My 1996 Altima is only a little over 100,000 miles. I am not a crazy driver, nor did my Altima have accident. However, last week I was told by dealer after the regular service that the timing chain is noisy. Supposely timing chain should last for the lifetime of the vehicle. I am wondering whether the dealer is trying to trick me for big bucks ($2000 for replacing the whole thing). Does anyone have experience of noisy timing chain? And what to do with that?
my timing chain is little bit noisy too and my car has over 140k miles and I haven't have problem with that and I know for fact that the chain will last you for engine life
my timing chain is little bit noisy too and my car has over 140k miles and I haven't have problem with that and I know for fact that the chain will last you for engine life
dont worry about it.... its just loosing some tension in the chain. You could do two things, well... actually three.
1. replace the tensioner, keeps the chain tight.... costs pretty good $$$, but not $2000
2. the noise you hear is the chain hitting the guards that surround the chain. you could have a friend that is mechanically inclined to remove the upper front cover and remove both the upper and front chain guards... gets rid of the noise and takes a competent person about an hour
3. live with the noise, as most sane people do
Hope this helps!
-Corey (yes I'm a Nis tech, we are money grubbin bitches sometimes)
dont worry about it.... its just loosing some tension in the chain. You could do two things, well... actually three.
1. replace the tensioner, keeps the chain tight.... costs pretty good $$$, but not $2000
2. the noise you hear is the chain hitting the guards that surround the chain. you could have a friend that is mechanically inclined to remove the upper front cover and remove both the upper and front chain guards... gets rid of the noise and takes a competent person about an hour
3. live with the noise, as most sane people do
Hope this helps!
-Corey (yes I'm a Nis tech, we are money grubbin bitches sometimes)
took the words out of my mouth. i was gonna respond to this but went to mcd's first. removing the upper guards is perfectly normal, in fact, the newer ka24de's already have them removed.
im telling you this just in case you think its a quick fix or a cheap trick. its a common practice that nissan remedied in the later years.
I have a 93 altima with 155,ooo. my timing chain is very loud, the dealer said its ok, its noth worth changing, and its a common problem.
Quote:
Originally Posted by 1996nissanlover
My 1996 Altima is only a little over 100,000 miles. I am not a crazy driver, nor did my Altima have accident. However, last week I was told by dealer after the regular service that the timing chain is noisy. Supposely timing chain should last for the lifetime of the vehicle. I am wondering whether the dealer is trying to trick me for big bucks ($2000 for replacing the whole thing). Does anyone have experience of noisy timing chain? And what to do with that?
they also had a problem with the lower guides getting worn or possibly breaking, Nissan up-dated the tension side (if I remember right) but the other guys are correct about the upper guides... pull em out and let em hit the trash can!
this might help, its straight out of the manufacturers specs, READ THE NOTE AT THE END:
SERVICE INFORMATION
If a 1993-98 Altima exhibits excessive timing chain noise, the cause may be a broken tension-side timing chain guide on the lower timing chain. A new, metal-backed tension-side timing chain guide is available to resolve this incident.
For any reason whenever this guide is replaced, use the new countermeasure parts listed in PARTS INFORMATION . The new guide along with the two bolts that secure it must be installed as a set. See Fig. 1 .
SERVICE PROCEDURE
DIAGNOSIS
To isolate the noise, use a stethoscope or similar tool and listen at the front cover area.
If the noise is coming from the upper chain area, repair as necessary before proceeding.
If the noise is coming from the lower chain area, proceed to LOWER TIMING CHAIN GUIDE
REPLACEMENT .
NOTE: The two chain guides for the upper timing chain have been deleted. Remove and discard the two chain guides and bolts during any service to the timing chain, Fig. 1 .
2. the noise you hear is the chain hitting the guards that surround the chain. you could have a friend that is mechanically inclined to remove the upper front cover and remove both the upper and front chain guards... gets rid of the noise and takes a competent person about an hour
So I take it that both these chain guards can be removed once the valve cover is removed? ... or do you have to take another cover off?
