danhawkins

Hi,

Firstly I would like to say many thanks to you all for the goldmine of information provided here. I have undertaken a few projects based on the info found in various threads and have never found the need to post. I should really have posted a thank you before now though!

The problem I have, that I cannot find any mention of in this context, is a rattling/mechnical noise coming from the engine from the left hand side cam cover area (as looking from the back of the car). The odd thing is that the engine ('86 3.2) sounds perfectly normal until around 70% to operating temp then i start to hear the noise, which gets louder as the engine fully warms up. It sounds to me like a rubbing or loose chain, and it resonates around 2-3k rpm. Other than the noise, the engine runs and pulls well. I have the same engine in an RS replica, so I have something to compare to.

I noticed that how the engine warms up seems to have a bearing on whether the sound appears. My drive to work is around 20 miles, and if the engine warms slowly and I do not rev beyond around 2,500 rpm (not good, I know), then by the time I get to work there is no rattling. If I warm the engine as per the advice from you guys (keeping between 3-4k rpm), then the sound starts at the 70% warm point. I suspect that with a "slow warm up", the sound would still appear if I gave a engine a good rev although I've not tried this.

For the last few days i have been warming slowly and not hearing the noise mainly because I rely on the car as my daily driver. It will be a real problem getting it looked at within the next few weeks as we are in the middle of a house move and will be getting married in a couple of months!

Other than the not ideal method of warming the engine, do you think i'm ok to still drive the car carefully for the next few weeks - as long as I don't hear the noise?

Thanks again.

Dan.

Norske

Sounds like a chain tensioner failure. I would not drive until repaired or looked at. You can really damage the engine if it completely fails, like valves hitting pistons. Could be catistrophic.

Auto_Werks 3.6

Sounds like a chain tensioner issue to me as well. I wouldn't be driving it anymore until the issues are resolved. Anymore a couple weeks of a rental car are much cheaper than the damage you will do if the chain breaks. What part of the country are you in Dan? Someone on here may know a mechanic to get you back on the road quickly.

jwilson95

+1 chain tensioner is first "go to"

Don't drive it! You'll be doing a full rebuilt if it goes.

danhawkins

OK, many thanks. Confirms my suspicions but it was good to get some more opinions.
I live in Devon, England. There is a pretty good specialist close by who I have spoken to on the phone today. He suspects the same thing so is going to take a look.

Cheers, Dan.

Vifa

I seem to have the same problem:
https://rennlist.com/forums/964-turb...-oil-leak.html

theiceman

I would imagine the reason you don't hear it cold is because the oil is thicker and the tensioner is working. As the oil thins maybe it is leaking by the tensioner seals causing them to collapse. or at least not maintain.

.

Ed Hughes

I actually put safety collars fashioned from bronze pushings under my tensioner pistons so that they couldn't collapse all of the way in case of a failure.

BlackPearl

There is an after-market device that also does this. If you're repairing/replacing your hydraulic chain tensioners, this is a good safety part to install ... especially if you rely on the car as a Daily Driver.

Ed Hughes

And I believe that is all they are...

theiceman

i know there are after market collars available for the old tensioners but i didn't know they were available for the hydraulic ones..

rusnak

Do you guys think Dan might be able to replace the chain tensioners in the car? What about the ramps? Can it be done without having to re-time the cams? Do you replace the idler arm and sproket as well, or just the tensioner? Does it have to be bench primed before installation?

Ed Hughes

It can be done, but extreme care has to be exercised to ensure the engine doesn't rotate and that the chain doesn't come off the idler gear. The tensioner is totally seperate-the piston/plunger pushes on the arm to create tension. You can prime by immersing in oil and pumping.

Actually, ice is right, there are collars available for non-pressure tensioners. I picked up on a trick done by Jerry Woods-putting a bushing under the piston so that in case of pressure loss, the tensioner cannot collapse all of the way. It may make the difference between a wrecked valve train and limping home in case of failure. While uncommon, these are only mechanical components, so they can fail, albeit rarely.

gtihop

I just recently did this after one of my new carerra tensioners packed it in. put bronze bushings under the piston in case of future tensioner failure again. seemed to work ok and is an easy mod to do.

Norske

Yes it is quite easy to do. I did it to my 72 E, a friends SC and another friends Carerra. If you use mechanical tensioners rather than oil fed or oil filled, you must be very careful with chain tension. Too much tension will cause bearing failure. I just replaced the tensioners and not ramps. I believe that is much as you can do with the engine in the car.