Should I replace hydraulic tensioners in rebuild ?

[lindemans]

Dear Pelicans,

My 1989 3.2 is up for a rebuild after 150.000 mls; oil consumption is around a quart per 500 miles, spark plugs show that cylinder 6 has an issue.

What is the general opinion here:
Should I replace the hydraulic chain tensioners for new ones as part of the rebuild ?
I mean preventive, they ran fine so far.

Thanks for any thoughts on this one !

[Walt Fricke]

I've not run accross an opinion on service life of these parts.

Me, I'd just put them back in. But that's me, and if one went bad I'd just replace it at that time and think little of it. Not every one is so cavilier.

I think you could do a crude test. To reinstall these you have to put them in a vice (or use a C clamp) in order to push the piston back far enough into the cylinder to get the keeper pin back in (if you don't have keeper pins, and I doubt you do as only people who have upgraded to or replaced one of these got them - so just use a small nail). Not only are you depressing the pretty stiff spring , but you are also forcing the oil inside the tensioner to flow out through a very small restriction. Hidden away up under the tip of the piston's hard cap.

So you (or at least I) have to work with the vice handle. tighten some, some oil comes out, tighten some more, repeat until it is fully depressed.

If this were to be too easy, maybe something is worn to the point that it won't do its vibration damping job.