OK, so after having ALL engine oil seals, gaskets, spark plugs, timing belt replaced about 500kms ago with all oem parts to oem torque specs and a compression and leakdown check on the motor, Im 85% sure my timing belt tensioner is making a rattle sound upon start up

It happens only when BONE cold, for about 4-5secs max then it goes away, all the fluids are perfect serviced 500kms ago.....I have been babying the car keeping the revs under 3,500rpm to let all seals settle in nicely,

Im not sure if the tensioner was replaced with the timing belt, i left the job with my mechanic who is family since day 1, He has done me a few warranty jobs on my car, Im sure he has replaced it...but i dont know 100%, I cant take the car to him tell end of this week

I have a few questions

1. Can that rattle cause any damage to my motor? can i keep driving it safley?
2. Can the tensioner just be re-tightened or does it need replacing?
3. How long does tightening/replacing the tensioner take?
4. Has anyone had this problem where it was a simple fix of re-tighten the tensioner


please get back to me asap

Your sig suggests you are prepared to have a go?

You could just pull the plastic cover off an have a look at the belt tension when it's cold?

(Might get away with just removing the plastic timing belt cover from the rear bank....dead easy)

BTW less work to put a new tensioner in than re-use the old one...(you need to put old one in a vice and find a locking pin)

easy to bugger up the old one in a vice with a touch of impatience....

Your sig suggests you are prepared to have a go?


Not this time, said enough was enough with these seals leaking, so i gave the lot to my mechanic to do (yes even the rear main seals), plugs, belts etc... i just cbf for the job this time being time strapped, but is this a concern driving it around with this rattle?

Well if it is the tensioner, then obviously it's fine when it gets a bit of a nudge.

I wouldn't sweat too much about it.

I've done this myself. In my case I found the mechanic had not set the eccentric tensioner pulley correctly.

Would I do it again? Yes. Am I the right guy to take advice from on how to fix it? Probably not. I will say that you need the proper tools, not just a rattle gun and a torque wrench. There's a special tool for setting this eccentric pulley. Do a search for MD998767 to see what I mean. I replaced the hydraulic tensioner as well of course while in there.

This took myself, and a buddy, about six hours... which was full of breaks to check the workshop manual, google searches, frantic posts to the forum here and a whole lot of checking and double checking.

I'm with Skapper.

If the belt has been changed 500 km ago, and is now rattling, then the tensioner wasn't set up correctly, or has been damaged.

Mal's method for checking if the rattle is coming from the tensioner - start the engine cold, if it rattles shut it off and wait a minute or so. Restart. If the rattle is gone, it is the cam belt tensioner.

The rattle comes from the arm that the adjuster pulley is on thumping away against the tensioner plunger. That is likely to damage something sooner or later. Do you really want that rattle to be there until it is time for another belt change?

I would go back to the mechanic and discuss it with him. If he gave you a detailed receipt for the work done, a new tensioner would show up on that. How much did you pay for the whole job?

Time needed to replace a hydraulic tensioner or check/readjust its setting, is close to the same time taken to replace the belt in the first place. So a pro or DIY home mechanic who knows this job would double and triple check things before declaring it done right. An overconfident mechanic or first timer who doesn't consult the manual would most likely get it wrong.

Neighbour had a TL that rattled first thing in the morning, his "solution" was to give it a good rev to shut it up. It was loud enough to hear it across the street. lol
Haven't seen that car for quite a while.

OK , to start with if it is left to rattle then it can do big damage And have seen a couple motors drop the swing arm bolt.

Leaving old one on does not require a Vice and have no idea where this comes from just lock it off before belt comes offand no need to even remove it,

If being replaced make sure you get a genuine one, aftermarket ones dont last, we get genuine ones directly from Japan for a bit less than oust dealers charge. This is one case where Mits use another supplierwhich is where we get ours,

Hi

I'm looking for a pre-tensioner for a TJ magna: where can I buy a genuine one ?

cheers

We supply them, contact us for price and shipping

Also, should really have posted in the Thrid Gen Magna section however as is same part guess not much of an issue :)