Used chain tensioners any good?

UTKarmann_Ghia · 10-22-2003, 03:41 PM

My 911 has 110k on her now and after reading and listening to the chain tensioner post the other day, I thought it may be time to upgrade the tensioners. I could spend $350 on new tensioners, but I'm budget-minded and I need to know a bit about buying used tensioners. Do the carerra tensioners fail? If I bought a set of used ones, am I reasonably safe in assuming that they are good? Is there something I should look out for if looking to buy used tensioners? Any advice is greatly appreciated!

Early_S_Man · 10-22-2003, 03:46 PM

Matt,

Do you have the 'safety collars' already installed on your tensioners? That is all you really need to worry about!

Yours are probably in as good a shape as any used ones for sale ... a rebuild kit for $30 restores yours to good as new. All you need in the way of a spare when yours finally do collapse ... then you will bew prpared for the inevitable!

red-beard · red-beard's Garage

Warren, where have you found the rebuild kits for the tenioners? I have the collars on mine and I have 2 used ones from a buddy who upgraded to the pressure fed style. I wouldn't mind refurbing the spare ones and installing them...

UTKarmann_Ghia · 10-22-2003, 05:40 PM

Good question Warren. I have not taken the covers off yet and I dont believe anybody else has either. My engine really runs great and sounds good too (pretty quiet) so there's no immediate threat. I see the collar thingie on Pelican and that's a good idea.

How would I know if my tensioners failed while these collars were on? Is it something I would know right away?

So you think that used pressure fed tensioners are NOT a good idea? I was under the impression that even used pressure fed tensioners were better than the stock ones on my SC.

kstylianos · 10-22-2003, 07:54 PM

I have a set of used hydraulic tensioners in good working order if anyone is interested. Shoot me a PM. Inclused everything needed.

Wayne 962 · Wayne 962's Garage

We sell the rebuild kits - they are like $30 each or something like that...

-Wayne

UTKarmann_Ghia · 10-23-2003, 10:09 AM

Sent you a PM Charlie

jhelgesen · 10-23-2003, 10:17 AM

I've got a set of new collars if anyone is interested, bought them from PP, but then upgraded to Hyd tensioners.

jhelgesen@aol.com

UTKarmann_Ghia · 10-24-2003, 11:03 AM

Can anybody answer these questions?

Quote:

How would I know if my tensioners failed while these collars were on? Is it something I would know right away?

So you think that used pressure fed tensioners are NOT a good idea? I was under the impression that even used pressure fed tensioners were better than the stock ones on my SC.

singpilot · 10-24-2003, 11:08 AM

The consequences of a failed tensioner are pretty catastrophic.

Kind of like that 'health insurance' ad that is going around on the radio.

Insert the word 'condom' where the word 'tensioner' is in this thread.

I dunno, is that a valid thought?

red-beard · red-beard's Garage

That is a pretty confusing description.

If you have the collars installed, you will now have a loose chain instead of a collapsed chain. This will create additional noise from the engine as the loose chain flaps around. Someone recently posted an MP3 file of the noise of an engine with a collaped chain. I expect it is similar without being quite so bad.

James

Tinker · 10:03 PM

A collapsed tensioner with a collar should make a bit of a rattle noise in the lower rpm. Especially at idle. It's VERY noticeable. My buddy's did this before we had an opportunity to swap it out. He had no alternative (or brains) and drove it a few hundred miles before we could replace it. Got lucky.

I think the tensioner issue is more prominent in the pre 1980 911s. My sister's 1980 SC never had a problem with the original ones, even with 180k+ miles. They changed the design of the idler arms in 1980 that eliminated most of the failures.

I would have no problems using a used set of Carrera tensioners. Just buy the rebuild kits.

Tinker

LFogelson · LFogelson's Garage

I posted the WAV file last week of the collapsed tensioner

http://home.comcast.net/~lfogelson/

When removed the tensioner wasn't actually collapsed, but the spring was much easier to compress on the bad side. Replaced the tensioners with the upgrade and the engine sounds great. The hardest part was getting the muffler off. Ended up hack sawing the muffler bolts off and muscling the straps (propane was not hot enough to cut). The job was enough of a pain that I would recommend using the upgrade and not worrying about it again. It was not fun having the car sidelined until I had the parts and time to install. Good luck.