Chain Rattle

7/21/2019 Chain Rattle

1/28

THE GARAGE GUIDES

Fixing the Timing Chain Rattle(S13/S14 DOHC)

If you're reading this, chances are you have the dreaded "rattle rattlerattle"; noise coming from under the hood somewhere when you startthe car or have it sitting at idle. You've searched around and asked

around, and the common diagnosis is "your timing chain guide". Sonow you know you have to remove it, but you're not so sure you'll beable to do the job.

After seeing this question pop up countless times on the forums, I'vedecided to write a how-to on the procedure. Once again, we're doingthe job on Eddie's S13; however I did the same job on my S14 a fewmonths ago, and it's identical

ABOVE: Got that annoying rattle noise at idle? Chances are it's the timing

This procedure takes about 60-90 minutes once you startunbolting the valve cover. Take your time, you don't wantto rush anything.


2/28

1. Get your necessary tools together. To do this job you don't needanything special except for some Silicone RTV. You can find this at anyautomotive supply store for about $5.

For this job you do not have to raise up the front of the vehicle. Fortools, you will need the following:

- 10mm long and short socket- 12mm long and short socket

- short socket extension (4-5 inch)- small 10mm open end wrench, and a- screwdriver with a thin blade.

Since you will be working in an oily environment, I suggest some ragsand adequate lighting. Obviously, it's also much easier to work on acool engine.

Most of the time, the original parts can still be used for re-assembly. Insome cases (broken valve cover gasket, etc.) you might need toreplace some worn or broken items. The part numbers for these itemsare as follows:

For KA24DE DOHC 2.4L Engine

Camshaft Tensioner- Nissan OEM part #13070-4E101(approx. $49.90)*

Valve Cover Gasket- Nissan OEM part(approx. $18.73)*

Spark Plug Seal

ABOVE: Sorry, this is the best pic I havby itself. This little thing is about $50,

broken, the original tensioner can

Again, RTV will be required for this job awith parts of the car that must k


3/28

- Nissan OEM partapprox.($10.21)*

ABOVE: Here's a picture of the valve covspark plug gasket. This picture is the samthe "paint your valve cover" guide, sinc

tensioner job and the painting


4/28


5/28


6/28

3. The valve cover just lifts right off of the engine head. If it seemsstuck, use the thin blade screwdriver to gently pry up one corner of thevalve cover until the seal breaks.

Lift the valve cover off the engine slowly, and put it aside. Cover theexposed camshafts with the rag at this time.

STEP 3, ABOVE: Lift slowly, don't tear the


7/28

4. If the valve cover gasket or spark plug seal gasket is still on theengine, carefully remove them and set aside.

NOTE: The valve cover gasket has 4 half-circle shaped rubber 'plugs'incorporated into it - 2 up front, 2 in the rear. When removing thevalve cover gasket, be careful not to tear the gasket. If these rubber'plugs' seem stuck, you can hold them with two fingers and GENTLYrock them back and forth until they loosen up.

STEP 4, ABOVE: Make sure you remove pieces for the valve cover gasket. You don

in to the engine.


8/28

5. Set the #1 cylinder at TDC and then mark the position of therotor. This is a good step to ensure correct positioning of the distributorwhen reinstalling.

Next, mark the position of the distributor and the rotor with apermanent marker (I stated this in step one, but this is important so I

repeated it here).

Proceed to unbolt the distributor by removing 2 10mm bolts, on at thetop (shown here) and one underneath the distributor. If you haven'tdone so yet, unplug the Camshaft Position Sensor (the 4-wire gray plugshown in the picture).


9/28

6. Now it's time to slowly remove the distributor itself. It won't comeout without the help of a screwdriver to pry it out of position. While

you're prying the distributor out, be very careful not to spin or rotatethe distributor assembly or the distributor rotor.

With a little effort the distributor assembly will come out. Again, DONOT spin the distributor or the rotor once the assembly is out. Carefullyplace the distributor aside somewhere where it can be left undisturbed.

STEP 6, ABOVE: Pull the distributor out twist it back and forth; you want a straig

you'll use a screwdriver to pry it fr


10/28

7. Now let's check for the upper guide first. Compare your engine tothe pictures shown here. Locate the two bolt holes highlighted in theimage; there may be a metal plate bolted to these holes. This plate isknown as the Upper Timing Chain Guide. You now have 3 routes:

A)My engine has those holes only (picture 1):A previous owner might have removed the upper timing chain guide inthe past. You're good - go to step 8.

