The Super Duper Timing Chain Thread!

[J_D 2.0]

All Toyota and Nissan (basically any manufacturer really) DOHC V or dual bank engines all use this style with 3 chains now, have for a long time. Just be grateful they didn't do an Audi where they put them at the back of one of their generations of V8s, then cheaped out on the chains.

Just because they all do it doesn’t make it smart or well engineered, it means it the cheapest option, nothing more nothing less.

 

[Skylarking]

All Toyota and Nissan (basically any manufacturer really) DOHC V or dual bank engines all use this style with 3 chains now, have for a long time. Just be grateful they didn't do an Audi where they put them at the back of one of their generations of V8s, then cheaped out on the chains.

That’s like saying be grateful one optometrist only poked you in one of your eyes because if it was the other optometrist he’d have poked you in both eyes…

The reality should be that any optometrist shouldn’t be poking their customer in any eye. They should be well trained in their art and apply it with skill…

In terms of engine design, maybe Holden did ok since in theory as anything can be made to work reliably. But the materials used in their implementation were piss poor and the cam drive was defective enough that there should have been a recall… Instead Holden took the cheap approach with their rather feeble attempt to hide the problem by firmware update via increasing the allowable margin between sensors before a fault was flagged… which solved bupkis… The fact Audi may have fcuked up in a bigger way doesn't diminish Holdens poor design/implementation and their poor handling of the situation.

I was at a dealer years ago listening to a head mechanic use nice words to explain to his elderly customer that there is no problem and that Holden were resolving the issue by updating the ecu to not flag an error. The reality was that nothing was fixed and the chain gets sloppier and sloppier over time but the update has the effect of pushing the problem outside Holdens warranty window which is a win for the manufacturer… and a loss for the owner… That must have been a mechanic with low morals to even say such things and I was saddened to have heard it… I never went back to that dealer again…

 

[_R_J_K_]

Just because they all do it doesn’t make it smart or well engineered, it means it the cheapest option, nothing more nothing less.

I don't really see how it's the cheapest design for the amount of damn parts they use, but my point was other manufacturers (including the one to take a page from) have managed to do that design correctly. It's not even really the design, it's just cheap parts.

 

[_R_J_K_]

That’s like saying be grateful one optometrist only poked you in one of your eyes because if it was the other optometrist he’d have poked you in both eyes…

The reality should be that any optometrist shouldn’t be poking their customer in any eye. They should be well trained in their art and apply it with skill…

Never said it wasn't a dick move. And yes, I'm well aware of their storied history.

 

[Revhigh]

All I need to find out what business does timing chain in Brisbane just in case my VE LEO spits some codes out. yeah getting ready.

If you still need we have a reseller in Brisbane, can give you his phone ###.

 

[Revhigh]

I don't really see how it's the cheapest design for the amount of damn parts they use, but my point was other manufacturers (including the one to take a page from) have managed to do that design correctly. It's not even really the design, it's just cheap parts.

If you look at the C63 W204 chain, it's a bit single chain that you need to snap a link off when fitting.
Better than GM's idea but these wear out on the buckets and VVT lock pins easy and is much harder to fix.

 

[alex124124]

I would like to know if it actually needs to be replaced. Car is slow to accelerate, shaking at red lights, changing gears it jerks, have got engine misfire codes and p0017 (camshaft sensor) horrible fuel efficiency 14.5l/100km. The codes come off and on every couple weeks but today it has not turned off. Is there something else that could cause this stuff?

 

[carcollector]

Just wanted to add some recent personal experience. We recently bought a VE Series 2 LLT V6 for my son's first car which had timing chain codes coming up every now and then. The previous owner was honest and up front about it, and we negotiated a good deal based on the fact that the chains needed replacing. The car still drove fine, and would sometimes go for 100km or so without throwing a code, then spit out a code at random times. We drove it around for a while first, and apart from being a little down on low rpm to mid range rpm power, it drove fine. Still smooth and still good fuel economy.

When we did decide to get the chains replaced, we went for a genuine GM/AC Delco kit. Yes, a fair bit more expensive, but the labour is expensive too, so no point saving a few $$ if it needed to be done again any time soon. I didn't expect the significant improvement in how the car drove and felt. Much smoother, much quieter, and lots more mid range power than before, even when the car wasn't throwing a code. I asked the mechanic (who has done a lot of them) if he thought the old timing chains were badly stretched, and he said that they not all that bad.

So I suppose the moral of the story is if anyone does need to get their timing chains replaced, you're likely to get a much nicer, smoother car to drive as well as getting rid of the pesky code.

 

[SpiceyP]

https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicAdvice/comments/12o1osx Does this sound like chains going? Never done a chain code, just very rare P0420 and (once) P0430 in the last 8 months which I'm now suspecting might actually be timing related and not cat related.
The drivers side is worse (in terms of noise) than the passenger side which would tie in to the 420 showing up more often I think?
Performance is very average especially in the low end.
Have been told cam phase timing is slightly out (mechanic) but again - no codes.

 

[Nato123]

Hey guys, anyone have any recommendations for a northern suburb based mechanic in Melbourne to take for timing chain replacement. 07 ve calais LY7. Cheers