M42club.com - Home of the BMW E30/E36 318i/iS
DISCUSSION => Engine + Driveline => Topic started by: a930rocket on March 18, 2011, 09:25:14 PM
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Doing a search, I found a picture of what appears to be the timing chain tensioner and it's accessed from the outside. Can I just pull the bolt and replace the tensioner?
Thought this might be a good safety item while working in other things nearby.
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The 19mm hex just above the A/C bracket is the tensioner cap. Take that off, and the tensioner resides inside.
Not sure what you mean by "good safety item while working in other things nearby".
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Sorry. Should have a little more clear. I was thinking as long as I was in the area of the engine working on things, it would be easy to swap out the tensioner as a preemptive measure until the day I dig into a timing chain,etc redo. I'm guessing I have a 20 year old chain, even if it only has a 142k miles.
The 19mm hex just above the A/C bracket is the tensioner cap. Take that off, and the tensioner resides inside.
Not sure what you mean by "good safety item while working in other things nearby".
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I'd hold off until you're sure of the condition of the chain, guide rails and cam sprockets. I've heard of a few cases that putting a new M44 tensioner onto an old timing chain quickly wore the guides out. The guides were revised as well.
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I hear ya. Install something new and the surrounding old parts crap out.