Nice to have the forum back. I had asked a question a few days ago and in between new changes here, I see 16 people read my post but I guess no one has an answer to my question.

I have been hearing loud click and clacking sounds at the front of my engine, and only after starting it cold in the morning. After a few minutes running, the sounds dissappears, until the next morning start-up.

Is it possible that the timing chain tensioner could be causing, or making, these click / clack sounds?

It sounds like a chain fetching up on sprokets, but I'm not sure at all that is what I'm hearing?

It sounds pretty serious and worries me that something is going to let go soon!

Next week, I will be installing a new head gasket, so I will be able to look around in there.

Any thoughts would be apprieciated............Steve

Steve:

Bad lifters or a bad belt tensioner shock will both make serious sounding rackets. I have a clacking lifter (only sometimes) and my brother had a bad belt shock -- rattled terribly, sounded like something bad was wrong.

You can check the belt shock by pressing it sideways with the engine running with a large screwdriver. If the noise stops while you are pushing, the gromet at the base is gone and you must replace the shock (grommet is vulcanized in place).

Bad lifters sound just like bad Chevy lifters, will be easy to locate. You can test them in place by rotating the crank and pressing down on them when they are not under pressure by a cam lobe. If you can push them down with a screwdriver, they are shot. If you have bad ones, I'd replace the lot while you have the head out (although it's rather expensive) and the theory that if some are bad, the rest will be soon. You must remove the cam.

However, you also may just have bad o-rings on the oil filter housing center "bolt" -- there are two, toward the bottom, and if they are old, rock hard, and leaking, all the oil will leak down out of the lifter gallery overnight. Causes quite a bit of lifter clack until they re-fill. You can order them or just buy an o-ring assortment and find some that fit. They do not come with a new oil filter, although I think they should. Usually last at least a couple years.

A bad chain tensioner will allow too much slack in the chain, and it will slap against the tensioner rail until oil pressure pushes the tensioner out properly. In that case, the noise will be at the front of the engine inside the chain case. Cure is a new tensioner, which I would put in as a matter or course while doing a head gasket.

Peter

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1972 220D ?? miles
1988 300E 200,012
1987 300D Turbo killed 9/25/07, 275,000 miles
1985 Volvo 740 GLE Turobodiesel 218,000
1972 280 SE 4.5 165, 000 - It runs!

Thank you for your good advise Peter. I was on the phone today with Phil at fastlane pricing new lifters! I thought I would find out if I can afford to replace all of them now and Phil quoted me $18 and change each, down from 28 bucks or so, he said!

I'm inclined to believe it may be the tensioner and will replace that too!

It didn't do it this morning! It is hard to locate where sound originates usually, but I put a long socket extension from my ear to varied places around the head and it was coming from somewhere in that area the chain is housed, I'm pretty sure?

I have isolated were my oil leak is and it is at the passengers side and aft at the head to block, head gasket.

I just got my CD shop-repair manual and have now the cam removal sequece info, new head bolts, gasket, and a new click-stop type torque wrench but strill need to get the hex socket for the head bolts.

I will have the head skimmed and have it magnafluxed.

Now I'm thinking maybe I should do a new chain too! Thank you for your help, I'll post my success next week some time. Next, I'll try to understand why my turbo has very low boost and will try to fix it too! :p

Doesn't a 603 engine have an aluminum head? I don't think an aluminum head can be magnafluxed.

P E H

[QUOTE=P.E.Haiges]Doesn't a 603 engine have an aluminum head? I don't think an aluminum head can be magnafluxed.

P E H[/QUOTE


Yes, you are right! I was mistaken for the name of the process for detecting cracks etc. in an aluminum head.

What is the name of the process? I have thought there was such a process. I had planned on asking the machine shop who will skim the head to do this check.

Definitely not magnaflux. I had the head off my 603 (255K miles and its a #14 BTW) and it was pressure checked. I don't know how they perform the pressure check but that is definitely worth pursuing. I had two tiny corrosion areas that came down almost all the way when skim cut.
DDH

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'95 E320 Wagon my favorite road car. '99 E300D wolf in sheeps body, '87 300D Sportline suspension, '79 300TD w/ 617.952 engine at 367,750 and counting!