I really doubt it pops on its own. That means you'd have to start the car with a slack chain. No thanks. Just man up and take the valve cover off and do it properly. You've wasted more time on here worrying about it than it takes to remove the cover. Like I said, whatever your issue is, it's probably not the tensioner anyways.

was this year's ago? New tensioner or old style??

So you ended up pulling the cover on yours to set or scewed it in present?

It's the new style. I did my timing chain so I had to pull the valve cover.

Oh I see .... So everytime you pulled the tensioner it was always still compressed?

Think I could just swap the dang tensioner then?

Pre set and screw it in without the chain coming off any of the gears?

If it's the new style you can just reset it and put it back in. Why are you doing it anyways?

I can direct swap a new style in?

I'm swapping a new one in as my chain rattles in higher rpm.
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How sure are you that one of the guides isn't broken? That's a much more likely scenario here.

Well wtf. Do your timing chain if it rattles lol. That's got nothing to do with the tensioner. It's probably stretched

How's it more likely .... It idle's fine .... Normal revs is fine .... Higher rpm then I get rattle ....

Why were new revision tensioners created .... Because the olds ones were allowing slop creating chain rattle .... The tensioner in there is likely an old one. I'd rather try changing the tensioner first before fiddling around with other things .... A tensioner is an easy, cheap process of elimination item.

If I can buy a new tensioner and install it without pulling covers than it's a win ....

The reason I created this thread was to figure out how to straight swap the tensioner. Which I'm still vague on ....

All the help so far is much appreciated.

The tensioner tensions the timing chain to the best of my knowledge .... So if the tensioner is faulty than it could be allowing slack in the chain ....

I am quite certain all LNF's have the new style tensioner

Could be .... But Powell says he's seen revision ones fail .... Saw it on a thread .... Like I've read through so many threads trying to figure out how to DIY this ....

New style right.

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cob...00c328bc66.jpg

Looks like it.

So I got information from Powell on how to do the direct swap .... Will post back about success and the process i ended up using.

Lol the only way to direct swap is to activate it then screw it in. I can't see any other way

It activates from oil pressure ....

I wouldn't trust that man. Why happens if you skip a tooth and it's out of timing?

Well then my engine will be f$cked ....
I got the directions from John Powell himself who's installed hundreds of the new style tensioner.

I'll post up his directions and and my results when I've done the install ....

This tensioner literally doesn't set ....
ive been playing around with it and when you hang it plunger side down, the plunger will extend .... And when you put it on the crown flat on my desk, the plunger will slide all the way back in.

Basically it's heavily reliant on oil pressure.
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No it's not lol. You have to push and turn it and the spring will pop out and sorta lock it

This. Look up videos on YouTube comparing the two designs. The fact that you can easily move yours means it's not set. Push it and twist, see what happens. Still don't see why you haven't just done it yet.

If I push it in completely and turn it clockwise, absolutely nothing happens ....

Then you're either doing it wrong or it's broken

Either buy or make yourself a pair of snap ring pliers, take out the snap ring and disassemble it. I've reactivated mine many times and it's fine