removed timing chain guides - some questions after - (rattle/tensioner)

[kablexxx]

well i tried to reply to the original how to located at:

zerothread/105618

but was not allowed to. i wanted to add my questions to help anyone out who does it after me.

anyway, i followed that how-to to remove the upper timing chain guides (2) and made sure the tensioner was working.

i bought my 93 s13 with 24,000 miles from some old lady. i replace the oil often and now im up to about 75,000. of course i always had the ticking noise and had called the mechanic the first day i got it to make sure it wasnt a problem. 2 years later i finally have rid myself of the noise.

given my cars low mileage and the good condition i kept it in i figured that my problem must be the guides. i didnt think the tensioner would be stuck given that i change the oil often with mobil 1 fully synthetic and ive practically been the only owner. basically my thought process was that my cars in good shape, its probably something out of my control like the guides. however my guide was stuck, and i was able to use wd 40 to loosen it up as shown in the how to. i also removed the guides so i am not sure which fixed the ticking.

after reading all the articles on how to get rid of the ticking noise i decided i could handle the project. im not particularly knowledgeable about cars but im willing to jump in and do it. this project seemed easy enough, remove some bolts on top, remove some on bottom, easy with the distributor markings etc. as always, something that seemed simple turned out to be a long time. bolts were tricky to get at, had to find correct tools etc. other than the extra time it took me it was a successful project. everything was done the way it was in the how to, just have a few questions and observations to make.

1. this is a pretty straight forward process. it may take you a while if you don't know anything such as myself. i took my time and make sure i did each step right. once u get the initial couple tools it becomes easy because thats what you use the whole way through.

2. it works. after doing it there was no more rattle and i didnt have any other issues as a result of the surgery.

questions:

1. in the how to it says to use the RTV in certain areas. my questions then become where to specifically? for the front cam sprocket cover the image seems to imply that i apply it to the front where the cover seals vertically against the head. do i cover every edge that seals? such as the bottom of the camshaft sprocket? the how to did not seem to mention that.

2. for the valve cover. do i just put the rtv inside the circular grooves at the front and the back or all the way around? it did not seem like it was meant to go anywhere else but inside the grooves.

3. the tiniest piece of old sealant fell into the engine, is this gonna be an issue? is it something to worry about that i should change my oil immediately? or will waiting till my next change be fine?

3.5 how long for the rtv to dry before starting engine? box says 1 hour to dry and 24 to completely procure. what do u guys think?

4. the distributor. i did not use a timing light. i did not rotate the engine at all. i simply used marks on the cap and rotor as they did in the how to. after reassembling everything lined up, my car started and seems to run fine. the marks lined up dead on after. my question is how sensitive is this setting? could it be dead on to my eyes, but be a hair off and cause a timing issue? i set up 2 separate marks that seamlessly align so im assuming its not an issue.

5. no torque wrench. i simply made them tight, not over tight, but a good solid tight. is this a major issue that needs to be fixed? i spoke to my friend whos a mechanic and he said you are supposed to but you can get by. i figured i would post this for people who may not have a torque wrench. if u do this should u do it extremely tight? just enough? go easy?

thats all, any things you add in would be appreciated.


Modified by kablexxx at 4:55 AM 9/5/2007

[fuco8210]

You can use rtv on the mating surfaces of the timing cover and all around the valve cover, usually wait a few hours for drying to be safe ...If you feel your car is not running exactly like it used to then you could hook up a timing light to check it and set it if you want/need to. I never use a torque wrench with this kind of stuff... just use your instincts, it doesnt have to be super super tight, just do until they are tight and be done. Good luck its not really to bad of a job i did mine in less then an hour.

[rachel_roxanna]

I just had my valve cover powdercoated and so I changed the gasket and decided to remove just the top chain guide while I was in there. (I didnt want to take out the distributor or the sproket cover). So I was extremely careful and did everything right, as far as I can tell, but when I started it up, the oil light was on, and this horrendous noise is now coming from the front of the engine, where the chain is. So I immediately shut it off, and took the cover back off. I see the chain has slack by the side guide, but it is tight on top and on the other side, by the tensioner. I was thinking I may have gotten a little RTV inside, and it could be blocking an oil passage, or clogging the oil pump? Or, maybe just taking the top guide off threw things off enough to screw something up? Or maybe the tensioner needs cleaning? Can I spray WD40 on it with it still inside so I don't have to take the sproket cover off?? Could the chain have jumped a tooth? It started fine, but I didn't run it long enought to see if there was power loss. Btw, I checked and the oil was full and it wasnt leaking a drop of oil.