Had a timing chain tensioner let go on a 2015 Ford Escape last Thursday

It was a 3.0 liter engine with about 115,000 miles on it. The customer came in with a loud rattle from the front of the engine, and it got worse when they accelerated. I pulled the valve cover off to check, and sure enough, the plastic guide for the timing chain tensioner had shattered into pieces. It's a known weak spot on those motors. I had to order the whole timing kit, which ran about $350 for the parts. The job took me a full day to tear down, clean out all the plastic bits from the oil pan, and put it back together. It's one of those jobs where if you miss one little fragment, you're doing it all over again next week. Has anyone found a more reliable aftermarket tensioner for these, or is the OEM part still the best bet?

2 comments

2 Comments

beth_anderson8d ago

Did the plastic bits make it all the way into the oil pan?

riley5958d ago

Can you see them with a scope?