Hi all,
I've owned a Jeep for a while now and I need to sell it because it always has too many problems. I decided I wanted to get a Toyota truck for less maintenance. I found a '93 4x4 with a 22RE with 150,000 miles for $3200 and took it into the shop today before I decided to buy it. Everything on it was fine, except that the mechanics said they thought the timing chain might need replacing.

When I first drove it it made a rattling noise when I pushed the clutch in to change gears. I thought it might be a loose bolt somewhere on the front underguard so I didn't pay much attention. Sure enough, when the mechanic was showing the problem under the hood when he pressed on the throttle it makes a rattling noise somewhere in the front of the engine when he let go of the throttle. That's the only time you can hear a rattle.

I'm a little unsure though because the guy who's selling the car said the guy he bought the car from replaced the timing chain 12k miles ago. Also, the mechanics said they couldn't be sure that it was the timing chain because they couldn't hear it (all 3 mechanics) when they put a stethoscope to the side of the chain housing. Also, I did some research and the information I found on timing chain problems was that the sound was constant, or especially noticeable when the car was starting up.

Can someone with experience help me out on this please? I'm desperate for a car since I need a working one in less than 3 weeks.

Thanks

 

if he replaced it 12k miles ago, he could have done it wrong and the guides are broken again.

Only way to be 100% is to remove the valve cover and inspect the guides.

Does it do it after complete warm up? If the tensioner is overtightened, it will stick, also causing a loose chain condition and said rattle.

 

Yes it does do it after warmup. It sounds exactly the same no matter how long the engine has run.

 

I agree you'd have to pull the cover to be sure... but when those guides break down they tend to rattle all about and allow for slack in the chain which adds to the clamor.

Good news is if it is caught early you'd probably only be looking at a new chain and guides, which is pretty cheap if you do the labor yourself.

 

So it's probably the timing chain even if it only rattles at peak RPM?

 

There is only one way.........

 

It could very well be the timing chain or the guides but it may not necessarily need replacing. Especially if it has the steel rail kit. The non Toyota chains and the steel guides seem to be a little noisier than the stock set up. At least that's my opinion. Others may disagree.

Either way, the only way to tell is to pull the rocker cover and look. It's easy enough to do.

 

If it did break the guides the oil pan should come off, the guides will be in there waiting to clog your oil sump

 

Valve cover is only 4 bolts. Do it!

Rob

 

That's the problem... I can't take the valve cover off. I don't own the car. Someone mentioned that steel guides might be a little noisier. The guy who's selling it said the person put a heavy duty kit on it after the stock on went out. Maybe that's what the deal is, but it wouldn't it still suggest a loose chain?

 

Just tell him you want to have the mechanic pull the cover, and see before you buy. It literally is 4 bolts, and some vacuum hoses. Then you just look down in with a flashlight and asses the condition of the chain & chain guides.

 

The last time I had my timing chain replaced by a mechanic... It ended up under the car cover for several weeks because the mechanic broke something and promised me that he is going to fix it without any charge for the broken part and the replacement of the chain.. Just want to warn you to be careful in choosing a mechanic that will do that job for you... Good luck!!!

 

Maybe, maybe not. That is why you really need to pull the cover. If the noise seems very excessive then maybe the guide is broken. There are times when the chain has some slack in it and it contacts the guide. That is why the guides are there. If it sounds really bad, then the chain could be contacting the timing cover instead of the guide. Again, there is only one way to find out unless you have an X-Ray machine.

 

I'll disagree. My $0.02 is that if you have a tensioner problem, no matter what the guides are made of, you need to fix it. I put in metal guides and they still broke prematurely (around 45K miles). It looks like a weak or non-functioning non-OEM tensioner let the chain slap the driver's side guide. This seemed to flex the top of the guide, which eventually snapped off, wrapped around under the chain and got wedged between the chain and lower gear. The chain was not happy with this situation and snapped.

 

Ouch!