bmwe21.net forums

hey there,

as some might know from a previous post of mine, my engine makes a strange noise (rattling/slapping kind of sound). As far as the sound is analyzable, I have the vibe that it might be my timing chain.

my question:
does the timing chain of a 318 e21 needs replacement every once in a while or is it a 'part for life'? I hear different opinions about this.

and is there a good and easy way to confirm my thoughts? removing the valve cover allows me to inspect the timing chain from above, but lack of experience doesnt help me much further there.

last question: i saw that the oil pump is being powered by a short chain aswell, is this chain capable of making a rattling sound, or is that a ridiculous thought?

im curious to one's opinion/experience, so don't hold back!

chucky
ps: 318 e21 automatic, 150000km, no severe loss of power, no extraordinary smoking.

one thing you may want to look into is the tensioner for the timing chain. if its not keeping the chain tight the chain will make excessive noise. its a fairly easy fix- way easier than a timing chain swap.
and as far as the oil drive chain. its not going to be the culprit

i believe that water pumps can also make a rattle too.

What you want to do is get a mechanics stethoscope they are only a few quid. you may find it easier to pin point the location of said rattle.

However what I would do is take the fan blades off - minimise the risk of injury as much as you possibly can.

allright!,

timing chain tentioner ill take a look at (makes sense indeed to check that first)
waterpump is a thing i havent thought off/checked so will pay some attention on that aswell
i dont have a stethoscope but a crewdriver directly on the ear works aswell, but with that i cant come close to the lower part of the engine so will check if i can find a afordable one.

thanx for the imput, ill post a update after the weekend

Never heard such a noice from the water pump but you can isolate the problem , remove the fan belt and if the noise's still there it is most likely to be the timing chain tensioner. Chain and guides should last much longer than 150K.

With the belt removed that also gives you a chance to check the water pump and alternator for freeplay, and if fitted, also the power steering pump or even a/c compressor.

so simple, and yet so genious!

was already thinking how to inspect the waterpump, as its pretty built in/hidden.

I also bought a stethoscope (cheap ass model) and a compression meter (not that i have any loss of power or excessive smoke production but always good to have) so this weekend my car will lose all its secrets.

By the way: does anyone know how i can best check the chain tentioner? I planned to diss assemble it and check it for dammage, but maybe someone knows an other way?

i made a short video of the examination of my timing chain. First you see the radial play, then you see the axial play. Is this too much? (i have no experience what so ever with a chain in proper condition so some feedback would be verry helpful!)

I already checked the chain tentioner, which functions properly. Also the waterpump (was a suggestion of someone here) works fine. Thats why i examined the timing chain.

the movement you are showing looks to be normal. my m-10 was the same way. the reason you had so much play at the open section was because there is nothing to keep it from moving- no gears. are you %100 positive that your chain tensioner is working properly? its a cheap piece to replace and makes a huge difference. how many miles are on the engine-

150000 km are on. (not extreme much)

I cleaned the tentioner and it moves smooth as can be.
the oilpump chain had much (way more than the timing chain) play aswell, but as i saw no points it could hit I guess, like someone said above here, that cant be the problem.

it may move smoothly but it needs to hold the tension- thats what im referring to. the spring itself may have given up the ghost. i would look in to replacing that.

ah allright in that manner.

The oil valve works properly but the spring might indeed lost its strengt for a bit. Will replace that as it is indeed a easy thing to replace.
other things i found out ill post this afternoon with a movie.

greetings

Came in the garage the other day, noticed that I still didn't fixed my car and nor did the fairy goblins.

(the problem is some rattling noise)
So I ordered a timing-chain-tensioner-repair-kit. But that didn't helped. So my search went on.

I noticed that the rattling/ticking noise is far louder when I just start the engine and the oil lamp is still burning. As soon as there is oil pressure the sound gets less (Or the non oil pressure sound is an other sound, overruling the ticking sound)

therefore I checked my oil pump chain, and noticed it has some decent play:


As far as i could see the chain doesn't hit anything yet but according to my haynes this kind of play is out of spec. My haynes tells me I have to fit a shim to get rid of the play: does anyone know where I could get these and how much I can maximal fit? Or is a new chain a smarter solution?

regards

chucky

*gentle kick*:

im still searching the cause for the rattle/slapping in my engine around 3000rpm when playing with the revs. Mounted a new chain tentioner but that didnt helped. Is there some one who has a vision on the latest movie Ive posted? Simply replacing the chain as pre-caution is namely a lot of work.

many thanks!

Have you changed the oil lately? I'd be inclined to change it again but make sure you use a mineral oil and not a synthetic or semi-synthetic as they can be too light in viscosity. Also make sure you use a decent quality oil filter. Cheap ones are a false economy as they have no valve to stop the oil draining out when you turn off the engine. Then, when you re-start, the engine is starved of oil till the pump re-fills the filter.