How to tell whether it's timing chain guide or tentioner problem?

[wagons ho]

300k !!
You know I was kidding, right?
Changing tensioner has no effect on guide life. Ongoing battle with chedster.
Guide life is heat, or vibration. But eventually they will die.


Higher engine speed has less vibration, more frequency.
Higher engine speed has less heat, because usually, higher engine speed means more airflow through the radiator.
Around town, low miles car, constant restarting? Dead at 90k.
Not to discount the effects of dirty, or poor quality oil. But that will take out the tensioner AND the whole engine.
The cost to change at 150-180k vs the cost of replacing a motor? Not a question to even ask. Yes they can go longer, but how was "your" car driven?
I have one that is due, 262k. I don't drive it anywhere, and every time I move it, I ask is today the day?

[JimLev]

I’m with you wagons.
I got the hardware spring from Chedley that he uses. He said it has less tension now that it is 2 years old, so I’m trying to find the same spring he uses so I can test his old and new springs.
For now, all I know is his old hardware store spring has a lot less tension than the 3 used springs that I have from old tensioners.

[300kplus]

So it’s a pro active guesstimate that should be done at say 120k to say 140k or better yet, what does BMW say?
The “depends on how yours was driven” definitely is a strong consideration. I would much rather have some kind of guide (pun intended) to go by and be proactive obviously.
So when does BMW recommend you change the guides on our M62’s and also, is that recommendation the same for vanos and non?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[JimLev]

They have no recommendation. They want you to trade it in before they break.

[Chedley]

Or they want you to fork $ 5,000 -last estimate I got from a BMW dealership- on a "preventative" maintenance job.
Thanks, but no thanks....
I'd rather fork 50 cents on a timing chain tensioner spring every year or so if necessary.

[JimLev]

Chedley, where did you buy that spring from? I want to get one to compare it to the old one you sent me and to the ones BMW uses.