The following is a practical guide on how to find out and the symptoms that your vehicle has a failed time chain.
If you are not an expert in terms of vehicles and engine components, you may not recognize the symptoms indicated by a failed time chain. If you fail to address the initial problem with your vehicle's time chain, you might end up with a more expensive repair.
To help you, carweels.com collects the most common signs that you can find in a vehicle with a broken time chain. Look below:
What is the time chain doing?
Timing chains use various other names such as timing belt, timing chain, and cambelt. This is one of the most important parts of assembling your machine that is responsible for making your engine run.
Without a time chain in good condition, you can't really expect your vehicle to go anywhere. To get a better understanding of what the time chain does and how important it is, read below:
Your engine piston has a camshaft and crankshaft. These pistons move up and down creating strength. The energy created by the piston is taken by the crankshaft and changes the up and down movements into circular motions. The crankshaft then moves the camshaft with another chain.
At the other end of the crankshaft is your vehicle's transmission unit, which is responsible for wheel rotation and power. The Camshaft then opens and closes the exhaust valve and the intake valve.
For each cylinder, the camshaft will open the intake valve to allow the combined amount of fuel and air. The exhaust valve opens next to release burning fuel gas. This process requires that the valve be opened in perfect timing - all of which are made possible by the timing chain.
5 signs that your time chain failed
1. The machine was mistakenly shot
You can identify problems with the time chain if you see a series of failures from your machine. If there is no obvious jam, you are most likely to know whether your vehicle is running less efficiently than before.
In a combustion engine, there are two ways to achieve complete valve timing. We will discuss the two-gear method involving the crankshaft and camshaft gears and the direct connection.
This is usually present in most performance-type machines and vehicles, but can also be present in your usual everyday vehicle. In the two-year method, your time chain can develop.
This is ok at first but further stretching can cause your chain to pass through the gear either on the camshaft or crankshaft. This can cause your engine timings to jump out of the calibration which can cause jams. In the end, your vehicle may run poorly and have inadequate acceleration.
2. The presence of metal shavings in oil
Automotive experts worldwide agree to replace your vehicle's oil and oil filters every 3,000 to 5,000 miles. In the long run, oil will begin to separate when it reaches very high temperatures and become exposed to solvents in gasoline.
If your timing chain is worn out, there may be small chunks and pieces of metal that can break it and somehow enter the oil pan. If you get an oil change (whether in a shop or in DIY), try to notice if there are metal debris or shavings that fly with the old oil.
If your vehicle oil is replaced because of decreased performance and metal shavings are found, you may need to dig a little deeper because these symptoms can be caused by a bad or failed time chain.
There are other reasons why there are metal shavings on used engine oil. This can also come from other internal parts that can also wear out. Some parts that can break metal pieces are retainer, keeper, cylinder head valves along with the rest of the cylinder head hardware.
It is best to consult a licensed mechanic after you see a piece of metal after you change engine oil. A competent mechanic must be able to accurately show which parts you really need to pay attention to.
3. The machine either failed or refused to start
One common sign that your vehicle does have a broken timing chain is if the engine refuses to start or fail when you are driving a car. If you have tried several times and the vehicle has firmly refused to start, then your problem can be a broken time chain.
This happens because there is not enough compression in the internal assembly for the vehicle to start.
On the other hand, if it is damaged and jumps when you drive a vehicle, your piston may be damaged due to contact with the valve. This valve will bend and damage your engine. If the belt appears to jump because it is loose, the belt can sway around the internal unit and become damaged or cause damage to other parts.
While if the engine does not start or is very rough starting, this is likely to indicate that the time chain is almost a failure and you should immediately check it.
4. Check if the engine lights are turned on
The engine lights on your dashboard can light up for various problems. One common reason is a bad or failed chain of time. Your vehicle is equipped with various types of sensors that automatically send messages to the display lights for you to see.
Computers in your vehicle's internal unit can detect stretched time chains or overwork.
Any damage in the time chain will affect engine performance and increase emissions above the normal level. This will trigger the appropriate problem code causing your "engine lights" to turn on.
5. The noise crackles when the engine is idle
Under normal conditions, your vehicle must have a smooth snoring sound that indicates that your engine is fine. On the other hand, any sound whether clanging, crackling, loud or soft can be a sign that something is wrong with the motorbike.
Loose timing chains can produce vibrations in the engine assembly, causing crackling sounds.
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