timing chain question
 

I have a 95 240 and I wanted to ask a question about the timing chain tensioner in my car, I have been reading around about it for a while now, and some people write about how the chain can come loose and grind into the engine, and cause coolant to leak and mix with oil. Would I hear the chain rattling around before it did this?

I ask because I bought the car at about 150,000 miles and it has about 160,000 now, and the chain is pretty quiet. I don’t know if the chain guides were ever removed by the first owner, or if the tensioner was ever replaced. Should I not worry about it until I hear the chain start to rattle? ( and is it even loud enough for me to hear with the hood down?) or should I try to mess with it now?

The reason I ask, is because I now live in an apartment, where I can’t really work on the car, so if I did it right now it would have to be at a shop, that would cost $$$$. But since the chain isn’t really making noise at the moment, if I can put it off for a couple of years, so long as the chain doesn’t make noise, I will do it myself later on, when I move to a place where I can easily work on the car. If it is something that could cause instant death I guess I will get it done now, before it toasts my engine.

oh yeah, and I just wanted to be sure, you only remove the top chain guide, and leave the lower alone, or remove them all?

a tensioner job would take you all of 45min to an hour and requires basic tool bro... the tensioner is on the leftside, just take it all apart to inspect.. just remember that you will have to set the timing is you mess it up.. which is very easy.

http://img118.imageshack.us/img118/7...7160448xq1.jpg

I have a '92 240, and the chain rattled like crazy for the last 15k miles, I have only had it for about 8k miles though. I took the valve cover off and the metal timing chain guard (name?) had actually broken off and was sitting on the timing chain and bouncing off and hitting the valve cover. I took that out and closed it back up and now there is no rattling what so ever.

Though I cant see any guard in the picture im guessing that was what it was, it was a little L shaped piece of metal about and inch and a half wide just sitting there. Thats what I guessed the purpose of it was but maybe not looking at the picture.

yea they get brittle and break off alot

The chain guide in the picture is a side chain guide and the one you are talking about was the top chain guide.

Here is an explosion of the timing chain and components

Check It Out....hope It Helps and anyone correct me if Im wrong....