So I need to do secondary tensioners. My car is at 158,000 km.
They've been done once before by previous owner but I don't know which generation were installed.
Regardless, they are noisy.
So, do I just do them. Or all chains, tensioners, guides etc since I'm going open heart?
Thoughts please.

 

The primary tensioners have a much lower failure rate, to do the secondary's it's not required to remove the timing chian cover. The question is how much work do you actually want to do?
Personally I'd just do the secondary's and call it a day. That's what I did on mine, almost 20,000 miles ago.

I happen to have an extra set of tensioners around here somewhere if you need them.

 

If you are hearing chain noise, and nothing is breaking, it is probably the primaries, they usually give you lots of warning. If they have never been done then the guides and tensioners there are probably shot and that is what you are hearing.

If it was just the secondaries making that much noise, you probably would have jumped a tooth or two on the cam gears by now.

Given the miles on your car, I would do it all and be done with it. Or at least take a good look with a scope and see the condition of the primaries.
Vector

 

Always so the lot! If you only do the upper tensioners, you are saving wrong.

You don't just replace the pulley when you do cambelts...

 

My primary chain broke with only 100.000 mls... very sad!

 

lm at a loss to understand why this is a debate.
lf they haven't been done, or if you are unsure stop farting around and do ALL the tensioners and guides. You have NO way of telling if the guides are cracked by looking at them from the top.

l even have a brand new crank bolt i will send you for free if it helps you stop fishing for answers you want rather than the right one

Lecture over.

 

Markel, you are responding to a post that is almost five years old. I think he has probably sold the car by now.