B) My engine has a metal plate thing bolted to those holes (picture 2):Your engine is still equipped with the upper timing chain guide. There isa Nissan TSB (Technical Service Bulletin) that instructs Nissan Servicemechanics to remove this guide as it is not needed. If your uppertiming chain guide is still here, simply remove the two bolts fastening itto the engine (I believe they are 12mm), remove the upper timingchain guide, and discard all 3 pieces (guide, 2 bolts) because you don'tneed them anymore.

C) My engine has a metal plate thing bolted to those holes, but there'sa broken piece just sitting on top of the chains themselves:Lucky for you you've gotten the engine open at the last possiblemoment. On some KA24DE engines, the upper timing chain guideactually breaks in two. In any event, remove what's left of the uppertiming chain guide (see step 5B, above) and discard.

NOTE:In the event of step 5C, once you remove the parts of theupper timing chain guide, lay the parts out on a flat surface and try to"reconstruct" the guide. If it seems like there's a chunk of the metalguide missing. you might want to get a flashlight and peek around inthe chain area for any of the missing fragments.

STEP 7, ABOVE AND BELOW: The upper guide missing; the previous owner h

beforehand. The lower picture (2) shows wlooks like when in positio


11/28

The last thing you want here is to have a piece of loose metal justbouncing around in the engine. Make sure you have all the pieces ofthe upper timing chain guide removed from the engine beforecontinuing.


12/28

8. Now lets get to the lower upper chain guide (I know, it soundsweird).

The second chain guide you need to remove is located to the right ofthe upper timing chain, behind the front cover. You need to remove thefront cover to gain access to it. The front cover is held onto the engineusing eight 12mm bolts and 4 10mm bolts. For reference, all of the12mm bolts are horizontal whereas all of the 10mm bolts are vertical inorientation.

To the right you'll see a little diagram I came up with showing theposition of the twelve bolts you need to remove to get the front coveroff.

Note that there are 2 10mm bolts that are located behind thedistributor mounting area, near the upper left edge of the exhaustmanifold. A regular socket probably won't fit in here, so use the 10mmopen wrench and be careful not to cut your knuckles on any nearbymetal edges (exhaust manifold cover, engine head, etc.)


13/28


14/28

9. Just as with the valve cover, the front cover might be 'stuck' inplace even with all the bolts removed. Use a screwdriver or somethingsimilar (in this pic Eddie's using a tire iron for better leverage) to gentlypry the front cover off of the engine.


15/28

10. Once the front cover is removed, place it somewhere safe fromcontamination. Note in the picture that we also laid out the bolts in the

same pattern/position that they are on the front cover. Since the boltsare in different lengths, you want to make sure that you reinstall thecorrect bolts to the correct holes.

STEP 10, ABOVE: The front cover, with laid out in a pattern.


16/28

11. Now let's check for the lower/upper chain guide. Compare yourengine to the picture shown here. Locate the two bolt holes highlighted

in the image; there may be a metal plate bolted to these holes. Thisplate is second Upper Timing Chain Guide. Again, you now have 3routes:

A)My engine has those holes only:A previous owner might have removed the second upper timing chainguide in the past. You're good - skip ahead to step 13.

B)My engine has a metal plate thing bolted to those holes:Your engine is still equipped with the second upper timing chain guide -go to step 12.

C)My engine has a metal plate thing bolted to those holes shown, butit looks like there's a missing piece: Uh oh. This usually means that theguide broke in two (or more) pieces. If you're lucky, the broken piecesare sitting at the bottom of your oil pan. you'll have to drain the engineoil and remove the oil pan to get those broken pieces out of there.

However, there is a chance that the broken piece(s) are still hangingaround near the timing chain area. Using a flashlight, check inside andaround the timing chain area for any broken metal fragments, andremove anything you find. Then proceed to step 10.

STEP 11, ABOVE: Here's the side guide of the timing chain.


17/28

12. Time to remove the second chain guide. Removing this guide isas easy as removing the two bolts fastening it to the engine (10mm).Be careful not to drop anything inside the engine; remove the secondupper timing chain guide, and discard all 3 pieces (guide, 2 bolts)because you don't need them anymore either.


