my tensioners came with new bolts because your orignals will not work with the new ones....make sure you get those with the tensioners.

 

Hey guys!!! Well I ordered all the gaskets and I'm going to order the tensioners tomorrow, wait till you guys see what I found!!! Top if the tensioner had no tension on the chain what so ever!! Just the bottom had tension, I'm on my cell phone right now, will post soon

 

Seconds away from disaster, you know if something binds the engine is Over and Out......good job you asked the question - and you owe the guys on here a 'virtual bevvi'.

Good luck with the tensioner job, you'll sleep easy once it's done.

 

That i do! i appreciate everyone on here that has been helping me out with encouragement and confidence i can take on these tasks and giving me the key things to look at and get fixed before hand. I made sure to give you all that posted a Thanks

Yes i will sleep easy after this is done, Here are the pictures of how loose the top chain was on the RH Side, i just ordered the gasket set, and its about
$130 for both Tensioners RH & LH uppers but im still kind of shopping around because i heard i could order the 2000 Lincoln LS Tensioners and they are the same thing but cheaper?
either way i got to get them soon so i can get the job done, here are the pics!

And like you said Seconds away from disaster! As you see in the pics the top of the chain had no tension only the bottom had tension.

 

that looks like a metal tensioner, puzzle - this could be the first failure I've seen on here.

Can you confirm it is? if so is it extended, it doesn't look as if it is.

 

Thats what i thought too, i was expecting the Plastic spring tensioners in there,
That chain is always supposed to be under tension correct? do i pull up on the tensioner to see if it is fully up?
i dont know what generation tensioners are on here but my cars a 1998

 

That's a worrying picture as you've definately got a metal tensioner in there. It is spring-loaded so should be extended anyway. In the picture you show, it's the bottom part of the tensioner that's the moveable spring-loaded part, so you can't 'pull it up' on that side of the engine.

On the other bank of cylinders the spring-loaded moveable part faces upwards, so that side could be pulled up.

You need to take these tensioners out & see if they extend under their internal springs. If tbey do extend under their internal springs, then you need to check the oil supply to the tensioners & see if that is blocked. The oil supply feeds into a central hole in the tensioner base at the bottom, between the 2 bolt holes.

The other possibility is that the chains themselves have stretched beyone the limits that the tensioners can cope with. Either way, this kind of behaviour from metal tensioners is cause for concern-because you've definately got the metal tensioners in there.

 

While we're all scratching our heads it would be sensible to check the timing flats on the cams align - just to be sure it hasn't already skipped a tooth.

 

. . . and check to ensure that the correct shorter bolts were used. The original plastic tensioner bolts are about 1/8" longer and bottom out before sealing the oil channels. That will lead to reduced pressure on the chains.

 

How would I clean out the oil supply passages? What's a good method of doing this?
Also is it common for the upper chains to stretch before the main chains? I checked those and they are tight as can be, I'm a little worried now as I do not have the tools needed to replace the secondary chains.

Plus I'm down and out for about two weeks due to a knee sprain, getting out of bed is hard enough, :/

 

Easy there. No need to panic.

As you already have the new tensioners coming, just replace them. This one you are showing is definitely collapsed (or not expanded). Could be many reasons why. My suspect are the bolts, but once you take the tensioners out, it will be clear.
The chains can not stretch as much as this, and the tensioner clearly looks like it's not expanded.
So,.....put the new ones in (with the correct bolts!), pull the pin, and see if they make the chain tight (I'm almost sure they will).
If they don't,......well it will be the time to rent some tools!

 

Speaking of pulling the pins, check that the pins were pulled when the present tensioners were installed.

 

That's a good one. I was thinking the same, but I "talked myself out of mentioning it" (who could attempt the tensioners replacement, and be dumb enough not to pull the pins?).
But it definitely looks like the thing did not expand, and it sits just like the pin is still in. Worth checking,....who knows.

 

Your right I was about to drop my bolts haha,

well I can't lay here and rest with this stuff on my mind, I'm going to get myself up and take off the other valve cover gasket and post pics for you guys to see what I find in the other bank

 

What Oil did you use with your can of restore?

 

Finally Wobbled back into my room with my knee killing me also came an awesome feeling relief

i took off the valve cover on the (US) Driver side and tension was very tight on that one as pictured below. both top and bottom were under tenion.




As i rotated Engine Via Crank Pulley... The (US) Passenger side Tension did its job and started to apply Tension on the chain... Both top and bottom were under tension. IT'S ALIVE!!!




As for the (US) Driver side it started to give a little, Is this how the tensioners work?
Im very relieved to see that they are both working, i just got worried on how relaxed that chain was, i'm guessing it's due to the position of the cams?

As posted Earlier by XJay8 he suspected the periodic clacking to be indeed the VVT Solenoids, So im going to try that thicker oil with a can of restore.

I wish the guy ho sold me the car had the paperwork showing the tensioners were updated. (as well as bolts)

With your guys excellent input i did not think twice when you all told me to take the covers off and check for myself.

Well the Valve Cover gaskets are on their way along with the Bolt seals, (Car needed them badly anyways) good thing i did not Order the tensioners for these ones are still good.

I Have to Give you ALL a good Cheers for giving me all this support and i have gained a lot of knowledge from this that will never be forgotten!

Now i just have to search the torque specs for the valve covers

if you guys have any input on what oil to you let me know.

I originally was planning to put castrol 20w/50 with Lucas... Too Thick?

Might as well get input on this now being that the car does need an oil change.
Many Many Thank yous and CHEERS!!

 

Perhaps 20w50 is a little severe. I would suggest 10w40 and see how that works. If you are still getting noise then a can of restore will bump it up a bit before another oil change.

 

Yes i agree i will run 10W40 mobile 1 synthetic with a can of restore, is there any brand of oil you prefer on your jag that you would recommend??

 

Good to hear it's all ok in there, and you've already got the proper tensioners installed!

Jaguar are currently running Shell Helix, a semi synth - it's a great engine oil. If there's a 10w40 why not try that.

 

I'd go with 10w40 too...