16v tensioner

[kennycoulter]

I am still collecting parts, hoping to do it all at one time. I ordered the tensioner pads. I have measured and modeled them in Inventor, if anyone is interested.


I am open to ALL and ANY suggestions, to make sure that I do this correctly and finally get the car on the road.

[Zirconocene]

My 2 cents for what it's worth:

Take a good look at the tensioner pads and if you're at all worried about them, replace them. Better not to have to do that work again.

Definitely replace the chain; good aftermarket options are cheap.

I wouldn't worry about the tensioner itself; it seems to be a pretty robust unit and sees constant lubrication so I think it's generally OK. I don't remember exactly, but it may be worth looking for replacement o rings (I can't remember which engine has these, so apologies if I got that wrong).

You'll be pretty deep into the guts of the front end of the car with what you're planning, so I would take a good look at the sensor on the back of the distributor; you should have great access to address any needed fixes due to heat and age related connector degradation.

Replace the camshaft caps. They're probably not an issue but new ones are cheap and you'll be right there.

That's all I can think of right now.

ETA: Since I didn't answer some of your questions. I don't know about any kit availability, but 944Online and Paragon Parts have a good selection of bits.

I don't think you need to worry about the oil line to the tensioner, just be very careful with it as it's an expensive part to replace.

Inspect your timing belt tensioner. New versions are expensive but you can decide on your level of paranoia for that part.

Not front of the engine but if you have the intake off, you should look to replace oil dipstick o rings.

Good luck

[NCGermerican]

A word of caution - if/when you replace the tensioner oil supply line crush rings, BE SURE to plug the oil return galleys directly beneath it with shop towels, etc. If you drop one of the crush rings down there.......your project just became 100x more complicated. They're aluminum so you can't use the help of a magnet to keep them from dropping - and they're covered in oil.

To replace the cam timing chain, you'll need to remove the cams. If you're going to go through all that, it can't hurt to test the lifters to make sure they're all working properly. NC944er has a video on his Youtube channel for testing them out. Just BE SURE to keep them in the same order. There is a writeup on Clark's Garage for removing the cams - it's part of the writeup on removing the head on a 16v car.

https://www.clarks-garage.com/pdf-manual/cyl-04.pdf

There's also a great video from Carpoke's member @Dr944S2 that shows the steps on removing the cams, chain, pads, etc.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhpucaR ... 51&index=5

Lastly, when you get it all back together, you'll need to time your ignition.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rm6d_Ntvgi0

In fact, here's his whole playlist on an S2, which can almost all be applied to an S as well:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=P ... 8778988E51

Keep us updated!