Chain tensioner slack

[Robbbyg]

The timing chain has some slack about 1/4 inch I cant see any wear on the ramps
how much slack is permissible?
the other side is tight with no slack

[Flat6pac]

Should be tight and holding oil pressure. These tensioners do fail and seeing you're looking at it, I would change it out.
Symptom of defect is chain noise about 2.K RPM
Bruce

[Robbbyg]

Hi to make sure im doing the right
heres a detail pic showing the right housing and area where the slack is.

There seems to be zero wear on the ramp
the teeth all look good,
What part needs attending, the whole chain or the barrel section that holds the tension?
I wont do this myself I would like to know which is best to do so I may tell the mechanic, I just dont want to be taken for a ride so to speak, ive taken my car twice to a mechanic and both times ive ended up coming back to the forum and doing it myself , but this seems a bit hard for an amateur like myself .

this is the only area as far as I can tell that has slack

And yes I do hear a noise at mid revs

[cgarr]

Hard to tell from the picture but the chain ramp, lower inboard looks to be a black ramp, it should be the brown ramp used in this area, if I remember correctly.

The brown ramp has a bit more height, hold the chain tighter

[Amstaff]

There shouldn't be any slack in the chain as it will change cam timing.

[tharbert]

The tensioner spring is very stiff but would it take up slack above the cam sprocket sitting statically like that? I'm with Bruce that it should be replaced if you've experienced the tell-tale chain in a trash can sound. Can those be rebuilt?

Here's a good article that shows the tensioner innards and the Jerry Woods Mod.

[Walt Fricke]

When the engine is turning, the IS gear pulls the chain off the top of the cam sprocket. So there should be no dip in the chain as you have illustrated.

To confirm, rotate the engine by hand (with a tool) and watch. That dip should go away. Does it?

If the ramp shown in the picture is black, that's the right one.

The spring in the tensioner ought to be stiff enough to keep slack out of the system all by itself. The oil pressure in the tensioner is there to dampen out oscillations (which the chain is full of) like a shock absorber does with wheels.

The tensioners aren't really rebuildable. You can't get replacement parts, I think. And there are no seals to be replaced. The tensioner piston is a tight enough fit into its cylinder that no seal is needed.

There is a one way valve pressed into the top of the tensioner, to the right of the piston part in your picture. I can't see if that is intact from the pictures. If it has been spit out, then you won't get the benefit of the shock absorber effect. You can tell by looking if it is there or not, as it sticks up a bit and is silver - it holds one end of a little spring which presses a small ball bearing down into the tensioner, and it is a pressure regulator. I don't see how this would affect that odd bend in the chain, but it would certainly call for tensioner replacement if it is AWOL, because without it the tensioner won't work right. It is just pressed in, and easy for a ham handed home mechanic to dislodge whilst prying things around.