new to the m42

[viali8]

i have been a member on these forums for quite some time now but know nothing about the m42. My brother is contemplating on picking one up and was asking me about it. What are some things to look for on this motor with about 100,xxx miles.

When would the timing chain, guides, tensioner, have to be addressed.

Are these motors as reliable as the m20?

thanks Matt

[0000000000]

I think they are more reliable than m20s.

[viali8]

as far as difficulty.

is it more difficult to change the timing belt on m20 or timng chain on m42.

at what mileage does the timing chain need to be replaced?

thanks again

[FredK]

Timing chain is more difficult.

There's no set rule on the timing chain for mileage. The tensioner should be replaced maybe every 60-75K miles. If the car has a rattling noise upon startup, this is a sign that the tensioner is bad. At this point I'd crack open the valve cover and inspect the gears for wear.

If you don't rev like crazy the engine will last a long time.

Maybe around 150k you should look at replacing the timing components.

At 100k there should be really no issues. The tensioner should be silent. The engine should have great compression across the board.

[viali8]

thanks for the help

[hamann318is]

Another you want to make sure that has been changed is the timing profile gasket.

Mine had 59k when I picked it up, and it went bad around 70k. It's not a horrible change, but it's something that you want to avoid doing. It should have been done if the car is at 100k, but I'd check to make sure.

[viali8]

thanks for all the help. my brother went to go see the car and it turns out that he doesn^t think the seller was being honest. In the seller^s ad he claims that a new clutch, diff, CAB, ball joints etc were replaced but he doesnt have any maintenance records.

[stevofthahill]

Timing chain is more difficult.

There's no set rule on the timing chain for mileage. The tensioner should be replaced maybe every 60-75K miles. If the car has a rattling noise upon startup, this is a sign that the tensioner is bad. At this point I'd crack open the valve cover and inspect the gears for wear.

If you don't rev like crazy the engine will last a long time.

Maybe around 150k you should look at replacing the timing components.

At 100k there should be really no issues. The tensioner should be silent. The engine should have great compression across the board.

+1 on what he said, some people have had motors past 200k though that have never addressed the timing chain components. For me personally though, I replaced my timing chain tensioner at about 175k, but I did it improperly so I believed I damaged my rail guides in the process. So my chatter got really bad after a 1000 mile road trip. It apparently didn't like to be held at 3-4k rpms for an extended period of time.

Since then I've replaced all my timing components and my motor has never purred smoother.