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Timing chain tensioner

2K views 21 replies 7 participants last post by  djtaylor 
#1 ·
Can anyone tell me war to find the Timing chain tensioner and how do i know if its set right? I need to check to see if its set good b4 i spend a lont of money on new chain and gears.
I did a search and all i coul find was that is on the back of the head. so can i see it from the top or botem of the engine or do i need to go from the sied? Also what size is it? thank for any help
 
#2 ·
It's on the back of the head under the alternator bracket. It's in two pieces, you remove the inner bolt before the outer one.

I have to say, this will NOT fix your timing chain rattle unless it's a freak issue. It's a self tensioning ratchet, it just extends outwards to take up any slack and it stays there, there's NOTHING for you to set. It's also not a part subject to wear.

David.
 
#4 ·
The tensioner is a ratchet, all it does is extend, it should not be possible for it to retract and all it does is push against the moving guide. As I have already said, it's not subject to wear at all, it moves out a number of clicks of the ratchet over the life of the car. The only time it will be reset is when it has been removed due to maintenance. If you remove it, you'll need to reset it and when you re-install it, it will just go back to the same position it was when you removed it, you'll gain nothing.

I'm confused to be honest because in another post you said that the chain was taught and couldn't find anything wrong.

I'll be absolutely honest and say that I think you're looking to find things to fiddle with without addressing what's likely to be the problem. Since you're uncertain what the noise is and it's not something we can diagnose reliably, remotely over the internet, your best bet would probably to pop into a friendly Saab dealer and ask them for a second opinion. Alternatively, just do the timing chain (assuming that's what it actually is).

You might also want to consider purchasing a Haynes manual for the car as you will likely find it very helpful.
The only reason for removing it for inspection is to measure the extension of the centre ratchet to determine chain wear. The extension shouldn't be more than about 9mm if memory serves me correctly. You MUST remove the smaller screw first and remove the spring otherwise if you remove the whole assembly, all that will happen is the ratchet will go to full extension and you'll not be able to measure anything useful.

David.
 
#6 ·
Goran9000 said:
It is definitely worth cheking, because it actually can get worn and cause chain rattle.
Once you pull it out, check the tooths on plunger shaft - when they get worn the plunger can be easily pushed back by chain.

Cheers
Goran
thanks just b/c it should last the life of the car doesnt mean the timeing chain should and in a lot of car does last for ever w/e the thing is that make it push out can get stuck for any reason at all and im looking to fix it right fast and cheap. I cant put it a split chaine b/c i dont have the time and dont want to run the risk of messing up the timeing i know ppl on hear say it not hard but if it doent run for a few days im out of a jop. the manual im going to get soon. and as for when i sayed it was tight i think what hapen is i had it on ramps put the e brak on and left it in gear b/c i had a car roll of b4 with it in park and the last time it was on the ground and if i wanted to just mess around to fix stuff i have a 68 vm bug that i play with when im bored. Im not trying to be mean and the input is more then welcome


sory for the long rant but a lot of ppl have been pm me say i need to just get a new car and other bs
 
#7 · (Edited)
Goran9000 said:
It is definitely worth cheking, because it actually can get worn and cause chain rattle.
Once you pull it out, check the tooths on plunger shaft - when they get worn the plunger can be easily pushed back by chain.

Cheers
Goran
IMO....This is incorrect, the tensioner will not wear out in your lifetime, its a simple spring loaded ratchet arrangement and unless someone has filed the teeth off they will be in as new condition. You do need to take it out though if you are running in a split chain though.
 
#8 ·
On the rare occasions when a chain stretches (as opposed to wear), it can be tight in one position and loose in another because they don't stretch evenly.
If it's stretched, it can allow the tensioner to ratchet out, then be forced in when the non-stretched portion of chain comes around, damaging the tensioner.
If this were the case, the new tensioner would be destroyed instantly.
You need to diagnose the problem rather than replace the cheap pieces and hope.
 
#9 ·
Jim Mesthene said:
On the rare occasions when a chain stretches (as opposed to wear), it can be tight in one position and loose in another because they don't stretch evenly.
If it's stretched, it can allow the tensioner to ratchet out, then be forced in when the non-stretched portion of chain comes around, damaging the tensioner.
If this were the case, the new tensioner would be destroyed instantly.
You need to diagnose the problem rather than replace the cheap pieces and hope.
Good comment Jim, bet you,ve worked on motorbikes, worst case when this happens is, you fit a new tensioner, which locks out on the slack portion then when the tight spot comes round failure can lead to the equivelant of snapping the chain ( tensioner breaks up, bits drop round the crank sprocket, chain jumps off or snaps) now this is rare.
& if it is your tensioner, you can bet your chain has taken a lot of abuse because of this, so what ever way you look at it, if the problem is on your cam chain system then replace the chain + others, not the otherway round. PS not sure why you need to change the sprockets
 
#10 ·
Marrk said:
This is incorrect, the tensioner will not wear out in your lifetime, its a simple spring loaded ratchet arrangement and unless someone has filed the teeth off they will be in as new condition. You do need to take it out though if you are running in a split chain though.
I'am affraid you are wrong - the tensioner teeth can wear out. I am not saying that it will always happen, but it is possible - especially if it is an aftermarket part.

I know what I am talking about since I've had the "pleasure" of seeing this happen on my own car.

Cheers
Goran
 
#11 ·
I don't see how the teeth can wear out. If you think how the tensioner works, you put it in and the ratchet extends and stays there. There's no movement until the chain/guides wear to the point such that the next tooth on the tensioner ratchet engages.