18/28

STEP 12, ABOVE: Two bolts hold thisRemove the bolts, and relocate the chain


19/28

13.Now we move to the left side, where the upper timing chaintensioner is located. This tensioner is activated by oil pressure. Firstinspect it for any broken parts. It should be fine, even on high mileageKA's (my car is pushing 185k and the tensioner was just fine).

NOTE:DO NOT REMOVE the tensioner completely. If you run theengine without the tensioner there will be too much free slack in thechain, and there's a strong possibility that the chain may jump teethand cause serious damage to your engine.

STEP 13, ABOVE: This is the hydraulic on the left side of the timing


20/28

14.Now let's check the chain tensioner for proper operation. Take athin-blade screwdriver and try compressing the tensioner by pushingthe tensioner pin to the left (pin highlighted in the photo). You nowhave 3 routes:

A) The tensioner moves freely: You're good - go to step 15.

B) The tensioner seems stuck:You can remove the two 10mm bolts holding the tensioner to the

engine, then inspect it. Try spraying it with engine degreaser or carbcleaner - it might just be stuck. If you get it moving freely, reinstalland go to step 15.

C)I took the tensioner off, and it's broken / frozen / won't move:Replace with a new tensioner immediately. As it's named, this isresponsible for keeping the upper timing chain in place and removingany slack in the chain. With the chain guides removed, it is thetensioner's job that becomes more important. Replace the faulty chaintensioner ASAP.


21/28

15.AAlrighty, you made it this far - now all that's left is re-assembly. Start off by cleaning all of the mating surfaces for the frontcover and the valve cover. Using a rag or heavy-duty towel, get asmuch of any crap off the surface; you want a clean, flat surface toensure no leaks upon re-assembly.

Be sure to remove any traces of oil, old RTV, or old gasket material. Becareful not to let any bits fall into the timing chain area.


22/28

16. Now time to seal the front cover. Pull out the RTV tube andapply a continuous bead all the way around the surface where the frontcover connects to the engine. You want at least 1/4" thickness.

I know - it looks like we put too much in the picture. If you put too

much, just spread it around with your finger until you have an evenbead of silicone.

Make sure there's no silicone on the inside edge or it will contaminateyour oil and spread all over the timing chain, which isn't good.


23/28

17.Reinstall the front cover, pressing it evenly against the engine.

Don't worry if extra RTV squeezes out onto the outside of the engine -after it dries you can peel the extra off with your fingers.


24/28

18. Now start bolting the front cover in place. Begin with the 12mmbolts that sit horizontal to the engine. When you tighten these down,the holes for the 10mm bolts (positioned vertically) will line up and

make it easier for you to reinstall them. Don't forget the two 10mmbolts behind the distributor mount.


25/28

19.Speaking of the distributor, once the front cover is bolted on,reinstall the distributor carefully, positioning it the same way as it waswhen you removed it. Remember the pen marks you made before youremoved the distributor? This is why you did that.

Bolt the distributor in place with the 10mm bolts that hold it. You mightwant to recheck your timing after you have the rest of the engine re-assembled.


26/28

20. Again, apply a 1/4" bead of RTV around the top of the enginewhere the valve cover touches the head. Be careful not to get any RTVinside the engine.

Don't forget to put RTV in the small 'half-circle' edges at the front andrear of the engine.


27/28

21. Place the valve cover onto position and reinstall all of the 10mmbolts that hold it. When tightening the valve cover bolts, follow thepattern shown in the diagram (at right) and go around at least 3 times.

In other words, tighten each bolt in sequence, but don't torque themdown. Do this for all 11 bolts. Then go back to bolt #1 and tighten it alittle bit more, etc. The third time around, set your torque wrench to 12lbs.ft. and tighten each bolt (again, in sequence) to spec.


28/28

22.With the valve cover secured, go ahead and reinstall the rest ofthe stuff you removed - spark plug wires, plug holders, oil cap, valvecover breather tube.

Final check - whenever I reinstall a valve cover, I like to start theengine up and let the car idle for about 5 -10 minutes. This gives me achance to check the RTV seal for any oil leaks.

NOTE: if you noticed, Eddie's valve cover magically changed from stockmetal to gold in color. This is because we did both the timing chainguide job AND we painted his valve cover at the same time. The valvecover painting guide is also on this site.

Thanks to to Jimmy N. and Eddie G. for helping with this guide.

Guide written by Raine (www.projectraine.com)

Original date: December 12, 2004Last edit: September 4, 2006

Chain Rattle

Documents

Transcript of Chain Rattle