Balance shaft chain - quick help req'd

phil

To anyone in the know.

Got the car all stripped down to replace the timing chain. I wasn't going to replace the balance shaft chain... but to me it seems there is a little too much freeplay.

Not having seen one before what should they be like? It's by know means slack... but it's not nice and tight as the cam chain. If you press on it with you finger it will move in an inch.

Just don't want to put it back together to find out the noise was this chain and not the timing chain.

Cheers guys!

vocky

the tensioner isn't as strong as the cam chain, it's merely the little alloy block, unlike the steel cam tensioner.

is the chain loose and do the timing marks line up notsure.gif

(don't worry if the marks are all the same amount of links away from the correct position - the chain moves :roll: )

phil

Hi chaps, only just managed to get back on.

For safety's sake I decided to do the balance shaft chain too whilst it was apart. (with 127k on the clock I suppose it would've been daft not too!) The old chain I could remove by just removing the tensioner and lifting it off one of the sprockets, but putting it back together I could only get the chain on with it already sitting on the sprocket so obviously a lot tighter this time.

Anyway, it's all back together now and running like a dream. No more funny noises. No more cringing every time I turn the key in the morning. £250 well spent without doubt.

It feels a lot smoother and torquey too, but that's probably just from driving a Citroen C2 1.4 for the past week! lol

I was going to sell the car... but I'm happy with it again for near future. cheers..

phil

Oh... and just for the record.. the oil jet was the old style one, and 100% blocked. :shock:

luna_s

lucky 😃 and congrats on getting it back together

vocky

both chains need replacing after 100,000 miles anyway, so good call 🙂

Andy

phil said:
Oh... and just for the record.. the oil jet was the old style one, and 100% blocked. :shock:

sounds like you had a lucky escape there.