My TS has a bad timing chain rattle, its only done 145,000 k's, its quiet when the engine is cool but when its gets hot say after 10 minutes of driving it rattles bad at idle and worse at lower revs when in drive, could it only be the chains or maybe the chain tensioner? cheers

heres is a video I done, the engine is hot and in drive, http://youtu.be/XY9xQoQ2Lcc

Strange you have no rattle at start up by what you say. Kit will replace everything that wears they are around $180 with all new cogs as well.
They have been known to go before 100k. ALl depends on how they are driven and maintained. You also get the odd lemon.
Is the alternator also making a noise? Vee

Chains in a healthy engine can go for 200,000 km or more.
Best to replace the whole lot. I assume yours has that little window that allows you to adjust the chain? Do that if possible and if it hasn't been done.
The chain drive relies on copious quantities of clean oil, neglect oil changes and the chain drive suffers. There is a little oil squirter poking out of the block just above the cog on the crankshaft. If that clogs up the chains and guides run dry and suffer. Before you strip it down, run the engine briefly, then switch off and remove the rocker cover. The chain on the cam cog should be covered in oil. If not, start the engine with the rocker cover off - briefly - a healthy oil pressure and squirter will sling oil off the cam cog at idle. Messy, but it tells you the squirter is working. lol

If the chain is dry, pull the squirter out and clean it up. It's a press fit. Look at the direction the squirter is pointing before you remove it. Worth checking too is the oil pressure relief valve on the oil pump, easy to get to once you have stripped the timing case and chains/guides off. If it is stuck open, you will have low oil pressure.

Strange you have no rattle at start up by what you say. Kit will replace everything that wears they are around $180 with all new cogs as well.
They have been known to go before 100k. ALl depends on how they are driven and maintained. You also get the odd lemon.
Is the alternator also making a noise? Vee

Hi Vee, thanks for your reply. It does have the start up rattle when cold but goes away after a second or so and sounds quiet until the engine gets hot, then it rattles and when I turn the motor off you can hear the chain slapping around just before it stops.

Chains in a healthy engine can go for 200,000 km or more.
Best to replace the whole lot. I assume yours has that little window that allows you to adjust the chain? Do that if possible and if it hasn't been done.
The chain drive relies on copious quantities of clean oil, neglect oil changes and the chain drive suffers. There is a little oil squirter poking out of the block just above the cog on the crankshaft. If that clogs up the chains and guides run dry and suffer. Before you strip it down, run the engine briefly, then switch off and remove the rocker cover. The chain on the cam cog should be covered in oil. If not, start the engine with the rocker cover off - briefly - a healthy oil pressure and squirter will sling oil off the cam cog at idle. Messy, but it tells you the squirter is working. lol

If the chain is dry, pull the squirter out and clean it up. It's a press fit. Look at the direction the squirter is pointing before you remove it. Worth checking too is the oil pressure relief valve on the oil pump, easy to get to once you have stripped the timing case and chains/guides off. If it is stuck open, you will have low oil pressure.

Hi Madmax, thanks so much for all your tips, I want to sell the car but don't want to sell it rattling like it does, all so I replaced the front struts and theres still a rattle in the suspension on the L/H side, any ideas what might be causing this? cheers Dean

If your sure its the cam chain and not the balance shaft chain you could thread a new chain through for less than $50 to sell it if you know what your doing. They can last 10-20k on the old cogs before they rattle again. I have done several to help people out of a bind Vee

If your sure its the cam chain and not the balance shaft chain you could thread a new chain through for less than $50 to sell it if you know what your doing. They can last 10-20k on the old cogs before they rattle again. I have done several to help people out of a bind Vee

I think it is the cam chain as I have adjusted the balance shaft chain adjuster and made no difference. Is it hard to replace the cam chain with the motor in? thanks for your help Vee, cheers Dean

heres a guy that did a few videos of how he went about it doing a full change:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IK6W-eEN2pQ&feature=related

Threading a new chain thru is not that difficult but easier with an extra set of hands though. I set up a pulley system to hold the ends of the chains above the car as i wind the motor over by hand and pull it thru when theres nobody around as you have to keep it tight so it does not jump on the sprockets at the cam up top as well as crank below. Slow and steady does it and little by little.
Basically pull out the sparkplugs and remove rocker cover turn motor by hand until you see the chain link joiner might be lucky at TDC or if it is a one piece chain you need to remove a link (angle grinder) (plenty of plastic or rag to keep shavings out of the motor)and join the new chain to it.
Later Tr/Ts you have to unlatch the chain tensioner with a long rod as it shows in the workshop manual.
Its then a matter of pulling the chain thru as you slowly turn the motor by the crankshaft until the new chain has taken place of the old chain and then join the ends with the new link (can be a tough task) and lift the little lever on the tensioner and replace everything else. Check timing marks are correct top and bottom pull motor thru by hand to makes sure nothing jams indicating it is not correct and if you have done it correctly it will fire up as distributor timing will be unchanged.
Sounds simple to me as done this a few times but it is doable if you take your time. Probably not a novice task though as you need to know what to do if you muck it up which takes a bit of fiddling and time to correct. Vee

heres a guy that did a few videos of how he went about it doing a full change:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IK6W-eEN2pQ&feature=related

Threading a new chain thru is not that difficult but easier with an extra set of hands though. I set up a pulley system to hold the ends of the chains above the car as i wind the motor over by hand and pull it thru when theres nobody around as you have to keep it tight so it does not jump on the sprockets at the cam up top as well as crank below. Slow and steady does it and little by little.
Basically pull out the sparkplugs and remove rocker cover turn motor by hand until you see the chain link joiner might be lucky at TDC or if it is a one piece chain you need to remove a link (angle grinder) (plenty of plastic or rag to keep shavings out of the motor)and join the new chain to it.
Later Tr/Ts you have to unlatch the chain tensioner with a long rod as it shows in the workshop manual.
Its then a matter of pulling the chain thru as you slowly turn the motor by the crankshaft until the new chain has taken place of the old chain and then join the ends with the new link (can be a tough task) and lift the little lever on the tensioner and replace everything else. Check timing marks are correct top and bottom pull motor thru by hand to makes sure nothing jams indicating it is not correct and if you have done it correctly it will fire up as distributor timing will be unchanged.
Sounds simple to me as done this a few times but it is doable if you take your time. Probably not a novice task though as you need to know what to do if you muck it up which takes a bit of fiddling and time to correct. Vee

Thanks for going to all the trouble to tell me the step by step method to replace the chain Vee, very much appreciate it and thanks for the link to the you tube video, very interesting, cheers Dean