Duh! Brain cramp! Thanx. Thinking of my old E-type, forgot we have V-8s.

 

While on vacation, I gave the cat to my indy of 30 years for a complete job. Change the tensioners, chains, guides, thermostat & housing and water pump, as well as coolant flush & fill, oil change. I'm particularly glad I didn't rely on an inspection of tensioners because one idiot of a prior owner changed ONE. Yep, there was one metal secondary tensioner and the other (original) was cracked. Visually, the chains and primary tensioners looked OK, however that wasn't the case with the guides. All guides had cracks in the fiber, with one actually broken into loose pieces.


Look closely at the pic and you'll see the crud in the crevasses. The indy said that it took a couple hours just to clean the crud off the inside of the cam covers. And to think I had driven this cat at 80 mph, and the engine didn't protest with the slightest irrational noise. No, even the indy didn't hear anything alarming during the diagnosis process. And the only thing it didn't need was the new water pump, which had already been changed to one with a metallic impeller.

With the other repairs I've made and will be making I'm considering the mechanic's opinion to sell it before it becomes a money pit. I still have the check engine light and roof hydraulics to address, and hope that the fail-safe mode doesn't return. The car has 97,000 miles, and Wife loves it, so I hope roof and engine light are the end of the non-routine stuff.

As info, parts and labor was $1800 and included complete replacement of timing chains, tensioners, and guides; replacement of thermostat & metal housing; replacement of water pump; replacement of spark plugs; coolant flush & fill; and oil change.

 

Ow, that sounds painful. I'd hate to have a brain cramp. Is it similar in pain to a migraine?

 

Amazing what a good mechanic can do. The dealership charged me over $4K for similar work. Arrrrrgggghhh! Still traumatized, but each time I'm driving with the top down, music up and scenery flying by, I get over it a bit.

 

Your cost of $4000.00 was a good/fair price. It cost me over $600 just to see if the secondary tensioners were replaced. If they were replaced the cost would have been $936.00 for the secondary tensioner alone. In talking with my local trusted service facility, they use repair guidelines to determine estimated hours for repairs. The number of hours is extensive. For a water pump replacement on my 1998 XK8, it was $305.00. When the first water pump was installed the mechanic felt it had to much drag / resistance. They figured it was a unit that was dropped. They removed the unit and replaced it with another new unit. Basically the dealership made no or little money on repair since it was done twice. Once again, your price considering the work involved is fair, the $1800.00 price mentioned flawed me when reported.

 

$600 to see if the tensioners were replaced? That's less than 1 hr work for an experienced mechanic. They must love to see your car.

 

Yeah, it (pleasantly) surprised me too! I first used this mechanic in 1984, and even worked for him for a couple years when he first opened his shop in the late '90's. He's fair, honest, competitive, and the best mechanic I've ever known. Yes, he'll cut me some slack from time to time.

 

In my dreams I can't imagine it taking one hour. The replacements seals alone for both sides were in the range of $200. No respectable would put the covers back without new seal Just cleaning the covers and removing old seals ...etc would take over 30 minutes. I seen the car when it was apart and the work involved was not a walk in the park.

 

So, I have this on the list for my wife's 2001. So my question is that I understand that there are three generations of tensioners. One to the 99 model year, one to the 4.2? So, if that is true, and if what I have is second generation, then I assume it is better but still not satisfactory and should be replaced by the third generation?

Anyhow, some sage clarification would be appreciated. Figured I would tag on to this post rather than starting another.

 

Hunter, consensus is clear, the 2nd gen are crap. You are well advised to put this task at top of your list. The tensioners out of my 2001 showed the classic cracks.

Steve

 

+1 on Steve's response. My 2001 also had cracked tensioner bodies. Use nothing but the 3rd gen metal bodies. Sooner is better.