Timing Chain

JP Liz V1

In a 1L Opel Corsa when does it need replacing and whats the cost?

Nissan doctor

They should last the life of the engine but on the corsa if it hasn't been properly maintained with the correct oil etc then the tensioner can fail, causing the chain to slip.

JP Liz V1

There is a loud noise when I start the car in first gear especially when taking off and I think it is this could it be anything else?

carveone

JP Liz V1 wrote: »

There is a loud noise when I start the car in first gear especially when taking off and I think it is this could it be anything else?

I had an old Corsa and the overhead cam was very noisy - my friend's Corsa was the same - I guess that car had crappy cam material.

Other than that, I don't know - if the timing chain had gone I'd think you'd know it. Does the noise change or fade? I think you need a mechanic to actually stand there and listen.

JP Liz V1

carveone wrote: »

I had an old Corsa and the overhead cam was very noisy - my friend's Corsa was the same - I guess that car had crappy cam material.

Other than that, I don't know - if the timing chain had gone I'd think you'd know it. Does the noise change or fade? I think you need a mechanic to actually stand there and listen.

It fades

Nissan doctor

I'd say the tensioner is getting weak and it takes a while for it to build up pressure, thats why its noisy on start up.

Lucifer

Nissan doctor wrote: »

I'd say the tensioner is getting weak and it takes a while for it to build up pressure, thats why its noisy on start up.

As above, have changed loads of them due to being badly serviced. You need to replace the chain, tensioner, and rails. And change the oil at the same time and make sure it is done in the future. Expect to pay somewhere between 300 and 600 depending on where you get it done.

JP Liz V1

Thanks all sounds like a very costly job

Lucifer

JP Liz V1 wrote: »

Thanks all sounds like a very costly job

It will be cheaper fix it now, if it broke it will cost a lot more.

carveone

Lucifer wrote: »

As above, have changed loads of them due to being badly serviced. You need to replace the chain, tensioner, and rails. And change the oil at the same time and make sure it is done in the future. Expect to pay somewhere between 300 and 600 depending on where you get it done.

Thanks Lucifer. I didn't expect the chain to go like that - I thought the tensioner would last just as long as the chain. I was asking someone who knows Toyotas and Mazdas more and he said that the tension is controlled by a hydraulic piston style tensioner - he'd seen a few where the tensioner would stick closed and the chain would make a racket on start up. Is that the same thing on the Corsa?

I guess you can't get at the tensioner without pulling the lot apart, hence the cost. And if you're doing all that, you might as well change the chain while you're there right?

Nissan doctor

carveone wrote: »

Thanks Lucifer. I didn't expect the chain to go like that - I thought the tensioner would last just as long as the chain. I was asking someone who knows Toyotas and Mazdas more and he said that the tension is controlled by a hydraulic piston style tensioner - he'd seen a few where the tensioner would stick closed and the chain would make a racket on start up. Is that the same thing on the Corsa?

I guess you can't get at the tensioner without pulling the lot apart, hence the cost. And if you're doing all that, you might as well change the chain while you're there right?

The reason you change the whole lot is because if the tensioner has failed, the chain will have been rattling around causing wear on itself and the chain guides etc.

The tensioner on the corsa is hydraulic but it uses a spring to hold the tension on until the oil pressure builds up after starting. This spring usually breaks leading to no tension on the chain during and immediately after start up.