If this process continues, each tooth over the life of the installtion is engaged precisely ONCE and no more until the tensioner is reset.

It doesn't retract and extend each time the engine is started so no wear there, it's in place and stay there.

Now I agree that you can have a bad tensioner, I had one, a brand new one, it twisted and let the ratchet disengage but that was a faulty component, it wasn't wear that caused it. The tensioner teeth can't wear down during the normal cycle of operation, it just doesn't work like that.

David.
 
#12 ·
Goran9000 said:
I'am affraid you are wrong - the tensioner teeth can wear out. I am not saying that it will always happen, but it is possible - especially if it is an aftermarket part.

I know what I am talking about since I've had the "pleasure" of seeing this happen on my own car.

Cheers
Goran
Not getting into a tic for tat discussion, but 5 9000's and 4 900's with over 2000000 miles on them and I haven't seen one that is worn on my cars and whilst Jim has seen a damn sight more than me having worked for Saab, I wonder how many have experienced worn tensioners?

I've never has a ratchet tensioner failure on any of my motorbikes I've owned either....so I'll rephrase my earlier comment and stick IMO at the front..;)
 
#13 ·
Marrk said:
Not getting into a tic for tat discussion, but 5 9000's and 4 900's with over 2000000 miles on them and I haven't seen one that is worn on my cars and whilst Jim has seen a damn sight more than me having worked for Saab, I wonder how many have experienced worn tensioners?
I haven't jumped into this discussion, as I assumed that my comments for a 2.0l would not apply to the original poster's 2.3l engine. However, perhaps I am mistaken. I did experience a tensioner problem in my '87 turbo. This was at roughly 160k miles, and the chain was making a heck of a racket, due specifically to a worn tensioner. I had a new tensioner installed (supposedly updated from the original part) and the chain never made another peep until the engine's somewhat early retirement at 256k. I am under the impression that starting in '88 or so, the tensioner was the updated style from the factory, and was not prone to the problem I had. So the comment still may not apply to the original poster. I just wanted to throw out that some years may indeed have tensioner problems.
 
#15 ·
The maine reason i ws going to check it is b/c you can never know and if it wasnt that had to get at witch i dont think it should be (and this friday i will) then why not i dont know much about the car b/c i had to buy it in a rush b/c saabs are so hard to find around hear let alone a 9000 cse. so i was going to check to make sure it was set right more then it was broke but you never can tell whats wrong untill it fix i might not know saab that good but i have been around car my hole life and i may not know it all but do know that if you can rule anything out it alwas helps find what is wrong and i been seeing a back and forth over the topic all over sites.
 
#16 ·
yogi_9000cse said:
so i was going to check to make sure it was set right
Again, what are you expecting to "check" though? You don't set it at anything when it's installed, it's an automatic ratchet. When you remove it, if you remove it correctly, you will see a ratchet which is extended. When you re-install, you flip the lock, retract the ratchet and that's the extent of what you can do.

David.
 
#17 ·
My point is, it doesn,t matter if it is or is not the tensioner. If it is, then highly recommend you need a new chain, if its not then you probably need a new chain, either way you should change the chain
And a chain that has developed a slack spot will put a hellish strain on your tensioner so again I wouldn,t change the tensioner without fitting a new chain
 
#18 ·
djtaylor said:
I don't see how the teeth can wear out. If you think how the tensioner works, you put it in and the ratchet extends and stays there. There's no movement until the chain/guides wear to the point such that the next tooth on the tensioner ratchet engages.

If this process continues, each tooth over the life of the installtion is engaged precisely ONCE and no more until the tensioner is reset.

It doesn't retract and extend each time the engine is started so no wear there, it's in place and stay there.

Now I agree that you can have a bad tensioner, I had one, a brand new one, it twisted and let the ratchet disengage but that was a faulty component, it wasn't wear that caused it. The tensioner teeth can't wear down during the normal cycle of operation, it just doesn't work like that.

David.
Look, all I know is that I've installed a brand new (aftermarket) tensioner and few months latter its teeth were worn and chain was rattling.

Therefore it got worn during the normal cycle of operation.

Now, you can arguee that all this happened because the component was faulty from the start (and I agree with that), but that's not the point here.

The point I was trying to make is that if your chain is rattling it is worth checking the tensioner for wear.

Regards,
Goran
 
#19 · (Edited)
djtaylor said:
Again, what are you expecting to "check" though? You don't set it at anything when it's installed, it's an automatic ratchet. When you remove it, if you remove it correctly, you will see a ratchet which is extended. When you re-install, you flip the lock, retract the ratchet and that's the extent of what you can do.

David.
im going to check to make sure the 1 if it was worn 2 see if it was extened out like it should b/c i have know idea if it was a cheap after maket part or not it seem that everyone is making a big deal about this and all i wanted to know is how to remove it.And since im going to do it anyway no matter what anyone is going to tell me( just for peace of mind ) one i get it out how far should it extend out?
 
#21 ·
Goran9000 said:
Look, all I know is that I've installed a brand new (aftermarket) tensioner and few months latter its teeth were worn and chain was rattling.

Therefore it got worn during the normal cycle of operation.

Now, you can arguee that all this happened because the component was faulty from the start (and I agree with that), but that's not the point here.
I agree that it sounds like it was faulty, it was not due to the normal wear of operation. That's my point, during normal operation, there is NO wear. I too have had a faulty tensioner, it was part of a kit and didn't work properly when it was first installed but it was faulty, not worn.

I put back my "old" one and everything was sweet again.

David.
 
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