Timing Chain Tensioner Videos

[marshman]

Stripped the front of the Stag engine down this morning to investigate my knocking noise. I videoed thetensioners with the engine running. the front (RH) tensioner clearly working ok, lots of oil. Rear (LH) tensioner, no oil visible and lots of movement. so removed offending tensioner, nearly lost it in the sump as it sprang apart:shock:, cleaned it up, no visible blockage, re-assembled and now lots of oil and smoothish tensioner action.However the knock is still there. Not as bad as it was as it seems to come and go.

Have posted to videos - before and after. Worth a look if you want to see whats going on inside the timing cover with the engine running!! I'm afraid the files are a bit bigbut they are detailed,they are around 70Mb and need Applequicktime to view them - or the right plugin for windows media player.figure out how to do it.

Link:

http://www.thejonesgroup.co.uk/stag/timing_chains.htm

Best to "right click" on the two files and save them to your computer to watch them.

EDIT: I have now uploaded lower quality (smaller) files to youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfcLGNo1wx8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxJuGzelPN4

Interesting to note the oilflow is there within seconds from a cold start. Engine had not been started for a week before the first shot was taken. (I actually counted the number of frames and it is 62 frames from when the engine first starts to rotate to when the first drop of oil emerges from the tensioner - almost exactly 2 seconds - the second time it was 41 frames which is about 1.3 seconds:shock::shock::shock:I must get out more)

Roger

[Arbman Al]

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Link doesn't work for me

[Andy Rundell]

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arbman101 wrote:

Link doesn't work for me

It worked ok for me, page has the description, then the two mov files - I'm afraid i can't help much with the problem Roger - but the video is excellent quality !

.....Andy

[Stagdad]

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Worked for me ,very interesting to see it all going on.

Cheers Steve

[marshman]

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ThoughtI might add that the tensioners are the Rolon ones with the small pin hole oil feeds. So god knows how much oil came out of the earlier style tensioners with the larger holes:shock:. The oil flow onto both chains looks more than adequate to me.

Roger

[singapore stag]

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marshman wrote:

ThoughtI might add that the tensioners are the Rolon ones with the small pin hole oil feeds. So god knows how much oil came out of the earlier style tensioners with the larger holes:shock:. The oil flow onto both chains looks more than adequate to me.

Roger

I was wondering, why has the tensioners oil feed been changed from a larger hole to the one with the pin hole size ?.

Did a group of engineerssit round a draftsmens table and decided that this needs to be changed and that it is for the best and designed the new tensioners.Where is the research and subsequent results to warrant such a change to be found ?

When things like this happens it fills one up with consternation.


Sukh.

[marshman]

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Hi Sukh,

On one of the other threads about tensioners someone said it was to help improve the oil pressure. Looking at the amount of oil coming from the two tiny holes I can believe that it must make a difference. I would think it was a British Leyland engineering change at some stage later inthe Stags production run. Most pattern parts arejust copies of the manufacturers originals.

Roger

[singapore stag]

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Oh, so it is not something new then. I was under the impression that this change to the tensioners was relatively new, a sort ofengineering money saving practice.

I presume one has to be careful then if other oil pressure enhancing devices are fitted coupled with this tensioner that also raises oil pressure ?.

Sukh

[marshman]

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Videos now posted to Youtube.

This one is with the oilway blocked. You can clearly hear the knocking and see the tensioner moving. Also there is no oil dripping from the guide for the LH chain.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfcLGNo1wx8

This second video is after I cleared the oilways. Much smoother, though the knocking is still there intermittantly. Note the oil now dribbling from the LH chain guide shwing good flow of oil.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxJuGzelPN4

The Video quality not as good as originals but still OK. Click on the original link at the top of this thread for the high quality videos where you can actually see the oil exiting the tensioners.

Roger

[richardthestag]

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pretty much the same noise as mine made IIRC. strange how mine was also the "long" jackshaft chain as well? When you get the chains off check for any play in the front jackshaft bearing - up/down side/side. else replace chains check that the tensioner fits into the tube snuggly and pray.

I could NOT get my old chain to fit properly which is why I went new and the problem - went away :?

[Gresley]

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Fascinating videos - I didn't realise so much oil squirted about in the chain casing.

[NickA]

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singapore stag wrote:

Oh, so it is not something new then. I was under the impression that this change to the tensioners was relatively new, a sort ofengineering money saving practice.

I presume one has to be careful then if other oil pressure enhancing devices are fitted coupled with this tensioner that also raises oil pressure ?.

Sukh

OEM tensioners are Renolds and they've always had the hole in the slipper. Don't think Mr Triumph ever redesigned these. They're the same part for the later TR7 and Dolly's.The Rolon ones are copiesbut why they're not exact copies I don't know, but I don't buy it as an enginering re-design more a money saving one. I also don't see how a change in the hole size is going have that mucheffect on the overall oil pressure but I'll stand corrected if someone knows different

[pitzey]

Did this problem ever get sorted

[marshman]

Did this problem ever get sorted

which problem. If you mean the knocking then no. It still does it when cold - it eases off when the engine warms up. I am about to strip the engine down again to sort it out once and for all. Will post my findings in a few weeks time.

Why do you ask?

[pitzey]

Mine has a knock which you can hear more when the engine gets warm due to the viscosity of the oil getting thinner, it come from the front and if you place your hand on the left hand rocker cover you can feel the vibration on that , so i think mine is a tensioner or loose pulley ... or not enough oil getting through to lube the chains