I occasionally pickup beaters to flip for profit and get myself into all sorts of fun problems. The most recent is a 1998 Altima I picked up with a timing chain rattle. Now I've built all sorts of motors and heard all sorts of bad sounds, but let me tell you, this puppy was LOUD. I knew it was going to be bad when I got in there but this is straight negligence. I'm thinking this kid figured he'd run it straight into the ground . Either way, it'll be fixed, someone will get a solid car and I'll have more monies for the Jeep.

For comical display, here is what I found. Mind you this picture is just after I dropped the lower pan. Thank gawd Nissan put some screen mesh in the pickup tube; it was packed full of pieces. I can't believe it didn't starve the motor.



Here are the new guides and tensioners next to the old.





And the tensioner doing what it could. I found the plunger and springs down in the pan.



And the damage done to the inside of the front cover.

 

WOW!! That is one helluva mess! Good on ya though for fixing it up. More vehicles would last longer if more people would be like you and keep them in proper order. Just look at the Jeep community, that's the main reason these things see 300,000+ miles, we take care of them.

 

^ I know what you're saying man. I had a roommate in collage that used to say things like, "when this car dies, I'm gonna get a..."

What do you mean dies!? LOL

 

Believe it or not I almost see one of these monthly, I dunno what it is about them, and usually it's around 150K miles

 

Love the photos! I enjoy a little carnage once in a while.

 

I feel sorry for you b/c nothing about that job is fun.

 

Most people wont pay to have it fixed.....

 

^ I don't doubt that. I would charge a fortune to do it. What a pain.

 

thatll buff out lol

 

its hard to belive a pc did not get between the chain and gears on the way down and really break something in there

 

you're telling me! Why that didn't happen is beyond me.

 

just did my dads 2001 saturn sc2, to avoid the carnage seen in those pics, no noises or slapping yet, but at over 190K miles the timming set was a must harmonic balancer bolt gave me hell, tried to use starter to break it loose, burnt out his starter ( first time the starter trick let me down) tried to hold exhaust cam still, and sheared the pin off, impact would not budge it, so finally i heated that ***** beet red, and it gave finally, got new a pin and a starter and it runs better than it has in a long time, installed new oil pump set and front seal while i was in there too.

 

^dude, I feel for ya. I can't stand it when I break something else while I'm trying to work on something totally unrelated. I've always used an impact b/c the starter trick worries me. Glad you got it sorted. This carnage could have been avoided if the previous owner would have just replaced the lower tensioner when the chain got audible; easier said than done I guess.


What's funny is since this fix, I realized now the clutch is slipping. The guy told me it was a new replacement, and I didn't believe him until I got in there. Turns out a faulty master cylinder caused him to glaze that new clutch. Makes me wonder who he had do it. If you have the capacity to change a clutch in a FWD vehicle then you'd think you would also lend some attention to the hydraulic assembly. Surely presented its self as an obvious issue when I put this new clutch in.

So now after a new clutch, pressure plate, TOB, pilot bearing, master cylinder, slave cylinder, (2) chain tensioners, (2) chains, (2) guides, and fresh tranny & engine oil I've got a reliable Altima ready for another 150k.

glad that's over with....

 

Wait, that was still running?

 

haha, ya! Sounded TERRIBLE though.