New timing chain, old gears? 155K bad idea?

[nomad]

I haven't taken off the valve cover to check out the condition of the cam gears in my recently purchased '91 318is.

I am about to purchase the rest of the maintenance items for this car and was going to get the timing chain, tensioner and gaskets. Well, after reading more it seems like I should be replacing the cam gears and idler gear and crank gear too? I'll check the condition of them and if they look totaly chewed up I'll just have to do it. t's like $200 or more for all of these extras.

If the gears don't look mangled is it ok to put just the new chain and tensioner in or should I just put the tensioner in and save up for next year and do gears, chain, rails etc at one time and "do it right"?

I've already Spent $1500 and will drop another $400 now including the chain. If I can save on the chain i can get more little maintenance items to bring this car up to 100% level.

[D. Clay]

You can get a good look at the top end by removing the upper front cover. You can see the cam gears, chain, and the top of the guides. I'd then pull the lower oil pan and check for metal pieces of chain and gears and black plastic from the guide rails. If it looks good, put a tensioner in it and consider yourself one of the lucky ones. Mine still looks good at 200,000. The cam gears still have flat spots on the top of the teeth and the oil pan was clean.

[nomad]

Thanks. It really does look like the best thing to do is inspect prior to replacement. I'm just trying to keep this all under $2000 for the "initial" refurb of the car with oem and performance parts.