Timing Chain Tensioners
 

Good morning all,
I am going to be swapping my tensioners out, (hopefully today) and had a couple questions I couldn't find a clear answer to in the previous threads/DIYs.

1. How much oil should I expect to loose during the swap? Is it best to drain the oil prior to pulling them? Of course I just changed my oil last weekend. Haha.

2. This is where I sound dumb(er). Most directions state to lock the crank at TDC, then lock the cams. But isn't there a TDC for both sides? Does it matter which TDC i'm at for the tensioner swap?

Thanks guys!

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Hey there! Good luck today.
I can't answer #1, but I can answer #2 for you.

When the manual talks about "TDC", it's not talking about tdc for a specific side, it's talking about a very specific position. Think of it as "service-mode". And while one cylinder is indeed at TDC (iirc, it's cylinder #2 for this motor?) that's not really important. What matters is that you're placing the motor into a known, unchanging position, so that if, during the course of a given procedure, things move, they can be easily put back where they belong. This is especially crucial for procedures that affect timing. SO: when you lock the motor at TDC, there's a mechanical lock (pin) that keeps the crank from moving, and then there are additional Porsche tools available (though some of us have made our own) which lock each cam in their correct location relative to the crank.

Did I explain that in a way which makes sense to ya? I can't always tell..... haha

Thats make complete sense! Thanks Maytag. I figured I may have been caught up on the wording a bit. I always have a little anxiety doining timing related repairs. Haha.

So to over simplify, line the timing marks up (pulley/case marks), lock crank, lock cams. Swap tensioners one at a time. Turn crank over by hand to make sure I didnt mess anything up. Haha.

I made a couple cam locking tools, crude but will get the job done. Will probably just drain the oil to cut down on any mess.

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There's a lot of guys that lock it at TDC with a pin or drill bit (5/8?) and proceed without the cams locked changing ONE tensioner at a time.

Doing without the cams locked has the small chance that a bit of tension released when removing the tensioner may slightly adjust the camshaft position in a worst case scenario.

I suspect this would be more of a risk with a high mileage engine where the chain is older and stretched and the guides have wear.

Certainly others will comment and either support a simple TDC lock, or the full-on lockdown recommended by Porsche...get ready lol.

FYI...If anyone tells you timing chains don't stretch, they are full of ****************.

Good luck.

Yeah, I have 178k on it. It really needs chain guides too I'm sure. Hoping the tensioners buy me some time before I have to go that far. I'm starting to plan for a replacement engine, or just getting an S at some point. Haha.

I have read both recomendations on locking the cams. I figure its worth the peice of the mind. The tools are easy to make and the cam plugs are cheap, relatively speaking.

I've seen chains stretch first hand. The chain in my Rubicon was stretched a good bit after 200K. Very noticeable side by side with a new one.

This will help. If nothing else, you'll be able to visualize what needs to be done. I know being able to actually see it done helps me immensely:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRmB53bALf8

The video goes a little slow, but this guy is pretty good.

Good luck with your project.

You probably will never do much better than the 'S' that Onewhippedpuppy has for sale in the classifieds right now.

If it's in your future, you'd be money ahead to grab it now.... especially since everyone is blathering about these cars now being "officially recognized by Porsche as a Classic" (as if that means anything, haha. but I DO think they're at the bottom of the depreciation curve. Thank you Charlie Sheen)

Yes, Ben Burner’s videos are well made and have often given me that little boost in confidence to tackle a job. He seems to have stopped making them though, the last one was a couple of years ago.

I'm glad you still make them! :cheers:

What did he do?

Thats the supercharged lapis blue one right? If so, i have definitely been drooling over it. Timing just isn't quite right yet for me to buy another car, not that it will ever be. Haha. And I'm not sure the supercharger is what I'm looking for. No offense to owner/builder. It looks top notch and I'll probably regret passing on it later. Haha.

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Supercharging any M96 engine is just stupid expensive temporary fun. Locking the engine @ TDC minimizes the tension on all the chains.

I've watched his videos a few times over the last week in preparation. Between those, Newarts videos, and the help from you guys on the forum, I've had been able to tackle most repairs with confidence.

