Geo Hahn
Yoda
Offline
I know the adage ‘Don’t ask the question if you don’t want to hear the answer’ but here’s my question anyway:
My 59 TR3A has always had slightly noticeable timing chain noise. It lacks the sound deadening on the cover so that certainly adds to whatever noise is normal for these.
Recently the noise became much more noticeable at hot idle – the extra noise is not apparent at cold idle or at any engine speed above idle.
The obvious suspect is the timing chain tensioner and the obvious fix is to replace it (and whatever else looks like it needs replacing whilst in there).
What’s stopping me is that the paint is pretty nice (albeit 11 years old) and the apron has not been removed in at least 34 years – possibly longer. It has been removed at some point because someone kindly busted off most of the 12 bolts to the caged nuts – the p/s wing has only 2 of those bolts in place, the d/s only one. Goodness knows what is holding things together as the body is quite tight & rattle free.
So my temptation is to drive it this way until something happens (radiator failure, steering box rebuild, front seal leak. Armageddon) that has me removing the apron anyway.
I do drive the car fast and far (but < 500 miles form home) so if the worst case scenario is coming home on the hook I can live with that. I have 200-mile towing which would at least get me to somewhere where I could get home on a borrowed trailer or just pay the man the $$.
I know it is hard to say what is best unless you can hear the noise in person – but opinions invited nonetheless.
My 59 TR3A has always had slightly noticeable timing chain noise. It lacks the sound deadening on the cover so that certainly adds to whatever noise is normal for these.
Recently the noise became much more noticeable at hot idle – the extra noise is not apparent at cold idle or at any engine speed above idle.
The obvious suspect is the timing chain tensioner and the obvious fix is to replace it (and whatever else looks like it needs replacing whilst in there).
What’s stopping me is that the paint is pretty nice (albeit 11 years old) and the apron has not been removed in at least 34 years – possibly longer. It has been removed at some point because someone kindly busted off most of the 12 bolts to the caged nuts – the p/s wing has only 2 of those bolts in place, the d/s only one. Goodness knows what is holding things together as the body is quite tight & rattle free.
So my temptation is to drive it this way until something happens (radiator failure, steering box rebuild, front seal leak. Armageddon) that has me removing the apron anyway.
I do drive the car fast and far (but < 500 miles form home) so if the worst case scenario is coming home on the hook I can live with that. I have 200-mile towing which would at least get me to somewhere where I could get home on a borrowed trailer or just pay the man the $$.
I know it is hard to say what is best unless you can hear the noise in person – but opinions invited nonetheless.