Symptoms of a bad timing chain

[rudee023]

Just curious as to what are the symptoms of a timing chain going bad.

Rough idle?Tick, tick, tick, sound?Loss of power?

[daniel240]

ive heard that these are non-wear parts. so that means they dont stretch, and as long as they are not broke they are fine. however, they tend to make a lot of noise, especailly with higher miles, but i heard that it is the chain guide rubbing on the chain.

[DAEDALUS]

The chains do stretch a little. Not very much usually, but even a tiny amount of stretch can translate into a few degrees of error in the timing of your valves, before any built-in correction your car may have. Assume that each chain stretches .5%. Then assume there's 18" between the cam and crank sprockets. Then assume that the cam sprockets are 6" in diameter. A .5% stretch would mean the valves would open and close almost 2 degrees late. Steel can stretch quite a bit before breaking; in extreme cases it's reasonable that chain stretch will cause a rough idle and a lack of power and compression.

[blackbeauty240]

a good way to check slack is to put a socket on the crank bolt pull the dist cap off and turn the engine back and forth. the rotor should move as soon as you turn the crank if you have a little play you know that the chain has streched.

[Holisticbeatz]

How much would doing a timing chain run about? Typically?

[dareo]

Remove valve cover, look closely at the chain. If the chain's links are close together and the chain appears to be running straight its probably OK. I guess a better way to put that is: Imagine if you had the whole chain out, in your hands. Could you twist the chain a lot? If you held this chain straight out, how much would it curve? Mine was sloppin' all over the place.

Next look for the tensioner and the guide. If you cant find the guide, (originally plastic and it will vanish after enough mileage/abuse) then you probably need a timingchain job done. Shoot yourself in the head because it will be less painfull than the timingchain job. Its actually not that bad, but if you got the money PAY SOMEONE TO DO IT. If your car is anything like my red one were working on now, PAY SOMEONE! Odds are a lot of the bolts haven't ever been off in 14 years.

If you've got good tools, time, and you think you have some mechanical skills, by all means give it a shot. By the time your done you'll know why mechanics quote so much to do it.

Price of the timing kit, about 100 bucks. Oil, coolant, gaskets, little crap you might as well replace while your there like the Thermostat, can add you up closer to 200 bucks parts alone.