall. I guess same thing happened to the lady, thought there was a serious engine problem and wanted to get rid of it quick.

[Mangudai]

The only thing that is confusing me is the 1 next to the 12

[94_240sx]

The only thing that is confusing me is the 1 next to the 12

Well, first one to loosen, leave it there and last one to remove I guess. Isn't that supposed to be 'Tighten in numerical order'? Not 'Loosen numerical order' I wonder what matters when you loosen them. Anyway, it's critical to follow this when you tighten the bolts otherwise oil will leak.

[slownslurious]

you have to loosen and tighten them in numerical order to prevent warping of the valve cover and more important, damage to the bolts.

you can probably find an exhaust cam for like $20 bucks somewhere on the for sale forum, if youre just now starting the ls1 project it will probably be a long time in the preparation and such so unless you have a near unlimited budget you may just wanna drop a new cam in that sucka to get it running again for now.

my ca blew the headgasket but I miss having the vert so I'm planning on fixing it in march instead of just waiting until this summer when I have my v8 in.

[kg4wih]

yea i may just put a cam it because my truck just broke down aswell.

[slip69]

well i finally got this done and my engine doesn't sound like **** anymore!!but i messed up when i was placing the valve cover. i guess i tightened(is that even a word??) the bolts too hard and cracked the gasket. so when i took the car to work it freaking spilled oil all over the right side of the engine bay!!!!! and to makes things worse, one of the bolts will not tighten up anymore freaking figures!!!!!!but at least the engine sounds nice now

[Loki]

That...sounds like a really serious problem. You CRACKED your head gasket?

I can't even check my damn spark plugs my tool set is so lacking.

[slip69]

well not cracked but it ripped. hey i noticed on your sig you say you need a steering wheel, i got a stock one of the vert. AZHITMAN had mentioned he needed one but have not heard if he still wants it. if not and you need a stock steering wheel let me know.

[ishkabibble]

Valve cover gasket is not the same thing as head gasket. Valve cover gasket messed up = kinda bad. Head gasket messed up = really bad!

Loki, you seriously need to get yourself some tools.

[Loki]

Yea, well I'm not THAT knowledgeable about car mechanics anyway. Only had one class in high school, so most of my knowledge I try to glean from here. So tools were never that important to me til I got my vert, and even then, I got no money for a decent tool set I managed to jack a pretty extensive metric/english set with an appropriate socket for plugs, but I don't have any extensions!

Oh, and lemme know on that steering wheel. Email's [email protected], zip is 18427 if you want to check some shipping numbers.

And one last thing I'll have to end up asking eventually...did verts come standard with an air bag? Just wondering if I need to disconnect my battery when I remove the steering wheel.

[94_240sx]

well i finally got this done and my engine doesn't sound like **** anymore!!but i messed up when i was placing the valve cover. i guess i tightened(is that even a word??) the bolts too hard and cracked the gasket. so when i took the car to work it freaking spilled oil all over the right side of the engine bay!!!!! and to makes things worse, one of the bolts will not tighten up anymore freaking figures!!!!!!but at least the engine sounds nice now

Sorry, man... You over tightened the bolt and stripped one of the holes. You should have been very gentle when you tighten the bolts. You have to do it in order and follow the torque spec to prevent such a problem. Well... all I can think of is helicoil. Someone just posted 'How To' a couple of days ago. Hope that works on valve cover. You better do it soon, otherwise you'll lose oil every time you drive.

zerothread?id=232080http://forums.nicoc ... ?id=232174

P.S.: Torque Wrench is a must have when you work on a car.

[94_240sx]

did verts come standard with an air bag? Just wondering if I need to disconnect my battery when I remove the steering wheel.

No airbags. Usually, you will see 'SRS Airbag' logo on steering wheel and passenger side dashboard on air bag equipped cars.

[slownslurious]

I dont know what you did, the gaskets are usually soft rubber but there isn't any way you can tighten it down enough to rip it... you don't really need a gasket anyway some blue RTV should do the job better than a gasket.

If you stripped out the bolt youre in for some pain though, hellacoil is really the only way to go because you can't drill out the valve cover anymore without ending up with moon shaped holes (no more room on the flange or in the recessed holes for larger bolts).

oh and I think that avatar is TMS's... he has had it a real long time.

[ishkabibble]

did verts come standard with an air bag?

Usually, but if you turn the radio up, you can't hear her anymore.

Like 94 said, you all need to get some proper tools!