timing chain

[GTSchris]

my 2000 celica gts is making a little noise under the hood
my friend who is an auto tech, says it sounds like the timing chain
has anyone else had the same noise or had to replace theirs?
and if so how much did it cost?

[FITGT]

Timing chain should last longer than the car.....Try searching "Timing chain"

[Gas-n-Grease]

my car makes noises in the morning due to the morning dew on the drive belt. our cars rarely need to have the timing chain replaced. if you don't have enough oil in the engine to lub the oil enough, it can prematurely damage it.
what kinda sound does it make?

[GSBoek]

If you describe the sound we can do a better job of helping out. I'm with the others, the timing chain and its guide rails rarely ever gave trouble. If your auto tech things it's the chain, I would say it might be the chain tensioner is loose.

[GTSchris]

the sounds is kinda like a tapping sound, maybe like a valve tap, im not sure, yea i hear that ur suppose to not have to change the chain and i thought it didnt have a tensioner, it was just a chain attached to sprockets. but im a new celica owner haha what do i know, i used to have an eclipse

[Gas-n-Grease]

hmm... i think it might just be valve tapping

[GTSchris]

do you think i should bring it to a dealer to look at it just to make sure its ok. or would that be just a waste of money?

[greenstreak]

I wouldn't *ignore any noise like that. It may be nothing but you want to know for sure what the noise is before it turns into something that may be bad.

[Gas-n-Grease]

well the dealership will charge you a lot to get it looked at. i know just to get a CEL diagnosed is around $80-90. I would find a small shop (or where your friend works) and have them take a look at it. should be cheaper than dealership, but I was thinking... if you're timing chain is damaged, it would give you a CEL.

[GSBoek]

Yes, could probably throw a P1346 or something like that if the chain was loose.

I was thinking something, but if your engine was never worked on before it isn't vey probable: The bolts that hold the chain slippers in place do not require a lot of torque. If they were ever overtightened the threads could have been damaged and they don't hold the slippers strong enough. That could cause a tapping/rattling kind of noise that increases with rpm. The fix for that is usually drill and tap new, or use longer bolts that reach the unused threads deeper in the hole.