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Can I change the timing chain myself?


ACK02

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Just looking for advice on whether changing a timing chain (which makes a lot of noise) is something to tackle myself. or wait for an engine rebuild which will be next year. I've got 98000 miles on the engine. What else should I look into doing while I'm at it?

74 02

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Having done this job myself, my unprofessional opinion is that if the noise is not too bad wait till the engine rebuild.

When I did mine on my first 02 a bazillion years ago the chain was so stretched that it was hitting the valve cover and made a nice notich in it.

If you feel you really need to do it you can do it by taking the valve cover and top timing case cover off and remove a rivet from the chain, buy a new chain that has a master link, hook it to the old chain and turn the motor by hand to pull the new chain in and old chain out. Works like a dream and saves many hundres of dollars.

Ray,  Current BMWs, 1973 BMW 2002, Turkis, and 1997 BMW 318i 5sp avus blue.  Drove a lot and sold over the years, in reverse chron.

     1997 m3 coupe silver, 1998 318ti red, 1996 318ti red,

     1973 2002 Agave, 1971 2002  GM brown

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yer chain tensioner is on the job. If the hole that feeds the oil that pressurizes the tensioner is plugged up, the tensioner won't function and the chain will flop around. The tensioner rail may also be worn (it's rubber coated steel).

Timing chains last a long time (mine was just fine after 204k) so unless your engine was sorely neglected in its life, I'd check the tensioner first...

cheers

mike

'69 Nevada sunroof-Wolfgang-bought new
'73 Sahara sunroof-Ludwig-since '78
'91 Brillantrot 318is sunroof-Georg Friederich 
Fiat Topolini (Benito & Luigi), Renault 4CVs (Anatole, Lucky Pierre, Brigette) & Kermit, the Bugeye Sprite

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