When should a timing chain be replaced?
lonesomeduv
Member Posts: 50
I'm currently at a crossroads with regards to my 96 Nissan Maxima. It's at 92K miles, and I need to decide whether I want to keep it for another 50K or so, or trade it in on a truck. I just got through replacing the starter (long story on another thread), the 90,000 mile maintenance is a bit past due, and I'm likely going to need some brake work done to take care of an annoying squeak. Otherwise, the car is running fine and the tires and the battery are both less than three months old.
So, I'm trying to decide what major repairs or maintenance items I might reasonably anticipate coming up in the next 2-4 years. The only thing besides the 90,000 tune-up/maintenance that I could think of is the timing chain. I know it's critical to replace timing belts at certain intervals, but I don't if that's also true for chains. The owner's manual doesn't mention it as far as I can tell.
And, if I do in fact need to replace the timing chain, anybody have any idea what that might cost? Also, is there anything else I should consider?
So, I'm trying to decide what major repairs or maintenance items I might reasonably anticipate coming up in the next 2-4 years. The only thing besides the 90,000 tune-up/maintenance that I could think of is the timing chain. I know it's critical to replace timing belts at certain intervals, but I don't if that's also true for chains. The owner's manual doesn't mention it as far as I can tell.
And, if I do in fact need to replace the timing chain, anybody have any idea what that might cost? Also, is there anything else I should consider?
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Comments
1. Timing chain noise was conspicuous on a cold engine and did not completely go away on a warm one.
2. A timing check showed that the engine timing was being thrown off by the slack in the chain.
Usually, neither of these symptoms occur on a car with those miles. Chains can break, but it is very rare and usually only after the chain has screamed for attention from the owner.
My wife used to have a 1993 Chevy Caprice with the 350 cu in V-8. The crank seal on the front cover started to leak oil around 45,000 miles. Being a decent mechanic, I pulled the front cover off the engine to fik the leak, and was greatly surprised at the slack in the OE timing chain.
I replaced it with a "true roller" type, and checked the timing when all was back together. The timing had shifted by 3 degrees. Would the chain have broken? Probably not, but that's still a lot of slack, and certainly something to think about.
My Intrepid's 2.7 V-6 has a timing chain, and in the manual it says to inspect it at 105,000 miles. I asked my mechanic what he thought about it, and he said that as long as I don't let it run low on oil I should be fine. He also said that it had a series of guides built in to help keep the chain from stretching.
or do i need to just goto a higher octane? Oh, the pinging gets worst when the oil light pops up, and decreases after i have an oil change. WHY?
THX
I still have the bald gear as a keepsake, reminding me every so often that you can be too dripping clever for your own good.
you are way overdue for an oil pump and pickup screen, and the noise may mean your overhead cam is or is getting blasted.
get thee to a reputable mechanic anon.
I recently had complete tune up etc and the car is running great. I have replaced the water pump and belt, starter, alternator, catalytic converter and muffler, and radiator. I am the original owner. How many more reliable miles can I get on the car?. Would appreciate your opinion.
One day that little nylon gear disintigrated (the car had 130,000 miles on it) and left me stranded. They had to pull the engine to fix it, so I sprung for a new water pump and oil pump while they had it apart. $500 to a college kid in 1983 was pretty painful, but the car was well maintained and I had no warning it was about to break.
Sometimes cars just break without warning. I've owned lots of cars, most went well over 100,000 miles, and that is the only time I lost a timing chain/gear/belt. Don't waste money chasing down problems that don't exist, but don't wait to fix an apparent problem. And don't skimp on maintenance. Aside from that, accept that cars break sometimes, and if you drive them long enough it will happen to you.
You could change that timing chain, and something else horrible can happen the next day. That same car of mine destroyed a pilot bearing just weeks later and took out the synchros for 1st and 2nd gears. I grew to hate that car.