[Shotimes] ticking under front valve cover

[Mark D. Mallory]

>Oh yeah.....tensioners make noise when they are worn.  They keep
>working.  As Don M.
>has said, if you replace them, they might quiet down, or they
>might not.  His
>didn't.  If you want to quiet them down a bit, use thicker oil.
>
>Get in it and DRIVE IT!!!

To help clarify, it's not the tension mechanism itself that is wearing out.
There is a pad of hard plastic (not sure exactly what it's made of) that the
chain rides on.  Over time, the chain will wear a groove in the pad.  As the
grooves wear further down, the slop in the chain will increase ever so
slightly.  Eventually, the slop in the chain will allow the chain to "tick".

Even with this wear and added slop, the tensioner will keep enough tension
on the chain that it will not jump the teeth on the cam sprockets.

Mark Mallory
Toledo, Ohio
'95 SHO MTX