As we all know, the secondary tensioners are a big issue. Well, the other day I was feeling ambitious and was checking the plugs... I figured since I was already in there I may as well check out the tensioners.. BIG ISSUE. I couldn't get the passenger side cam cover off due to a stripped bolt on one of the coil packs. So I took off the drivers side. And what I saw was terrifying!


I am having the tensioners replaced before driving the car anymore. I am also putting in a new water pump.

HOWEVER, after putting the car back together, it ran just fine until the next day.. when I started it up, it was fine. Then I began to drive it, I noticed it was sputtering when accelerating and when I came to a stop it would idle really rough and really low (about 350-400 RPM). Anyone have any idea why this may be? Possibly from a dirty TB? Also, when I parked it, the engine light flashed 3 times and it went into restricted performance just before I shut it off. I also noticed that when shifting into gear sometimes it will violently jerk, could this be early signs of A-drum failure?

 

My tranny jerks on initial start up. So when cold i'll jerk up on first gear selection.

Though all my autos have done that... Could be though that this one might not supposed to do that...

 

It only happens when shifting out of park.. If it has sat over night, or on a slight incline... I am worried that the tranny is going out too.

 

Recheck all of your connections it sounds like a vaccum leak from a broken/cracked breather hose or disconnected MAf..etc etc.

 

Maybe where the air hose attaches to the TB could be loose... I'll take it off, and rebolt it down.
Would it be possible that the coils are not making good contact with the plugs?

 

Pull the codes and see, a coil misfire logs the fault on the cylinder switching the suspect with its neighbour gives a positive I'd. If its jumped a tooth because of the terrifying image you saw will give the same symptoms, either way Do not start it until the tensioner work is done.

 

I'd love to pull the trouble codes! Problem is... Every time I try to, every single possible warning comes on the dash... And the scanner simply says "error reading"... Not sure if it's the scanner or the OBDII port. I have someone that has a SnapOn system coming with a "european package".. Not sure what all that means, but hopefully we'll be able to finally pull the codes.

 

While waiting for the scanner, check the battery voltage. Low voltage can make all kinds of trouble.

But do I understand that after determining the tensioners were close to failure you started and drove it again? You may well have skipped a tooth.

 

"I am having the tensioners replaced before driving the car anymore. I am also putting in a new water pump.

HOWEVER, .... Then I began to drive it"

 

I would like to clarify for some individuals:

THE TENSIONERS HAVE NOT YET FAILED.... THE BODIES ARE STILL IN ADEQUATE CONDITION. THE CHAINS ARE SECURED AND HAVE ACCEPTABLE TENSION AS THERE IS NO PLAY IN THE CHAIN.

If you feel the need to comment on the vehicle being driven ~1 mile and contribute nothing else to this thread, please click the back arrow located in the upper left corner of most web browsers.

Thanks, and have a great day!

 

My, my we are sensitive, aren't we? Your said yourself that what you saw was "terrifying"! Then you describe the EXACT symptoms that a jumped timing can cause and you are offended when that is pointed out to you. And your assertation of "no play in the chain" is invalid since there is a spring loading on the tensioner shoes, but the oil pressure adds much tension after that. So unless you were monitoring tension while the engine was running, you really do not know what the tensioners are doing.

And yes, even with all of that, I agree with you that it is UNLIKELY that the tensioners failed just now, but take a deep breath, exhale, and we can help you. If YOU do not like what several respected and knowledgeable members of the forum are telling you, then maybe YOU should look elsewhere for advice.

So, were you able to read codes before? In my experience, most any modern OBD code reader will connect and read X-308 OBDII codes. So, check the scanner on another vehicle or check with another scanner.

The other problem that can manifest itself with your symptoms is, as RJ pointed out, a system voltage problem. Apparently, even with "normal" sort of voltages, a weak battery can cause many faults to appear, probably due to voltage ripple from the alternator. It is a peculiarity of these cars.

And again, please do not be so thin skinned. Many of us who have been around here for a while have read sad, sad stories from folks who intend to do their tensioners but have a failure before they get the proverbial "Round- tuit". Hopefully, yours is not one of those tails, but if it is, you are not alone!

 

OK, so I look at your previous posts and see the dashboard christmas tree is NOT a new event. What you did not make clear is whether that occurred as you plugged in the scanner.
I suspect you have a loose or broken vacuum pipe or other intake plenum component, which is causing the RP.

The scanner / OBD port problem a separate issue and is due to a broken OBD connector which might be shorting out the can bus contacts while you are fooling with it plugging it in.

What say you?

 

It doesn't happen as I plug in the scanner, it happens ONLY whilst attempting to read the codes, I plug the scanner in, click the "READ" button, and that is when they all come up.

Could the RP be from the cracked/broken Part Load Breather hose?

 

Yes the RP could be due to that. The ECU is trying to protect the engine and cats.

 

Would you happen to know the correct part number for this? I looked on SNG Barratt and there are two different ones listed one for about $30.00 another for about $60.

Would a piece of vacuum hose work to temporarily fix this until the new part arrives?

 

Or tape it with duct tape- Close the bonnet quick so nobody sees what you have done!

 

I tried black vinyl tape which is holding...

It looks like there is pieces of something orange around where the PLB hose attaches to the cam cover at the base... Is that supposed to be there? Never noticed it before? Could it be part of a seal of some type that would case a leak?

And from what it looks like, I need the longer (and therefore more expensive of the two) hoses... I am trying to track where the other one goes, but I have no idea, anyone have any clues on where the PLB hose leads to and how to go about replacing it?


UPDATE: Preforming a hard reset (connecting the ground to the positive terminal) did not take it out of RP.

 

The PLB connects to the throttle body. The orange stuff may be the o-ring of the connector. Try spraying some carb cleaner around the PLB connection with the engine running and see if changes sound.

Without a functioning scanner connection it's going to be difficult to sort out your problems.

 

Is this O-ring replaceable? Or would I have to replace the whole cam cover?

I will try that this evening and see if it does anything, thanks for the suggestion!
I am also going to attempt to get the scanner working with this thing.

 

Assuming that the left chain skipped a tooth, is there an easy way to verify this, and if that is the cause, is there a way it can be corrected easily?