Cam chain tensioner question
 

I bought a used engine a while ago with a fresh top end and head studs and I'm now working on it and making some discoveries. I think the engine is a '79 and this was before hydraulically pressurized tensioners were added to the engines. The tensioners seem to have some sort of safety collars on them to prevent them from collapsing.

Are these considered safe to run or should I convert them over to pressure fed?

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2810/1...790de956_c.jpg
IMG_1488 by willtel, on Flickr

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3721/1...0ed47868_c.jpg
IMG_1491 by willtel, on Flickr

You can run those, however if you are wanting to do the pressure fed this would be the time to do it. We use to do the old style with collars to prevent them from failing. If the tensioners are new you could continue to run them. That setup is safe.

Personally....I would convert over to pressure fed for piece of mind as long as you're in there. My old '73 Targa of course had the old style mechanical/hydraulic morphidite tensioners which worked just fine for a long time before one of them didn't, and it wasn't pretty. The conversion kits were a bit out of my price range at the time, but I don't think I would bat an eye today.

Meanwhile, those collars are supposed to prevent the tensioner from completely collapsing and as far as I know (which isn't much) they do or should work in that regard.

Your picture shows the tensioner either collapsed and riding on the safety collar or the collar installed incorrectly. I vote with the other if you have the extra $ and are not a stock purist go with the oil pressure fed system. It was the final answer from Porsche on this issue.

Thanks guys. I have the hydraulic tensioners off my '87 engine so I'll add that to list of things to do.