I plan on replacing the valve cover gasket soon, and while I'm in there maybe I should take care of these cam chain guards.
Wow i didnt think anyone actually read these forums..
""So I take it that both these chain guards can be removed once the valve cover is removed? ... or do you have to take another cover off?
I plan on replacing the valve cover gasket soon, and while I'm in there maybe I should take care of these cam chain guards.""
well, first of all let me ask you, are you taking the valve cover off to do your valve lash adjustment, if you are here are some specs if its out then its just a matter of replacing the shims.
2.4L (KA24DE Engine)
Intake .012"-.015" (.30mm-.38mm)
Exhaust .013"-.016" (.33mm-.41mm)
to check them you need to set the cam lobes on base circle and stick the feeler strips underneath until you find the ones that fit snug.
and to answer your question, theres is one chain guide on top i believe its between the two cams that one is easy to remove, as for the other one it'll be a lot of work, if you're up for it, you'd have to remove the front and rear mount as well as the right engine mount facing the front of the car and then raise the engine enough to take out the other cover... it is a lot of work
It is a lot of work to get that last chain guide. But I work in a dealership shop and was able to pull my car in after work and have it done in just over an hour. If you're in your driveway expect to be there for an afternoon. You need to remove the upper part of the timing chain cover.
__________________
You mean to tell me that this sucker is nuclear!
Wow i didnt think anyone actually read these forums..
""So I take it that both these chain guards can be removed once the valve cover is removed? ... or do you have to take another cover off?
I plan on replacing the valve cover gasket soon, and while I'm in there maybe I should take care of these cam chain guards.""
well, first of all let me ask you, are you taking the valve cover off to do your valve lash adjustment, if you are here are some specs if its out then its just a matter of replacing the shims.
2.4L (KA24DE Engine)
Intake .012"-.015" (.30mm-.38mm)
Exhaust .013"-.016" (.33mm-.41mm)
to check them you need to set the cam lobes on base circle and stick the feeler strips underneath until you find the ones that fit snug.
and to answer your question, theres is one chain guide on top i believe its between the two cams that one is easy to remove, as for the other one it'll be a lot of work, if you're up for it, you'd have to remove the front and rear mount as well as the right engine mount facing the front of the car and then raise the engine enough to take out the other cover... it is a lot of work
Main reason for taking the valve cover off is to fix the leaking valve cover. I guess once I have the cover off I can certainly check the valve clearance just to see what they are. I don't think any are off much as the top end sounds pretty quiet.
As far as the cam chain guides ... would it be worth removing the top one only while I have the valve cover off? I think that one is right on top of the head and easy to get to. I don't think I would want to go for the other guide under the front cover if it's that much work.
It is quite a bit of work and if yours isnt noisy it's not really worth going through the pain and hassle of taking it all off, but hopefully some of the info i sent helped you out a bit, happy holidays
It is quite a bit of work and if yours isnt noisy it's not really worth going through the pain and hassle of taking it all off, but hopefully some of the info i sent helped you out a bit, happy holidays
I don't plan on removing the cam chain guide under the front cover at this point.
But, I will be taking the valve cover off soon to replace the leaking cover gasket. Is it worth removing just the top cam chain guide while I have the valve cover off?
Is there anything else I should look at while I have the valve cover off?
sure it'll be worth it because if and when your chain gets some slag in it that'll be the first thing it'll take out so if you're taking the cover off it's not hard to take out an extra two bolts for that chain guide and the other thing you need to look for is your valve lash adjustment specs are somewhere in the previous "posts" just make a visual check of your cams check for scorring chips or anything like that
valve lash adjustments on a ka are not that easy to do. the adjustments are done with shims and they require removal of the cams to be changed out. most people dont want to do anything near that difficult.
Timing Chain for 1996 Altima
removing the upper guards is perfectly normal, in fact, the newer ka24de's already have them removed. 
SERVICE INFORMATION
Linear Mode
