Timing Chain issue?

[blackmopar]

hi guys - new here - posted intro and pic but have an issue - already - lol

Ive been readin here and elsewhere and realize the timing chains and tensioners are an issue - especially with a gen1

I bought the car a little over a week ago and didnt hear this noise at all - but now it seems to be there after recent dealer oil change - possible the OP was running heavy weight oil - im new to fomoco - I see motorcraft syn-blend has a good reputation but wondering if maybe it has a tendency to 'show' engine noise more?
does everyones make this noise - good or bad chain? should i just add a louder exhaust and turn up the stereo or......

long story short - with 140k miles do I automatically assume i need to replace the chains and tensioners or I also heard the serpentine idler tensioners go on these things to but I dont see any signs of belt walking

thanks for reading my ramblings...

 

[joegr]

What noise are you talking about, exactly?

 

[blackmopar]

hah guess i didnt describe that - sorry

drivers side at front of motor I have a mechanical noise - not really a knock so I dont feel it is combustion related and i also dont see any signs of oil so Im thinking it is not a COP issue.

the noise goes with rythym of the motor rotation - which is why im thinking either serp belt or timing chain - starts off louder on cold start and gets quieter as warms up - not detectable on acceleration but do notice a bit on hard braking for a moment

I saw someone refer to 'chain slap' noise or something - so maybe im just over paranoid with a new used car although the dealer 'mentioned' the noise also when I picked it up from them

 

[joegr]

Well, that does sound like a bad timing chain guide/tensioner issue. It's certainly worth it to pull that valve cover off and have a look.

 

[blackmopar]

thanks for the affirmation Joe - so if I pull the cover and dont see signs of wear on the chain surface and the tensioner looks good just button back up? I dont have a service manual yet - is there a slack measurement to check?

also anyone know a good/fast place to get a manual since it seems Ill need it - im not a big fan of chiltons or hayes typically but know sometimes thats all there is

 

[joegr]

Get the factory shop manual.
http://www.helminc.com/helm/homepag...nc.com/&ei=wqWqUN3zGoeq2QXdyoDwBA&usg=AFQjCNF
Get it from there or on e-bay. The cost at Helminc for one month on-line access is not too bad.

There's really no need to measure. Look for scratches on the valve cover, and look for cracks in the plastic of the tensioners. If you find a problem, you will need to replace the tensioners on the other side too.

 

[blackmopar]

thanks joe - I appreciate the help

 

[KStromberg]

You could also take off the serpentine belt and spin each of the pulleys freely by hand and see if you find a bad pulley.

 

[blackmopar]

KStrom thats a good idea

 

[KStromberg]

I had an idler pulley fail on my 98 MarkVIII and it sounded like a very noticeable valve tap. Check those pulleys first. If you find one that doesn't spin freely like it should or seems to spin a little rough, replace it. Then reassess. Another hint, shine some light around the area of the pulleys. Sometimes you will notice right away without even touching anything because there can be metal shavings from the pulley bearings stuck to your timing cover.

 

[reaper76]

The white one is the new one and the red one came out of the passenger side head of my ls.

 

[BlackLS06]

So is it safe to say that 06's tend to not have any chain issues?

My pulley area makes lots of noise but I don't hear any rattle and im not even at 80K yet.

 

[reaper76]

So is it safe to say that 06's tend to not have any chain issues?

My pulley area makes lots of noise but I don't hear any rattle and im not even at 80K yet.

I think for the most part?

 

[BlackLS06]

All the timing chain stuff I'm finding is gen I 2003+ seems to be unaffected.

 

[scjmc]

Looks like the picture he posted is of a Gen I.

 

[blackmopar]

I'm very new to Lincoln's but what have read is the gen2 got an upgrade to the part so I believe I replace the OE gen1 stuff with the gen2 parts list.

 

[blackmopar]

Looks like the picture he posted is of a Gen I.

If you're referring to me and the thread yes, I have a 2000

 

[reaper76]

I apologize I do also have a 2000 Ls.

 

[scjmc]

If you're referring to me and the thread yes, I have a 2000

Yeah I was verifying that you had a Gen I. I also keep looking to see if my old LS that I traded in pops up again. It was an 02 with 140K miles. Hopefully you just need something belt driven fixed!

 

[BlackLS06]

I'm very new to Lincoln's but what have read is the gen2 got an upgrade to the part so I believe I replace the OE gen1 stuff with the gen2 parts list.

Yes gen II is supposed to be all metal and some late gen I's as well.

 

[blackmopar]

Guys thanks a bunch for the replies! Will keep the thread alive with updates. Between this and the clock spring I guess I'm tryin to just my LS Hymen early!

 

[oddball]

FWIW, you can get the improved metal body tensioners from Chris's Foreign Parts on ebay. Good company. It's a completely different design, drops right in, and is far less likely to fail.

 

[blackmopar]

Oddball. Thx for that but I didn't read before getting done. However I'm back to report that both tensioners are replaced and the motor purrs like a fricken kitten! Also got my clock spring replaced.
Keeping fingers crossed they'll be good for another 140k miles. Would like to spend some money on some fun stuff for the ride soon!

 

[blackmopar]

The white one is the new one and the red one came out of the passenger side head of my ls.

And yup my old ones looked like this as well as the new ones

 

[KStromberg]

Those tensioners look like tinker toys. Holy chit Ford.