[Shotimes] ticking under front valve cover

[Donald Mallinson]

Mark,

Odd thing is that my '89 started this rattling/ticking noise 
(located right at the bump where the chain/tensioner 
mechanism is on the V6) about 70,000 miles.  At 140,000 
miles I replaced the tensioner.  There are grooves in this 
tensioner, but they are there from the factory, and my old 
tensioner (still have it) had a black pad that showed ZERO 
wear.  I bet you couldn't find any real wear with a microscope.

The new tensioner was smoother and made of a white material.

As it happens, when I got my new hip joints, I told the 
doctor that if this wore out and my cam chain tensioner 
never did, then they needed to make the hips from the same 
stuff!

I have tried thicker oil, and it didn't make any difference 
in my car, helped hot idle oil pressure a tiny bit though.

Don M.

Mark D. Mallory wrote:
>>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
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