timing chain guides

[big monkey racing]

has anyoone ever done a timing chain and found the guides to be worn down to metal on the passenger side and be completly metal on the other side.

[Slappy]

I've always taken out those guides. Ive seen them break inside and ruin stuff.

[jamesblonde82]

given that you have DOHC and not the SOHC, you're suppose to take the two upper guides off as per nissan themselves. also make sure your tensioners are working.... take them off clean em get all the gunk out so they keep tension on the chain, or just get new ones. i got mine for like 50 bucks.

[big monkey racing]

no I have the sohc

[phillip fair]

My 93 240sx has a DOHC engine but I do have a 1996 Nissan Hardbody 4X4 with a SOHC and when I changed my timming chain and guides at 100,000 miles all of the plastic parts of the guides had broke and fell into the oil pan. So I ended up pulling my engine and put it on a stand to replace my chain and guides and clean out the pan.

[Josh2222]

yea well i had a problem with losing my water and coolant in my 89' 240 and i figured it was a blown head gasket. i got the head off the car but the gasket looked fine. looked down the timing chain and noticed the driver side guide was not there at all. i pulled the cover off and found that the chain had worn away the cover so much at a point to where it put a hole in an cooling inlet or whatever u want to call it, causing water and coolant in my oil.

[jamesblonde82]

yea well i had a problem with losing my water and coolant in my 89' 240 and i figured it was a blown head gasket. i got the head off the car but the gasket looked fine. looked down the timing chain and noticed the driver side guide was not there at all. i pulled the cover off and found that the chain had worn away the cover so much at a point to where it put a hole in an cooling inlet or whatever u want to call it, causing water and coolant in my oil.

yikes!!!!!!! keep those tensioners working!

[My RB25]

Is everyone forgetting that our motors are NOTORIOUS for wearing out the chain guides

I have a 90 SE, bought it last April. After poking around in here, I found out that nasty rattle on start up was my chain guides or should I say lack of them (wish I knew before I bought the car, coulda talked him down more). I did the job last summer on my vacation time. There was NO guide left on the drivers and the chain ate about 1/4 in' into the stud that use to hold the guide. It also started wearing into the front/timing cover (Thank god I caught it in time).

[jamesblonde82]

I think people should do a little more searching, it's well documented. And as far as the chain rubbing on anything, that's due to the tensioners being weak, which isn't much more work to get them off and buy new ones or at least clean them up.

i've also used this "problem" as a bargaining method.

[SHIFTVAX]

What mileage should they definitely be taken off at, I have a KADE with only 71,000 miles on it, should it be done soon; I wont be taking them off myself prob have a shop do it.

[jamesblonde82]

if they have them on...they should be taken off. is it making any noise? it's far too easy to just take the upper one off, just unbolt the valve cover and there it is. it's a little more complicated to get to the lower guard for the upper chain....also check the tensioners! i can't stress that enough.

[vancouverbc]

if they have them on...they should be taken off. is it making any noise? it's far too easy to just take the upper one off, just unbolt the valve cover and there it is. it's a little more complicated to get to the lower guard for the upper chain....also check the tensioners! i can't stress that enough.

Is it necessary to replace the valve cover gasket? It looks like it is made of rubber. I see you have to rtv certain spots. SOunds like a project i can handle. thanks

look up timing in my tutorial link in signature for tutorial
Modified by vancouverbc at 2:39 PM 2/24/2008

[SHIFTVAX]

Its not really making any noise that I notice, sounds new.

[jamesblonde82]

Is it necessary to replace the valve cover gasket? It looks like it is made of rubber. I see you have to rtv certain spots. SOunds like a project i can handle. thanks

look up timing in my tutorial link in signature for tutorial

Modified by vancouverbc at 2:39 PM 2/24/2008

it is not necessary to replace the valve cover gasket unless you see that it's broken, ripped, or whatever. just make sure its got oil around it and you're ok. shouldn't need RTV either unless you remove the front cover to get to the tensioners.

[jamesblonde82]

Its not really making any noise that I notice, sounds new.

at least remove the upper chain guard for piece of mind. they can fail, in other words break off and fall into the timing gears. assuming you have DOHC KA. i dont know about the SOHC

[tekker]

at least remove the upper chain guard for piece of mind. they can fail, in other words break off and fall into the timing gears. assuming you have DOHC KA. i dont know about the SOHC

d

This had happened to my good buddies 93 coupe. Luckily we caught the noise before the chain caught the guard. Just get rid of the guard under the valve cover and the guides and you should be fine. While your down there check the tension, flex and any wear on your chain. If anything appears to be wrong replace it while your in there.

[vancouverbc]

1. The valve cover gasket is leaking at present so you are saying the leaking is ok?

2. The tutorial says you need rtv on the arches of valve cover where it meets the sprocket cover.

[jamesblonde82]

well you didn't say it was leaking. and you can rtv if you like. there wasn't any on mine and i didn't reinstall it with any and theres no leak. if yours leaks, and theres nothing wrong with the gasket, some RTV wont hurt. just make sure your gasket is seating correctly in the grooves. thats one gasket that shouldn't ever go bad.