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Just completed a timing chain project on my car. The driver side chain tensioner is "faulty" from the factory and can contribute to intermittent clicking noises. This is covered in other threads and isn't the primary focus of these videos.
My car is a 2012 and had 126k on it. The chains were outside of TIS spec service limits. These items do wear over time!
Self taught Played with a lot of legos. I have that "engineer mindset". I started messing with cars when I was 16, I'm 38 now so you just kind of learn as you go.
I have a 2013 S/C Tundra and 1996 FZJ80 with a custom GT35R turbo setup on it
One of my other fun toys is a 1990 Mitsubishi Mirage that I made AWD, swapped a motor, built everything, big turbo, E85, and lots of boost. Most recently it made 940awhp or 1100 something at the crank in a little 2800lb car.
^^ Similar story.. My first truck at 17 was an 87 Land Crusier that I put big tires on and dual exhaust..
Short time after that I jumped into the 88' Mustang LX 5.0, did a whole bunch to that.. Then moved into a new 2001 IS300, 2008 IS350 and eventually 2008 IS F.
Forum moderators is there a way to put together a posting with some useful posts? I'd say this one, plus the spark plug post would be immensely useful. Anyone else feel free to chime in on other useful frequently searched posts?
Good documentation of this process!......Should be put in a sticky thread
Bringing this thread back from a few years ago and hoping the moderators can be put this up as a sticky since some of us are having this issue and LILEVO documented this perfectly!
Bringing this thread back from a few years ago and hoping the moderators can be put this up as a sticky since some of us are having this issue and LILEVO documented this perfectly!
Thx
Done. Not sure if I have to discuss with other MODS before "sticky'ing" a thread. Should I have?
I just finished this job on my car with 213k miles on it. The cam chains were still well within spec (all four). I could have just replaced the bad tensioner and been good to go, but with the level of effort that goes into this job, I replaced everything except the sprockets. They also measured out just fine according to the FSM. It's really nice to start the engine and not hear the random ticking sound on the first start of the day now.
I did a whole lot more than this, but that's a separate post.
I just finished this job on my car with 213k miles on it. The cam chains were still well within spec (all four). I could have just replaced the bad tensioner and been good to go, but with the level of effort that goes into this job, I replaced everything except the sprockets. They also measured out just fine according to the FSM. It's really nice to start the engine and not hear the random ticking sound on the first start of the day now.
I did a whole lot more than this, but that's a separate post.
Any chance you documented everything? I have a faulty tensioner as well. I really want to tackle this job myself but I’ve never done something like this. I never done a timing chain. I followed your advice with renewable lubricants oil but after 3k miles the noise comes back.
I just switched over to RLI and unfortunately my ticking sound didn't go away 😑........Looks like I'll need to do this job at some point and replace the tensioner along with everything else.
Lance,
Have you had time to dissect the drivers side tensioner and see where it goes bad? Curious as to why these tensioners go bad and what they changed with the superseded part #?
I still don't understand why you hear the noise on a cold start but after the car is warmed up (oil pressure and temperature) it goes away? Why would that matter with the tensioner and it starts to work properly once everything is up to temp?
Would like to get to the bottom of this issue if possible
There's no obvious difference with the new part. I put them side by side and couldn't see anything different. They're oil pressure powered, so if the oil is thick, it won't flow into the tensioner well and the short chain will make noise. RLI worked for a while, but eventually it came back for me.
This isn't a job to take lightly. There's a whole lot of stuff that comes apart to get to the tensioner and a lot to keep track of when you disassemble. I didn't take many pictures, and the video here is more comprehensive than what I could make since I was doing most of the work myself and didn't have a camera person to help with documentation. The parts list in the first post is really good if you're going to change out everything.
Here is the old unit next to the new one. The slipper on top broke when I released the tension on the main drive chain.
Timing Chain DIY with Videos
Played with a lot of legos. I have that "engineer mindset". I started messing with cars when I was 16, I'm 38 now so you just kind of learn as you go.
