Cologne 2.9 engine rattle - help please

[MisterTee]

Hello all

I’m after some advice/thoughts on a strange rattle which I’ve just noticed on my TVR S3 (pre-cat) which has the Cologne 2.9 V6 and Type 9 gearbox fitted.

The car will start first time (as always) and sounds perfectly normal at idle. It also revs and drives perfectly well, but has started to make a strange rattling noise as the revs are dropping. It sounds like a chain catching on something and seems to be coming from the front near side of the engine.

My uninitiated and semi-informed (I’ve looked through the Haynes manual for the 2.9) view (guess) is that it could be the timing chain tensioner, but I’d welcome others thoughts (I appreciate it’s difficult without actually hearing it).

Are the chain tensioners prone to giving up the ghost? There seemed to be mixed views from the people I spoke to today at a big TVR meet - some said they are renowned for failing when others didn’t seem to think so.

Any help/ideas would be appreciated before I go spending my hard-earned on something I don’t need to.

Cheers

Andy

[BillyWhizz888]

Ill see if can dog out photos prob be layer om if not just after weekend.

Had front of the 2.9 to bits in our cortina

The timing chain guides are plastic and prone to breaking up. Wasn't too big a job to split and check

I think we had ours split due to.the Crank pulley breaking

[BillyWhizz888]

Sadly cancel that only got pics of it built back up no longer have pics with it in bits