fastsuv

Yesterday I noticed that the engine sounded extra loud.

When I got home last night, I checked under the hood while it was running, and it was very loud at the top of the timing chain where the cam gears are. Also, every 5 seconds or so you would hear a "rattle" from the area like something was loose. Uh-oh. I took the other car to work today and when I got home today I took the cam cover off to take a look.

The upper timing chain guide had broken off at the top bend and the metal piece had fallen against the timing chain. This was probably causing the "rattle" noise as the loose piece bounced on the chain. There was no sign of any plastic material on the broken piece. There were wear marks on the metal itself, which indicates the plastic had worn off a while ago and the chain was rubbing on the metal.

The chain was very slack between the cam gears. I removed the tensioner and it was frozen completely. I couldn't budge the piston even with pliers.

So apparently the chain tensioner had failed a while ago, causing a slack chain which banged against the top guide, destroying it. There were also marks inside cam cover above the cam gears. I don't know if the loose piece of top guide was hitting it or whether the chain was slapping against it.

Until the noises started yesterday, I didn't notice any extra timing chain noises (like the startup noise some hear when the tensioner fails) so I didn't suspect anything.

Tomorrow I'll go buy another top guide. I already have a GM tensioner that I was going to put in the other HHR that had some timing chain noise. Any advantage to buying the GM top guide versus an aftermarket (Cloyes) one? The GM part is only about $20 or so.

Steve

firemangeorge

Well. Without you telling your year, engine and mileage, it's kind of hard to give any kind of opinion.

fastsuv

After all that writing I left out some major details!

Its a 2006 1LT with the 2.4L engine and 168K miles.

Steve

donbrew

Timing chain kits come with the guides and tensioners.

firemangeorge

If it was mine with that number of miles, I would opt for a complete timing chain kit. No sense in doing a patch job.

Oldblue

X2 while in there replace the water pump also , there are kits that include one.
Just to ward of Mr. Murphy and his law!

fastsuv

I do intend to do the full kit replacement, but I have to get it back on the road for now, as I have another vehicle that is being repaired right now. Our minivan broke an axle shaft and that is in repair.

I am going to get a new upper guide and also install the new tensioner for now, that's a quick job. The full kit will require a lot of disassembly and engine moving, so I may do that after we get the van back from repair and I have more time (next month maybe). After paying for the van repair I can't afford to have the job done at a shop so I will do it myself.

I looked at the other guides using an inspection camera and they look to be in good shape. The chain also is in decent shape, so there shouldn't be any issues for a month or so. If I see anything that concerns me while I am fixing it then I'll go from there.

Steve

donbrew

My fortune telling powers tell me that you will be without wheels for a time.

If there is that much slack, surely a tooth has been jumped. It is no fun lining everything back up. Then you will need a scan tool to relearn the crankshaft position sensor.

Good luck. This is not a single cam pushrod engine.

fastsuv

Well, I decided to get a better look at the chain by rotating the crank pulley and watching the chain go by at the cam gears. To rotate the pulley, I crawled under the car to see if it was accessible from below. While under the car, I noticed an oil leak at the rear side of the timing chain cover. I don't like any leaks from my vehicles, so I will have to reseal the cover. Since I have to take the cover off anyway, I might as well change out the chain, crank gear, guides, and water pump.

Tomorrow night I start the disassembly.

Now I need to check the net for a good deal on a good timing chain kit. Usually I get a pretty good deal from Rock Auto.

Steve

donbrew

Better deals at Ebay. You should consider new sprockets and a gasket set. There is a special tool for securing the cam sprockets. The balance chain timing IS important. TDC on the crankshaft is not where you think it is. When you are done you will have a CEL code P0335 probably, this means that you need to have someone with a scantool relearn the CKP.