Beware the stray timing chain guide bolt

[eye121]

Has anyone else come to grief because of the stray timing chain tensioner/guide bolt?

My 4.5 oil pump was wrecked by a bolt that fell out of the guide; apparently rebuilders that shall remain nameless failed to Loctite the bolts.

I was apparently lucky(!) that the damage stopped with the pump shaft and sprockets.

Any more 'lucky' cerb owners out there?

[SimonSparrow]

My engine had to come out last year to replace a bolt that fell out. Luckily mine just dropped into the sump, but apparently they normally drop into the timing chain and wreck the engine, so you sound like you've got away ok.

Can you replace yours without removing the engine? Probably worth putting in a new chain too (unless you've just done that)

[julian64]

I did the tappets on my car. One of the cam sprocket bolts was finger loose. Would have been only a few hundred more miles till it worked its way out.

Both cam sprockets came off for the job. One sprocket had been obviously loctited, and one hadn't.

The standard with which the engine had been put together was just dire. I mean I ask you, you're standing in front of an engine ready to put on both cam sprockets. You loctite one, but not the other.

There is very little excuse for that.

I doubt anyone touches the cam sprockets in a service, so possibly it was the factories fault in my case?