2.4l timing tensioner ,, incomplete? bad?

[gomer]

OK ,, I've got this 2.4 nearly running ... the girl I bought it from had some "ace mechanic" she always used (looks like he really fu'd the timing components when changing the water pump a few months ago ... I thought it just had a bad head gasket but it actually had broken exhaust valves and a hole in the #3 piston, broken cam chain guides, a oil drain plug that required a breaker bar to remove etc. etc. ,,, so here I am with a new rod/piston and cylinder head , guides etc. ,,, everything's buttoned up with just the timing to go and I'm reading the Haynes manual...

I'm pretty sure my timing tensioner is not only jammed but it appears to be missing a "saddle" piece ,,, the illustrations in the Haynes book don't show what I have ,,, I have the piston riding directly on the back of the tensioner guide piece ,, the book shows some kind of intermediary piece?? also I'm missing an "oil slinger" ,,, seems kinda redundant as the chain will sling plenty of oil but I'm going to replace/add it..

What should the tensioner assembly look like and how do you test it properly?

Thanks

[darkfox]

tensioners only cost 33 bucks from autozone. buy one. used tensoners are such a PITA to mess with its easiest to install a new one. they come pre-loaded with a u-clip. just install the tensioner, get the chain set up the way you want it around the cam gears and shoes water pump and crank and yadda yadda.... then pull the u-clip and BAM you have the proper tension.

there is a single, curved plastic shoe on the tensioner. the pistion pushes against that.

the haynes is made for every quad 4... not all the stuff will correspond with the 2.4. that, and i don't even know what an "oil slinger"is.... :wtf:

[gomer]

So Autozone has the best price ... great ,, the best I could find on a GM 24575512 was $40 plus shipping (almost double at a dealer) ...

I was wondering about that photo ... the setup I found in this motor looked correct with the piston riding on the back of the two piece metal/plastic guide ... I suppose the photo could have been a 1995 2.3 quad ... the oil slinger shown in the Haynes book is a simple plastic disc that slides over the crank with a small paddle to fling oil around inside the timing cover... looks like it would play hell with the PCV system as the output tube would be directly above it on a 2.4 .. there was another discrepancy in the photo as it showed a "e" clip retaining the guide...

Thanks!

[c0mbatphil]

the oil slinger is a retarded looking metal washer thingy that goes on the crank behind the sprocket..

[gomer]

I bought the new tensioner assembly ... AZO listed the style my 97 Z24 had originally installed as "2nd design" , the $28.99 "1st design" is what they stocked and is what Haynes had pictured in their manual ,, it is interchangeable and I think I prefer it because 1.) it has a check valve on the oil feed to the piston and 2.) I like the fact that the adjuster can't back down as it is a ratcheting design... I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if many 2.4 failures were because of leaked down adjusters allowing worn/stretched chains to jump before the slack is taken out (possibly due to revving immediately at startup or using oil that is very thin when hot such as 0-30 or 5-30 and revving after a long idle period with low oil pressure). What makes this odd is that the used long block I bought (a 1996 motor) also had the "2nd design" and it looked original...

[Oldsman71]

i know when i got my tensionor from autozone it had the one you got for 99 but 99 and up used a 2 piece design. where the shoe and tensionor where seperate and the tensionor doesn't use a dowl pin to locate.

i am not sure is 98 is different but 99 and up are.

[darnsuprat]

Ok, i bought the same tensioner that is being discussed here. I installed it on my 2000 Alero.
What was I supposed to do before I installed this tensioner?
There is no tension on the chain.

[zppr17j]

wow now this is raising the dead.

[darnsuprat]

Damn, didn't realize this was such an old post.........did a search and neglected to check the date :)