Re: Not indicated until the chain goes... (archive)

James is absolutely correct. Have the chain, tensioner, etc. and crank hub replaced if the car passes a thorough prepurchase inspection including leak down test. If it doesn't pass a leak down test look elsewhere unless you own your own shop.

Paws

To my knowledge, he has not indicated a need for the replacement of these parts at any of the regular interval services.

They don't seem bad until you decide to gun it and the chain lets go at 6000 RPM. What a buzz-kill! Ask anyone to whom it has happened. You end up with bent valves, a couple of damaged pistons, and posible head casting damage. Not worth the risk, to me. It may cost you $1200 for your mechanic to do the job, but compare that to $8000 for a BMW remanufactured engine. Metric Mechanic will do the whole job for about $8500, including some minor upgrades, clean-up, installation, and tuning.

198,xxx miles is really high on these high-strung engines. It will last, but you may want to do a leak-down and compression test sometime soon. If they check out, see how much your mechanic will charge for the chain job. You'll want a new chain, guides, tensioners, tensioner piston assembly, and sprockets. He could even install the Fahey crank hub while he's at it.

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