I'm going to address the front engine noise by changing the timing chain tensioner but I have some questions. Would you guys recommend doing both the lower and upper tensioners together? Also what about the timing chain guides. A local mechanic said he hears chain slapping, what would that mostly mean? Thanks in advance.
The lower one can be accessed from the outside on the pass side of the engine. You only need to take the air box out. So do that first most often the primary tensioner causes the slap. If it does not get much better then pull the lower oil pan and look for plastic that was once your guides. If you have to do the guides then you can look and decide about the upper tensioner.
I too am considering replacing this tensioner due to some noise on bank 1. I've read some threads where people had a hard time getting it to go in, or it was really stiff, and then some where they said it went in easy.
So I was wondering if there's a certain place to set the timing (i.e Cyl 1 TDC for example?) where it will be easier to replace or relieve some of pressure on the tensioner?
OP, hopefully not hijacking your thread, but adding to it.
No, the easiest method of replacing the tensioner, or any tensioner that is oil pressurized, is to simply remove the old one and install the replacement part. Trying to relive pressure by slackening the chain will make it way more complicated . . .
It might be a bit confined, but proper tools will alleviate this issue. The tensioner is torqued to 70N m so maybe it will take a bit of force to crack it loose, but this isnt an issue.
The people that have problems are ones that have tried removing the old one and reinstalling it. Or they bought a new one but could not resist playing with it and it comes out of the compressed position. It needs to be in the compressed position for an easy install, just that simple.
Most typical is a rattle on start up that is not vanos, but a few have cured vanos rattle on cold start too? The other is chain noise/slapping during changing rpm. The tensioner has two things that make it work, hydralic tension and mechanical spring tension, they fail with different syptoms. Both are know to fail. When in doupt it is better to replace it, the mechanical spring failure that causes slap more than likely will take out your plastic on the chain guides.
If you have decided that you couldn't help yourself and messed about with the new tensioner so it extends to operating position and find you can't thread it into the timing cover, you can put a 32mm socket on the crank pulley and ever so slightly rock the engine against its direction of travel.
This enables you to install the tensioner easily
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