Read this please, I need your opinion.

[SCDriver]

About 18 months ago, I was changing the oil in my 1980 911SC and noticed some small black plastic chunks in the drain pan. I talked with a mechanic who will remain nameless and he said that it was most likely pieces of chain ramps for the timing chains. I scheduled an appointment and once the mechanic had the car he said that he noticed some noise coming from the timing covers and suggested that we redo the chain tensioners. I agreed and told him to proceed, he called later that day and told me that he was finished and I picked up the car.

I have approximately 1000 miles on the car since the repair and the chains are making noise on one side, the noise is loud at first and then goes away, I assume after the tensioner is pressurized. The pressurization takes about 3-5 minutes and god only knows whats going on until it does. Sometimes the motor sounds like it us unbalanced or is coming apart.

I looked at the bill for the original repair and it lists rebuild kits for the tensioners, not new tensioners. The total bill for the repair was over $400.00 almost all labor. I called the shop and left messages explaining my situation and I don't get a return call.

I notice that there a lot of very knowledgeable people on this board and I want to know what your opinion is of the repair. Would you have done it this way? If not what would you have done? What type of experience do you have?

Thanks for your help.

[ZAMIRZ]

Did you ask to be shown the broken/defective part? If he said it's chunks of the ramp, I'd have asked to see the torn up chain ramp that was in my car that he claimed was the problem.

[Superman]

Pressure fed tensioners are an important upgrade for pre-'84 cars, but the parts alone cost $400 or so. So, this "mechanic" must have just put collars on your existing tensioners or something. If so, a tensioner may have failed, and the collar is the only thing that is saving your engine from destruction.

It sounds like you (or a qualified mechanic) needs to get the pressure fed tensioner kit and install it. New ramps, too (cheap insurance). Also if your model has the old style chain wheel carriers, then they should also be changed.

[Hetmann]

You can tell if you have pressure fed tensioners by the presence of oil lines to feed them. Most likely it was ramp material, because there's not much else that's plastic in there. Sounds to mee like you need to find another mechanic.

[on-ramp]

try and get your money back....forget the phone calls, go there in person and take care of business.....obviously your mechanic didn't fix the problem you paid him to fix. (the noise he diagnosed, etc).