Timing Chain noise

[3stagevtec]

Vehicle is a 2.0L Grand Vitara.. every time i start it on mornings, i hear a loud grating sound for about 1 second, and then it goes away.. it sounds petty harsh..

the oil i am using is the 5W - 50 Castrol Syntec

i was told by a Lifestyle mechanic that there is an oil driven tensioner on the chain and if your oil is too thin you will get that noise..

my problem is i just changed oil, and don't want to waste it, as the syntec is about $270 / gallon..

-is there any danger in allowing that to happen, or should i change to a thicker 20W - 50 immediately?

-the engine has over 230,000kms on it.. what is the typical life of a timing chain?

-would i have any problems going from the full synthetic syntec to the castrol blend?

thanks in advance..

[De Dragon]

I would change the oil immediately! $270 vs a new tranny is a no brainer....... I'm not 100% sure but, 230,000 Km sounds like a lot for any timing component. Get it checked at least.

[TurboDrive]

I would change the oil immediately! $270 vs a new tranny is a no brainer....... I'm not 100% sure but, 230,000 Km sounds like a lot for any timing component. Get it checked at least.

230,000 Kms ? Wow. Time to change out those parts.

[Dave]

who said anything about a tranny?

a couple of things to note

hydralic tensioner making noise could mean tensioner is dirty and needs servicing cause there is a pinhole path for the oil to travel to hit it so that it makes up the tension

also it uses clean oil from the filter and with my experience filters such as fram that use dense media tends to hold back a bit of oil pressure thus making the tensioner take longer to tension

purolator filters have solved the oil filter issue for me in the past

removing tensioner and cleaning it and changing the seals may also help but if this has happened too long, then the thensioner may have worn and thus need changing

suzuki engines does not recommend a 5w-50 oil so that alone may be a contributing factor unless engine was built and 5w-50 was recommended by the builder

[~Vēġó~]

$270 vs a new tranny is a no brainer

huh??? forgive me if I'm ignorant but what does a timing chain have to do with the transmission upon start up?

[~Vēġó~]

ok Swami beat me to the question....was goooooogling in the meanwhile (b4 posting) to make sure my thoughts were not misinformed.......

also it uses clean oil from the filter and with my experience filters such as fram that use dense media tends to hold back a bit of oil pressure thus making the tensioner take longer to tension

purolator filters have solved the oil filter issue for me in the past

100% AGREED!!!!!!!!!! Sakura also seems to do the job quite nicely!

[De Dragon]

$270 vs a new tranny is a no brainer

huh??? forgive me if I'm ignorant but what does a timing chain have to do with the transmission upon start up?

My bad I meant head/block/engine.

[3stagevtec]

thanks alot guys!!

i'm going to run an engine flush to make sure the pin hole in the tensioner is clean, then try a 20W - 50 oil..

i already use the purolator filter..

if the noise continues, then i guess i have some engine work on my hands.. and i'll have to start another thread on that as i'll like to try fixing it myself..

thanks again..

[DIESELTRINI]

i'm going to run an engine flush to make sure the pin hole in the tensioner is clean..

I would not advise you to do an engine flush on that engine... or any engine for that matter, especially with the higher miles.

Would be best to actually remove the tensioner from the engine and take it apart and clean it. Of course, at point you might as well put in a new one.

http://www.partsgeek.com/gbproducts/YN/ ... oogle+Base

[3stagevtec]

i'm going to run an engine flush to make sure the pin hole in the tensioner is clean..

I would not advise you to do an engine flush on that engine... or any engine for that matter, especially with the higher miles.

Would be best to actually remove the tensioner from the engine and take it apart and clean it. Of course, at point you might as well put in a new one.

http://www.partsgeek.com/gbproducts/YN/ ... oogle+Base

thanks for the link!

i already bought the new oil.. will try it out later when the engine cools down.. if it still makes noise, well.. time to change..

[Alpha_2nr]

Would be best to actually remove the tensioner from the engine and take it apart and clean it. Of course, at point you might as well put in a new one.

hydralic tensioner making noise could mean tensioner is dirty and needs servicing cause there is a pinhole path for the oil to travel to hit it so that it makes up the tension

Some tensioners require a very precise method of "draining" the oil from them.......so maybe the best bet would be to buy a new one....especially when it comes to something as critical as that....and given the fact that you might as well change it since you're in there.

[silver racer]

Would be best to actually remove the tensioner from the engine and take it apart and clean it. Of course, at point you might as well put in a new one.

hydralic tensioner making noise could mean tensioner is dirty and needs servicing cause there is a pinhole path for the oil to travel to hit it so that it makes up the tension

Some tensioners require a very precise method of "draining" the oil from them.......so maybe the best bet would be to buy a new one....especially when it comes to something as critical as that....and given the fact that you might as well change it since you're in there.

agreed, change it while u're in dere 1 time. cuz 230k + km is kinda plenty eh

[Mr. Cheese]

some more info here..

http://www.suzuki-forums.com/1g-1999-20 ... law-2.html

[Adrenalinerush]

good info here...but don't worry about it too much..its just a little noise (ka24de engines all have their signature rattles too) and since its a chain and not a timing belt...no worries

[cacasplat3]

good info here...but don't worry about it too much..its just a little noise (ka24de engines all have their signature rattles too) and since its a chain and not a timing belt...no worries

chains do wear out and stretch, they need more attention than belts(even though the attention is built into the engine), but they have a longer life-span once proper care is given. a loose chain will make noise and wear faster than usual. a chain too tight, will wear faster than a loose chain, but it will also wear down the sprockets as well......and run the risk of stretching it as well..........thats why the tensioner is soo important.

BTW a baldy worn chain can break, and have the same consequences as a snapped timing belt.

[3stagevtec]

i ran a flush through the engine for 3 minutes (it was a 5 minute flush) and replaced the oil with 20W-50 Castrol blend.. when i started the engine this morning, there was no noise at all..

considering the mileage i'll look into replacing both the chain / tensioner / guide rail / head gasket etc later this year when i have the funds available..