Re: Symptoms of loose timing chain?

ok none of that ;-) 88 taurus 3.0

have a neighbor who had a metal timing chain go on a 68 old cutlass years ago.. he would crank,crank, crank, and nothing.. go inside and come back out and it would start right up.. turn it off and just crank.. the chain was jumping in and out of timing and did this.... dont know about the noises, but i guess it would make a wining noise if loose.. i never had any problems with timing chains......

One of the first things I was told shortly after buying my first car was that the timing chain had slipped. This came from a fairly well reputed mechanic. I refused to believe it so I researched it. Usually, an engine with a loose chain that has slipped a cog will still run. You might have to crank the rotor around a bit to make it run OK. The exhaust will lisp - if you hold a card against the tailpipe, it will alternately blow away and then get sucked back against the pipe. The engine will have no pep and just sound wrong. Timing chains stretch with age and you can usually hear one slapping around inside before it jumps. It doesn't happen very often.

Many newer engines use a timing belt. With wear, the cogs can fail and these slip. Depending on engine design, the piston can hit the end of an extended valve causing all sorts of damage. I was fortunate in that the only time this happened to me, the engine was designed so the pistons and valves couldn't touch. A new belt and the car was as good as new.

I hope this is helpful - Paul in Dayton

have a problem startng the car... pops when accelerating... was told its not the timing chain because sometimes the car starts first crank other times it will sit for a week without starting

would the TPS cause this?

it could be. What kind of car, engine, etc? Do you have a check-engine lite or a computer code?

Paul

the car doesnt have a cel since its an 88 taurus 3.0, and it says lean bank

i get paid on monday, so i can finally buy the tps :D crossing my fingers its a sensor and not the timing chain.......... the car only has 104K miles on it. :(

thanks

well i looked all around... the computer stores codes, but it doesnt have a CEL light or the bulb burnt out heh

the chain cant just be loose?

check-engine

so then what do u think is causing it

had the fuel pump replaced and all sorts of other stuff not quite sure about the cars history

could be fuel, plugs, wires, TFI, or even a bad ignition switch. A good mechanic or a good Ford dealer* should be able to sort it out. There are ways to read the computer codes without using the "check engine" light.

• They do exist, they're just hard to find.

Paul in Dayton