Thanks for the info. I'm nearly at 150,000, so I've been searching this forum and others about when to change the chain, but the consensus seems to at either 150,000, 200,000, or when it rattles. I just might take the middle ground and change it at 200,000. But I have two questions:

1) When I took my valve cover off last week, I was able to push the chain (at the midpoint of the intake and exhaust) with my thumb about a 1/4 inch, and with both hands about 1/2 an inch. Does this indicate anything? I would think that because the chain is so long and windy, pushing the chain at that point wouldn't give any useful information....

2) I did find that the top left guide was broken in a few places in some minor ways, and I couldn't find the pieces anywhere (I'm going to go through the sump pan next week). That might account for the ticking noise I've been getting. But could it also indicate that the chain is too lose or stretched, and it's vibrating, causing the breaks in the guide? Or, was the break inevitable, given the car is 10 years old with 150,000? After all, if the chain was vibrating and causing the guide to crack, wouldn't the top right guide crack as well?

Thank you all for any insight.

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