hello all. My car sounds like it has a lifter ticking when it idles, if you press on the gas ever so slightly the noise goes away, so I'm thinking I have a primary timing chain tensioner going out ???? I'm wondering how hard of a job is this to do on my own? I've rebuilt several v8 engines in the past, but never messed with any 4-6 cyclinders. I know my way around engines ok, but I must admit I am a little worried about tearing into this one on my own. Any advice and do you think it is the primary, or should I be looking elsewhere?? thanks in advance for any and all replys.

 

I have an 02 Intrepid doing the same thing. Clatters on idle, and it sounds as if it's a valve. When accelarating, the clatter goes away. I am thinking it's the automatic tensioner. I've never messed with the 2.7 timing, and I heard it's very time consuming and a little tricky. What is said to be tricky, I wonder if it is refering to the slack on the chain that is suppose to be on the tension side rather than above the cams. We know that the timing marks are suppose to align. I am thinking, when the mech replaced my water pump, he must've allow the slack of the chain above, in between the two cams. This is my opion of why I hear the clatter. The slack is causing the chain to hit the upper timing chain cover. That may perhaps explain the noise sounding like it's a valve??? Hey, keep me informed if you find out anything. My 2.7 runs good so I hope I can look into my situation soon. Hard when one lives in an apartment complex.

 

Did you know about the Complete Service Manual on this site for the car?

Go to the 2nd Generation Dodge Intrepid forum

Scroll or look down and you should see THE HOLY GRAIL

Click on that and it will take you through some links to the manual.

If you have a hard time getting it, I can email it to you. My email address is darrylwaddy@yahoo.com

 

I'm into this thing pretty deep now. I started on it tonight. Forgot to grab a strap at the shop so I can get the crank pulley off. I bought a new water pump as well, I figure I'm in there, I might as well do that before there is a problem. I think the noise you hear is the chain slapping the guides, but I'm not 100% sure on that. I'll know more when I get the cover off tomorrow. I do have a book on it that lays it all out pretty well. I'll keep you posted on my progress. I'm amazed no one has responded about this. Or maybe, I'm the idiot for trying to do it myself LOL. but when you can't pay for the shop to do it, you got to dig in and do it.

 

Good that you are replacing the water pump, since it drives off the chain. Hope you get to the root of the problem. I've wondered about the chain slapping the guides as well, but until I can check into it further...

 

After a closer inspection I found the primary guide is toast. Now I have to wait till Monday to order new guides. The tensioner was toast. The o ring was gone and the little clip on the end of it was busted in two pieces. I had already purged the tensioner and then reset it. Got ahead of myself. I've been doing some reading on this, and some purge it and still have a problem at low idle with a knocking sound. I don't really understand this at all. They say to purge it until oil comes out. I used a small allen wrench to purge it and oil came out on the second pump. Now does that mean there is no oil in there? Or does that mean it will acept oil now? I thought about submerging the tensioner in oil and giving it some pumps, but that may just be a stupid idea. This purge and not purging thing has got me worried. I don't want to put everything back together only to have the damn thing knock on idle again. any advice on what I should do here????

Best I can tell you about, is the noise you are hearing has got to be a worn out tensioner and I would bet it is slapping the guides. I'm pretty sure that is why my guides are shot. I'm going to order a new chain as well. It's my wifes car and honestly we love it. Always has been a strong runner, but it might be time to sell after this is done and get the 3.5L

Also found a lot of oil sludge around the heads. Oh yea, kinda funny that none of the colored links lined up with there marks on the timing chain. about 7 links off from where it should be. I did turn the crank and checked #1 and like the book says when the key on the crank is in line, it's about 60° after TDC. I'm wondering how it could run so well if the links were off. Better yet, will it even run when I reset it to the book?? scratching my head over here man. sorry for rambling on.

 

I'm going to check into my study manuals from class and get back on that tensioner purge.

 

I don't know if this answers your question, but this is from the Service Manual:

NOTE: To reset the primary timing chain tensioner,
engine oil will first need to be purged from the tensioner
(Fig. 121).
(14) Purge oil from timing chain tensioner using
the following procedure:
(a) Place the check ball end of tensioner into the
shallow end of Special Tool 8186 (Fig. 121).
(b) Using hand pressure, slowly depress tensioner
until oil is purged from tensioner (Fig. 121).
(15) Reset timing chain tensioner using the following
procedure:
(a) Position cylinder plunger into the deeper end
of Special Tool 8186 (Fig. 122).
(b) Apply a downward force until tensioner is
reset (Fig. 122).
NOTE: If oil was not first purged from the tensioner,
use slight finger pressure to assist the center arm
pin of Special Tool 8186 to unseat the tensioner’s
check ball.
CAUTION: Ensure the tensioner is properly reset.
The tensioner body must bottom against the top
edge of Special Tool 8186. Failure to properly perform
the resetting procedure may cause tensioner
jamming.
Fig. 119 Crankshaft Sprocket - Removal
1 - SPECIAL TOOL 8539
2 - SPECIAL TOOL 5048-6
3 - SPECIAL TOOL 5048-1

Quoted from my classroom manual (Today’s Technician, Automotive Engine Repair & Rebuilding 3rd Edition – Shop Manual – follow the recommendation of the service manual of the engine you are working on) states that:
A worn timing CHAIN may slap against the cover or against itself on a quick deceleration and make a rattling noise.
The vehicle may have poor acceleration from starts but runs well at higher rpms.
SLACK IN CHAIN: When there is slack in the chain, the camshaft timing is behind the crank. This is called retarded valve timing, and this improves high-end performance while sacrificing low-end responsiveness.
The timing GEARS may clatter on acceleration and deceleration. The engine does not have to be under a load; just snap the throttle open and closed while listening under the cover for gear clatter.
One good way to verify a jumped or broken mechanism or to confirm your suspicions is to perform a cranking compression test (I know where to get that information).
If the engine is running poorly because of an engine that jumped time, your diagnosis may require a compression test, checking each cylinder. When the timing has jumped, the compression will be low on all the cylinders. It’ll be as low as 50 or 75 psi on every cylinder.
Another quick check for a broken timing mechanism is to check cranking vacuum (some small details on this).
Sometimes when the engine runs fairly well but not correctly, the compression may not be low enough to confirm jumped timing (there are some procedures on this).
To inspect a timing chain for wear, you can measure the amount of movement that the crankshaft makes before the camshaft(s) begins to move (there are some details on this). But basically, if the crankshaft rotates more than eight degrees before the camshaft moves, the timing chain and /or tensioner is worn beyond usable limits.
Other inspections fall within this section, such as sprocket and timing gear inspection, but I will turn our attention to TENSIONER INSPECTION.
First, the book states the timing chain hydraulic-type tensioner is commonly replaced with a high-mileage timing chain job. Most tensioners have a minimum length that the plunger should stick out from the body. Refer to the manufacturer’s specifications, and if the plunger length is not within specifications, replace it. It also states to check for oil leakage past the front seal from which the plunger protrudes. If you see wetness around the seal, you should replace the tensioner.

This is the website for the classroom and shop manual for engine rebuild: www.cengagesites.com

 

yea bro, my book says the same thing. I did purge it and oil did come out. I've heard from others that did not purge and had no problems. I've heard some purged, and have problems. That's just from the searching I had done on the net, but your book, says the same as mine. Thanks bro.

 

hey Darryl, I got her all put back together last night and she runs like a champ. No ticking or anything like that, nice and quiet. good luck with yours man, I have to tell you, it was a lot of work. If you need any help, let me know and I will try and help.