Checking the timing chain

[krede]

Any guidelines to how I check it for wear before I assemble my engine  ?

[Jon Weywadt]

Any guidelines to how I check it for wear before I assemble my engine  ?

Don't know if there is a sure way to check it.
But if you have the end-caps off and can see the whole chain it should be possible to see if there is too much slack.
The chain guides can be adjusted and should take up most of the tension, such that the spring loaded tensioner only has a small amount to pick up.

[GP]

Any guidelines to how I check it for wear before I assemble my engine  ?

Good question and quite difficult to answer without a new chain for comparison in overall length and sideways dangle. I have checked through some workshop manuals in English and German and other than x 96 links there is no mention of allowed tolerances.

All I can suggest is to accurately measure the distance between the 2 x pins on one link slack.
Now layout the chain and count the maximum number of straight links achievable on one side.
Multiply this number by the measurement taken from the 2 x pins on one link.
This is (possibly?) the theoretical length of what the straight links seen should be with no wear.
Now stretch the straight links and measure this actual length. 
Using this actual length measurement against the theoretical length calculated, you should now be able to work out the percentage of wear.
Not sure where to go from here as my brain is now hurting, but greater than 10% I would probably change out. Although as a nice precautionary measure, I would be inclined to change it out regardless if you know the engine/chain mileage and it has done over 160k kms.

If anyone has a better idea please feel free to advise and I stand to be corrected. 

NB: When previously in the car if the engine was lumpy on idle and you had erratic ignition timing this is a symptom of worn timing chain.

[Oetker]

I made aPDF of a Tagora engine but it is in Dutch.
Maybe find one in English because there is a better discription of the engine.

By this pictures you can see the upper chain is mounted on feeling.


If the lower chain is to loose you have to make plates in between the oil pump.
According to the discription it is made of foil thicknes 0.05 - 0.5 mm.
If needed you can use more then one.


Discription doesn't give exact figures.
You have to know what you are doing and they asume you are a experencied mechanic.

Herman