Good morning, how about pulling out this engine's timing chain tensioner and press it again a weighting machine. See how many lb is registered when its plunger moves down by 1 inch. Would it be 20lb or 15lb or 10lb of down force.? Then do it with a new tensioner. BMW owners in Taiwan change their timing chain tension every 60,000 miles. I guess when the old tensioner is losing 25% of its tension it is failing but still within spec vs an old tensioner having only 50% of original tension is a failed tensioner. We should not change the tensioner only when the timing chain starts to rattle. Yes?. Regards. Have a good day.
It's an interesting proposition! I do think you have a valid point but here are two things to consider. The number one is cost. If you are to hire someone, timing chain tensioner replacement is much more involved than changing spark plugs and the labor won't be cheap. In the U.S., I doubt any car owner would request this service until the chain starts to rattle. The second is about potential failure of related chain components and depends on the product year. Early production years of the third generation X3, for example, have problems with plastic timing chain guides. When replacing the guides, it makes sense to replace the tensioner as well while there. Similar to old-school timing belt replacement/service, when things are already taken apart, one should go ahead to replace other components that might fail down the road (e.g. tensioner, water pump). In this case, the tensioner replacement is usually recommended every 100,000 miles. As a DIY mechanic, I'd probably do it over 100,000 miles (perhaps 150,000 miles) on my BMW but won't recommend this as a regular maintenance item (with an interval) unless the specific model/production year has a common problem with the timing chain. Such a tensioner, just like the chain, is designed to last. If the part has a production problem, replacing it with an (updated) OE part should fix it once and for all.
@@robertmaybeth3434 usually you expect that with aged plastics but surprisingly those on this X3 have held up beautifully. I've yet to break anything in this job and will see how they hold up in the next 60k miles.
@@profsg that's great... even so I'd still soak all theh connectors w silicone spray every so often, (unenergized of course) it might prevent them from getting brittle! I own a 2001 Solara V6 and a 2002 Camry V6. My Camry I've always used silicone grease and spray when I did the sprak plugs, I put silicone grease inside the coil where it touches the spark plug, and some on the electrical connector to the coils too. The ones on my 2001 Solara, that didn't have any silicone grease on there, all cracked and needed to be replaced. Silicone grease is life!
@@robertmaybeth3434 thanks for sharing! Sounds like a good idea! I've used rubber treatments like AT205, which is impressive, but haven't done anything on the plastics.
Good morning, how about pulling out this engine's timing chain tensioner and press it again a weighting machine. See how many lb is registered when its plunger moves down by 1 inch. Would it be 20lb or 15lb or 10lb of down force.?
Then do it with a new tensioner. BMW owners in Taiwan change their timing chain tension every 60,000 miles. I guess when the old tensioner is losing 25% of its tension it is failing but still within spec vs an old tensioner having only 50% of original tension is a failed tensioner.
We should not change the tensioner only when the timing chain starts to rattle. Yes?. Regards. Have a good day.
It's an interesting proposition! I do think you have a valid point but here are two things to consider. The number one is cost. If you are to hire someone, timing chain tensioner replacement is much more involved than changing spark plugs and the labor won't be cheap. In the U.S., I doubt any car owner would request this service until the chain starts to rattle.
The second is about potential failure of related chain components and depends on the product year. Early production years of the third generation X3, for example, have problems with plastic timing chain guides. When replacing the guides, it makes sense to replace the tensioner as well while there. Similar to old-school timing belt replacement/service, when things are already taken apart, one should go ahead to replace other components that might fail down the road (e.g. tensioner, water pump). In this case, the tensioner replacement is usually recommended every 100,000 miles.
As a DIY mechanic, I'd probably do it over 100,000 miles (perhaps 150,000 miles) on my BMW but won't recommend this as a regular maintenance item (with an interval) unless the specific model/production year has a common problem with the timing chain. Such a tensioner, just like the chain, is designed to last. If the part has a production problem, replacing it with an (updated) OE part should fix it once and for all.
You're overdue for a Lexus.
Yes. Overdue for any direct injection engine. Here's what happened to our Lexus: ua-cam.com/video/2L0Bg78BRYg/v-deo.html
Yep. Next time you go to replace those plugs those connectors will snap off like uncooked spaghetti.
@@robertmaybeth3434 usually you expect that with aged plastics but surprisingly those on this X3 have held up beautifully. I've yet to break anything in this job and will see how they hold up in the next 60k miles.
@@profsg that's great... even so I'd still soak all theh connectors w silicone spray every so often, (unenergized of course) it might prevent them from getting brittle! I own a 2001 Solara V6 and a 2002 Camry V6. My Camry I've always used silicone grease and spray when I did the sprak plugs, I put silicone grease inside the coil where it touches the spark plug, and some on the electrical connector to the coils too. The ones on my 2001 Solara, that didn't have any silicone grease on there, all cracked and needed to be replaced. Silicone grease is life!
@@robertmaybeth3434 thanks for sharing! Sounds like a good idea! I've used rubber treatments like AT205, which is impressive, but haven't done anything on the plastics.