[djacinto]

Hey y'all,

So I'm coming up on 60k miles and the ever looming thought of my engine grenading itself creeps up more and more each day.

I do not drive often, and replace my oil every 6 months or about 5k miles, never more as I am trying to be proactive about the chains.

One thing that Billfitz always mentions is that you can replace the tensioner with easy access without having to get too deep into the engine.

After reading a few threads of people doing this, a common problem that arises is jumping time, breaking the guides, or some other odd error caused by installation of the new tensioner.

So, the reason I post this thread today, following the guide here in post 54, does anyone have installation tips and tricks? Or even an easy way to identify quickly whether or not the tensioner install goes smoothly? I really would rather not take my car in to get the tc fixed after a stupid mistake like this, but I feel the part is a necessary replacement for the longevity of the engine as I plan on owning this car for quite some time.

[f30_addict]

As far as I know, it doesn't make sense to change the tensioner separately. If you heard a noise if timing chain or you have already covered 60-70k and just want to be safe, it's better to replace the whole set (timing chain, tensioner, oil pump chain, plastic elements, etc).
It also may make sense to replace valve stem seals if you are going to drive for a long time and not get into the engine in the near future.

P.S. I've never heard of a reliable way to check the timing chain condition on N20.

[Billfitz]

There's no definitive evidence that changing the tensioner will prevent timing chain guide failure. However, the N20 and N55 used the same chain and guide. They didn't use the same tensioner. The N20 had problems, the N55 didn't. A year after the N20 chain was revised the N20 tensioner was revised. BMW must have had good reason for doing that. Pro-actively changing the tensioner before the guides are damaged may not prevent damage, but it's worth a shot, especially as it's not expensive. I haven't done it yet, I'm only at 24k miles, but plan to before I hit 30k.

[djacinto]

Originally Posted by Billfitz

There's no definitive evidence that changing the tensioner will prevent timing chain guide failure. However, the N20 and N55 used the same chain and guide. They didn't use the same tensioner. The N20 had problems, the N55 didn't. A year after the N20 chain was revised the N20 tensioner was revised. BMW must have had good reason for doing that. Pro-actively changing the tensioner before the guides are damaged may not prevent damage, but it's worth a shot, especially as it's not expensive. I haven't done it yet, I'm only at 24k miles, but plan to before I hit 30k.

So in order to replace it, how do I go about it without moving the cams or anything else during installation of the new tensioner?

[Billfitz]

I'd ask a guy who already did it, member DBU.

[PBP_G87]

Just did my timing chain a few months ago at about 130k miles. (was starting to get the notorious chain whine) if you're going to do it honestly you might as well just go for it all, however I did not do my oil pickup chain (not necessary just recommended while you have everything torn apart). With complications it took us about 38 hours total. Of course this is with no lift, and about 6 hours of which was spent trying to get out a timing plug that stripped.

All in all, it's not that hard of a job to do if you have some mechanical knowlage. Just take your time to ensure everything is done properly. And we had a lot of fun doing it as a group of people and hanging out over the weekend.

[Billfitz]

At 130k that's what I'd do too. But not at 30k. At 60k flip a coin.

[Tallicia]

Originally Posted by PBP_G87

Just did my timing chain a few months ago at about 130k miles. (was starting to get the notorious chain whine) if you're going to do it honestly you might as well just go for it all, however I did not do my oil pickup chain (not necessary just recommended while you have everything torn apart). With complications it took us about 38 hours total. Of course this is with no lift, and about 6 hours of which was spent trying to get out a timing plug that stripped.

All in all, it's not that hard of a job to do if you have some mechanical knowlage. Just take your time to ensure everything is done properly. And we had a lot of fun doing it as a group of people and hanging out over the weekend.

What prompted you to change it and have you noticed and difference since doing it? any noise or sound difference? TY!