Derflaminflitzer Posted February 17, 2014 Report Share Posted February 17, 2014 This is what happens when your timing chain tensioner takes a shit and you still have to drive the car 45 minutes back home (after 2 hours beating it on the ice with friends). You buy $500 worth of parts to do the timing chain job, this is not even including swapping out all of the gears on the cam, idler and crank...then you pull it all apart to find this.The idler gear snapped off the back of the timing case and somehow the chain didnt jump...It just proceeded to eat everything in its path. The grooves in the cover are almost all the way through. So with that much metal inside the motor I decided to take the risk of buying a motor off of craigslist and swap that in. I'm glad I have some really good friends that are helping me take care of this... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boris3 Posted February 17, 2014 Report Share Posted February 17, 2014 Ouch, sorry about the carnage! Any sense of when the tensioner and chain were last changed or warning/symptoms chain rattle etc before it went? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derflaminflitzer Posted February 17, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 17, 2014 No idea if they were ever changed honestly. It just happened out of nowhere. Im just assumimg the tensioner went and it took the idler out from the slapping of the chain but who knows for sure the series of events? I have read about this happening and it sounds like its from lack of tensioner replacement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boris3 Posted February 17, 2014 Report Share Posted February 17, 2014 Hate surprises especially ugly ones. Reason I asked is my 1991is has been quiet and running fine but I also have no sense of when things were changed last. 235k on the odometer when I bought it last fall and I've tracked down four prior owners going back 8 years to 160k none of which had touched the tensioner, chain, etc. Lower oil pan was clean with no metal or other bits when I replaced it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B C Posted February 17, 2014 Report Share Posted February 17, 2014 That's a real bummer, sorry to see that happened. Glad you at least made it home, seems kind of miraculous!This is exactly the sort of thing that comes to mind when I hear people say that they got rid of an M20 because they dont want to deal with timing belts. mkoepp 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derflaminflitzer Posted February 17, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 17, 2014 Boris...DO it! Tensioner takes five minutes and its like $30. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derflaminflitzer Posted February 17, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 17, 2014 That's a real bummer, sorry to see that happened. Glad you at least made it home, seems kind of miraculous!This is exactly the sort of thing that comes to mind when I hear people say that they got rid of an M20 because they dont want to deal with timing belts.timing belts sounds like my best friend right now haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earl Posted February 17, 2014 Report Share Posted February 17, 2014 If someone does a tensioner, I would recommend going to the m44 tensioner. It is superior and much easier to install. http://www.ecstuning.com/ES22204/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boris3 Posted February 17, 2014 Report Share Posted February 17, 2014 M44 tensioner it is. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrLeadFoot Posted February 21, 2014 Report Share Posted February 21, 2014 Are you sticking with the m42? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earl Posted February 21, 2014 Report Share Posted February 21, 2014 He is=) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derflaminflitzer Posted February 21, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 21, 2014 I bought an m42 off craigslist....I need to drive my car since I have been bumming rides off everyone I know haha lets just hope it runs huh? Ill let you all know this weekend I hope Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boris3 Posted March 2, 2014 Report Share Posted March 2, 2014 M44 tensioner it is. Thanks.New m44 tensioner installed. Should have done a comparison picture. Decompressed it was about 1/4" longer than the old one. Model differences aside it makes me wonder how old the one I took out was. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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