I have to put off the tensioner swap until next weekend. Just can't seem to find the garage time today.

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He's the one who (afaik) started the whole "it's the little sister of the sports car you really wanted but couldn't afford".

I keep wanting to tell him to bring it out to the track and we'll see.... except I hear he's a pretty good driver, too. Haha

I think comments like his and Jeremy Clarkson's have served to accelerate the depreciation of the boxster. Ther boxster doesn't suit the poseur scene very well, because they have to deal with comments like that from all their poseur buddies.

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Ah, thanks.
I, for one, am glad they are undervalued. It made mine easier to buy. ;) I just wish the parts were equally undervalued! :D Now, my opinion may change if I decide to sell it, but I don't see that happening anytime soon! :cool:

I finally got the 3 tensioners swapped last week. I was happily rewarded with a nice quiet start up. [emoji2]

Pretty easy job overall. I made a set of cam locking tools like in the video. Hardest part for me was getting the new tensioners compressed and threaded at the same time. Took a couple tries to figure it out. I recommend a 14mm ball end L-shaped allen for installing the top tensioner. Don't bother with the socket type allen, no room with ac compressor still installed.


Thanks for all the advice guys!

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That, plus this scene (in a movie my wife somehow talked me into watching with her)...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4wCYLTy-6w

worth the watch...thanks

this never gets old. NEVER. hahaha

No it does not.
How could it?
For many of us (especially non-Ferrari owners :rolleyes:) we're a captive audience.

Yes, I already told him that I am jealous ...HA :p

GLImages,..I want to do this soon as well,..what's to figure out with the tensioners,I know to pre soak them,then pump them up before the install,.but that's the extent of my knowledge ,..your advise ? ,..Thanks Frank

Good morning Frank,
I followed a combination of the video posted previously and advice from the guys here for the most part. I would read/watch those for sure. They helped a lot.

What I did...
I pre soaked and pumped the tensioners a bit before I started. Then drained the oil in the car. Locked the the crank at TDC with a short drill bit (diameter mentioned in vid and 101 projects book). It needs to be short to fit in between firewall. Turn the crank clockwise to line up the holes. Then I went under and locked the cams.

With cams locked, I removed the first tensioner (32mm socket). Some more oil will come out, so be prepared. Then installed the new one in its place. I would only remove one at a time to limit slack in the chains.

The new tensioners had to be compressed quite a bit. For installing the bottom two I put my thumbs in the center to press it in the head while simultaneously spinning it to get the threads to catch.

Admittedly, I'm a scrawny guy so I had to muster a good bit of strength and say a few cuss words to get it started. Haha. Once the threads catch it goes in easy.

The top tensioner (if the old style) is 32mm like the bottom two. With the ac compressor installed theres very little room to do anything. I couldnt get a socket on there, even with multiple u-joints and extensions. I used a 32mm open end wrench to break it free. Then spun it out with a screwdriver and hammer, tapping on the flats to spin it.

The replacement tensioner for the top is no longer 32mm (thankfully), but a 14mm allen. A typical 14mm ball end allen allows for enough angle to avoid the ac and to push the tensioner down and thread it in. I used the same allen to torque it down.

It was pretty easy with the right tools. I had the 32mm wrench already but had to order the allen, it was 6 bucks from amzn. Don't forget new crush washers and cam plugs. The washers didn't come with the tensioners I bought. I'll try and add some pics to the thread this weekend. There's also a good write up on grassroots motorsports forum that has a lot of pics, etc.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

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Great Info...TY.! how long of a job is it,..Thanks frank

It took me about +/- 5hrs moving at a slow pace. That includes jacking up the car, draining/refilling oil, re-reading the directions about 50 times, trying different tools, and a few interrupting phone calls. Its probably a 2hr job for a pro.


Edit:
I wanted to add that it is recommended to check cam deviation with durametric before and after the tensioners are installed to verify the chains didnt jump timing. I don't have durametric and my engine has 185k on it so I didn't do that. I'm taking the 'ignorance is bliss' approach. Lol.

LOL..Thanks GLImages,..I just bought a Durametrics unit but not efficient with it yet..Iam actually charging the Laptop now to go for a Durametric's.info drive ! Frank