timing chain tick

[PhaneSoul]

i gota tick in my engine, i belive its the timing chain, 89 240 hatch, just started less then a week ago, how long do i have before she breaks down, and is there any saving her now?

[PhaneSoul]

bump for importance

btw: im still searching for answers/tips

[2_Liter_Turbo]

If it is the timing chain and the ticking just started, then you have some time. Mine was ticking for about 6 months before I fixed it. If it is a valve on the other hand, or something similair in importance, than you don't have much time. I would get it checked immediatley! And yes, you can save her. You can always save her one way or another i.e. engine swap.

[justmerging]

Does it only make the noise when you first start it up and it lasts for a few seconds or does it continue to do it while the engine is running?

[PhaneSoul]

it continues, but it isnt all the time, sometimes you cna hear it, sometimes you can hear it really loudly, somestimes just barely and sometimes not at all.... ive also lost about 1/4th of my power, takes awhile to rev to 6g now. when accelerating in 2nd, i dont have that burst of power. when at high rpm's in 2nd, it takes a long time (5 to 10 seconds) to go from 4k rpms to 6k. i think there might be some carbon caught ina valve. would seafoam help this?

[two40sxdrvr]

i have a 93 240sx and when i got it the guy told me it needed a timing chain at 116000 and the engine sounds like it has marbles in it but i still been driving it around forever and it is still just as fast cause i beat the same year 240 that had more work than me so the timing chain rattle didnt make it any slower that i know of any way it now has 124000 miles and its still the same running strong so i think u dont have to rush to get it fixed, but i would , wait no i wouldnt cause the labor price is so high u should just get a sr20, thats why i didnt fix it.

[PhaneSoul]

i dont think its the timing chain, its not the distinctive tick, and it comes out of the exhaust more then the top of the motor, so im thinking it is a valve

[240sx2nr]

i have the same problem on my 95 240.... but it only ticks when im idle... when i accelerate the ticking seems to go away.... was told it was a timing chain issue about how its too loose... can some one clarify?

[brisknfade]

Im wondering. Does Having it up to 4500 RPMs and then messing up your shifting and shifting it from 4th to 3rd instead of to 5th cause something like a valve to go bad? Even if it's only for a split second and you push in the clutch as soon as that happens?

I know, im an Idiot.

And I also have the same revving problem where it seems to take forever to go from 4k to 5k now in 3rd and 4th.

Barley noticed the ticking noise tonight, but it sounds like it's coming from the fuel rail or the intake runners actually. My freinds Auto 93 has the same noise though.

[420_240sx]

Guys, dont think your ticking timing chain is no worry. The timing chain spins the cam, if your chain starts slipping or breaks then your motor is pretty much done for......

[slipnfall]

Use a ratchet extension as a gheto stethoscope... place it on different parts of the valce cover,head,front cover, and the other end to your ear. Find where it's the loudest...basic troubleshooting here...

I'm half tempted to suspect it's an injector(because of the variations in power, plus the fact that it remains after warming up). Put the extension right on the top of each injector. I'v experianced injectors so noisy you can hear them through the hood. Unplug them one at a time to isolate the faulty one, if this is in fact the region the noise is coming from.

Let us know what you find if you do this. HTH,-Slip

[spider_slayer]

even if its not a timing chain issue...shifting from 4th into 3rd instead of 5th will damage something....espically if you have an sr swap. you can be relatively sure something is fowled up. the timing chain is also a serious issue, if it is to fall off while driving your engine is cooked.........for good. which engine do you have ka or sr??

[supra brit]

Mine is doing the same rattling/ticking, and it is coming from the valve cover...is this the chain or valves?? It started doing it about a week ago when it got extremely cold, now it just does it every now and then. I have a full timing set with all the guides and tensioners, but it might not be til this weekend that I can get it fixed...

[slipnfall]

Is the sound uniform over the entire valve cover, or just towards the front? If it's louder in the front, then I'd guess timing.

Contracting valve components tend to be noisier in extreme colds, so that may very well be the noise also. If you have a thickness gauge, just check some of your valve-to-bucket clearances while you're changing out the timing stuff.

[yeap]

Does it only make the noise when you first start it up and it lasts for a few seconds or does it continue to do it while the engine is running?

My 90 XE (135K miles) just did this, this morning. It made a very loud tick/tap sound 10-15 times on cold start up, then went away. What would most likely be the cuase of this?

[95nismo240]

My 90 XE (135K miles) just did this, this morning. It made a very loud tick/tap sound 10-15 times on cold start up, then went away. What would most likely be the cuase of this?

it sounds like there was no oil in the head. when u start up ur car after its been sitting over night or a day, all the oil is down in the oil pan. when u first start it up there is no oil up top just a film of oil. so ur valves can start to tick and after a few seconds or minutes the oil will squirt up in there and the noise will go away.