PortlandTom

This may be a dumb queston, but I noticed that the WSM says the cam chain tensioners have "spring pressure". When I replaced my tensioner pads, there were no springs. So now I'm wondering if the WSM statement is just a poor translation from the German or if there literally should be springs inside.

For peace of mind, I hate to button up the engine without kowing the answer to this.

TIA
Tom
'93 GTS Amazon Green, 5sp., GT cams

AO

Deleted for bad information...

RyanPerrella

Andrew i think it does have a spring but its inside of the piston. The piston has spring pressure, but you dont immediately see a spring because its inside. Or you could have a tight tensioner, the tensioner piston should be able to be compressed then spring back. If not i would think its most likely gummed up but the piston should spring back.

So yes there is a spring.

Tom,

You may want to pull the tensioner apart even more so and examine it. I would hope your solution could be fixed by some cleaning the individual parts in some type of solvent. One of the engines i had, had tensioners which did not spring back, they were nearly solid. I imagine this is what your experiencing. I would think cleaning would fix this if they can be disassembled, cleaned and put back together. But if that piston is frozen then its not working as its supposed to.

Since its out i would try and clean it. If you cant further disassemble it, throw it in a small bucket of carb cleaner and let it sit for a few hours. Wash off the carb cleaner and soak it in fresh motor oil and maybe it will "unstick" the tensioner piston.

AO

I really don't remember seeing a spring. Pet doesn't show an expoded view.

RyanPerrella

The spring would be inside the cylindrical piston sleeve, so you wouldn't see it. But the purpose of the collapsable piston is to move in and out right? We agree on that?

Like i said one pair of tensioners was frozen or moved only a few mm. The other pair moved fully, pistons went into the tensioner block and sprung back. I used the pair with full movement.

PortlandTom

I thought this was going to be a simple question

I've posted a picture of the tensioner piston below. There is a shoulder for a spring to push against, but there's definitely no spring in the cylinder. (I couldn't get a decent picture of the cylinder.)

I noticed that there was no springiness to the tensioners when I removed them, but assumed it was because I had drained the oil from the engine before starting the job. Now I'm starting to wonder. I hate to think my car's been running for years missing springs in the tensioners.

I remember 911s were notorious for cam chain tensioner problems (their chain goes fromthe crank to the camshafts), until they got oil pressurized versions in the 80s. Could the same thing be true for 928s?

Tom

6.0-928S

The tensioners are spring loaded. When they ship new ones there is a pin that holds them from popping apart & it must be removed before installation.


Hammer

BC

There is, as mentioned, a spring inside that piston area (the larger diameter area) . The crush ring comes off easily (but not back on easily ) and inside is the spring.

PortlandTom

OK, Now I get it.

I thought the part in my picture is one solid piece, and the spring went around the outside of the narrow part. Instead the narrow part is a separate part that can retract against a spring inside the larger piece.

So everything is there, but the pistons must have been stuck. Pushing on them loosened them up, so now the tensioners have a spring to them that wasn't there before.

Thank you gentlemen, for enlightening me.

Tom