shooterblaze250

Fired up the Atom yesterday and heard this...


I have a exhaust leak so I know some of the sound is coming from that but it sure sounds like my timing chain is out of wack. Anyone else experience this? Motor has 7200 miles on it. I haven't done a compression check yet.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

user 72239

iTrader: (4)

Its a problem in all LSJ motors. Buy an upgraded one from CED for 50 bucks and put it in yourself. problem solved

shooterblaze250

Thanks Lee,

I assume you're talking about this one? Ecotec Timing Chain Tensioner 12608580

Can it really go bad after just 7k miles? I'll prob run a compression test and drain the oil just to be sure nothing else is going on.

user 72239

iTrader: (4)

Thats the one.

It is odd it went bad so early but the original timing chain tensioner was ****. its a known problem on all LSJs. Easy to swap

shooterblaze250

Right on, thanks. I really appreciate it. Is there a how-to article that you'd recommend? I did a quick search and found a ton (some of which don't seem viable).

Twoozofjuice

iTrader: (7)

have any vids of having fun with your car? lol I like those

user 72239

iTrader: (4)

Theres a couple How To's on here about it. The one that I recommend is just taking the old one out and putting the new one in. I dont have the link handy though

shooterblaze250

Ok, cool thanks! I'll let ya know how it goes.

shooterblaze250

Heh...I have a few. Nothing too crazy.

noorj

iTrader: (17)

so sweet! nice driving too. hope the tensioner swap goes well for you

Twoozofjuice

iTrader: (7)

very nice. must be fun as heck to drive those things around lol

mrbelvedere

iTrader: (3)

when I was stationed travis afb I spent many a Wednesday there for the street drags

shooterblaze250

Thanks! I just ordered the tensioner but likely wont get to it for a few weeks.

Yeah, it's pretty fun but you have to be willing to answer the same 20 questions over and over and over. You get used to it but there have been a few times where I've been tempted to answer with false information just for fun. hehe

Sweet. Yeah, I never really got into the drag scene but have been out to Sacramento Raceway a few times to watch. Always makes me want a old school muscle car.

JshLnsctt

iTrader: (15)

I bought the same tensioner off Amazon, $30 with 2day shipping. Just changed mine last week, took about 5mins

riceburner

iTrader: (66)

thanks for posting the vids! i love the lsj atom sadly theres almost no footage of it

shooterblaze250

Thanks for the tip. I think I'll end up opening the valve cover just to be certain nothing looks out of place. I only drove a mile or so after the noise started so hopefully no damage was done.

No Problem. You're right, most videos are all k20/k24.

05RLS2

iTrader: (1)

Be sure to take the cover off and secure the cam gears when swapping the tensioner. Better safe than sorry

shooterblaze250

Yeah, will do. The tensioner arrived yesterday so I might start to work on it this weekend.

shooterblaze250

Finally got around to install the new tensioner today and I can't get this thing to reset (spring out) to save my life. Tried banging the back of it with a hammer, using a small plastic piece to hit the chain and even tried resetting the tensioner so its not fully locked into the unsprung mode. Nothing is working and I'm starting to lose it! Any suggestions?

c130aviator

iTrader: (8)

I find it funny that my posts were scoffed at when I went through all my timing issues. Yet here is another person with a timing issue. I am a pro at setting the timing up now. Done it like 5 times. Had a bad tensioner, replaced and retimed, then I had a bolt break on the tenisioner, replaced it and upgraded the bolt to a 10.9 metric. Used heavier grade oil (10w30) to up my oil pressure for the tensioner in higher rpms which has seemed to help a lot. But i am almost done with my new engine breaking I am running 5w30 again. I have lots of vids and post around here of all the timing stuff I have done. Its often talked about but I am the only one that put time into my issues and posted my results.

i dont know about an atom but in a cobalt you can depress the gas and clutch and start it to turn it over in flood mode and it wont start but it will build oil pressure to reset it. On an atom you may have the same. If not pull the plug on the coil packs the fuel relay and turn it over for 18 revs.

shooterblaze250

Thank you very much for the suggestion but the new tensioner is spring and not oil pressure actuated.

c130aviator

iTrader: (8)

ah yeah I had the old one like that too, take off the valve cover and stick a rubber handled tool down there and tap on the guide pinching the chain between the rubber handled tool and the tensioner, you should get a satisfying snap into place. Mine worked this way when it was the revered style where you can see the latching and spring mech.

shooterblaze250

Guess I'll just keep trying. I'm on my 7th or 8th "reset" because when i unscrew the tensioner it turns it counter clockwise which releases the catch and springs it out.

shooterblaze250

Last questions for tonight...

1) why can't I just install the damn thing with it expanded out if I make sure the notch is aligned correctly? (see picture)

2) Do you always need to check the timing even though I zip tied the cam gears and chain?

YelloEye

iTrader: (3)

I can't answer your first question, I haven't tried that before. However the 2nd one, I would at least spin the motor through a full cycle by hand to make sure you're not going to smash your valves. My buddy did the bungie cord method at some point when he pulled the head or cams, he stuck it back together and just cranked it on his 2.2 L61 motor, bent all 8 exhaust valves.

"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." -Benjamin Franklin

You did the Zipties though so I think you should be alright.

Found this too if you haven't seen it already. https://www.cobaltss.net/forums/how-...sioner-276244/ mentions getting the tensioner in there and then smacking the chain with something.