IMO the ratchet works better. Just grind off the lower four teeth and call it a day.
Timing chain guide limits
- Thread starter lilmarauder
- Start date
IMO the ratchet works better. Just grind off the lower four teeth and call it a day.
Ok. I bought the spacers, I'll put them in also.
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If you use the spacer, the ratchet is useless.
The purpose of the ratchet is to put tension on the chain guide, and to stay extended if oil pressure is lost. With the spacer, the height is set purposely and they are fool-proof: if you lose pressure, the tensioner will not collapse with the spacer in there. The spacer also keeps tension on the guide that is just right.
The ratchet can also over-extend with high revs, which puts additional tension on the guide, which does the same to the forward cam lobe. With too much tension on that lobe, it can end up with too little oil and get damaged. The guys at SHM figured this out, thus creating the spacers.
All covered in my build thread...
That's not true. The spacer is a back up if the ratchet were ever to fail. Extremely unlikely but that would be its purpose.
That's not true. The spacer does not put just the right amount of tension. It's actually very minimal tension and oil pressure will supply the remaining tension it needs. You can easily tell when assembling the motor with how much you can wiggle the chains with a screw driver as a pry bar with a spacer only.
Which means tension is constantly varying with oil pressure. Its quite evident from the wear you see on the bottom of the guides from rubbing on the tensioner. If you compare to a chain guide out of a ratchet car there's minimal wear marks because it hardly ever moves.
What do you consider high RPMS? I put my motor together and drove it around moderately for about a thousand miles and pulled it apart. I counted the teeth on the ratchet to see exactly how far it tensions from normal driving. I then put the motor back together and ripped on hard for 2k miles wrapping to about 7500 RPM and when I pulled it apart the ratchets were on EXACTLY the same tooth as before. Holding just the right pressure which the spacer alone does not. Not without some oil pressure once the engine is running.
I've been running the ratchet tensioners for 14 years now through multiple builds in my 03 and my engines get run hard. There's absolutely nothing wrong with them as long as the bottom four teeth are removed to prevent them locking out in an over extended position.
The spacer keeps pressure on the guide when there is no oil pressure: is that better wording for you? Of course the tensioners pump up when there is oil pressure - that is their purpose. As for what is considered high or "too much" RPM's, ask SHM - they were the ones that came up with them for them for good reason.
Knock yourself out if you choose to use the ratchets since they have obviously been around for a while, but there is a reason the spacer is going to work as well. If you use the spacer, it was designed to replace the ratchet, so there is no point having both. The ratchet is there to also maintain tension on the guide when oil pressure has dropped - something that will happen with the spacer in place since the piston will not retract.
The picture right from Hyland's book that I used in my thread (with plenty of input also from Ed):
Knock yourself out if you choose to use the ratchets since they have obviously been around for a while, but there is a reason the spacer is going to work as well. If you use the spacer, it was designed to replace the ratchet, so there is no point having both. The ratchet is there to also maintain tension on the guide when oil pressure has dropped - something that will happen with the spacer in place since the piston will not retract.
The picture right from Hyland's book that I used in my thread (with plenty of input also from Ed):
Yes I'm aware, I have Hyland's book myself. Of course comparing a stock ratchet system to a spacer in a drag racing environment the spacer would be better because the ratchet would get locked out to far. Again shave off the bottom four teeth and you have a better setup IMO. To each their own.
I'm with Malcolm on this. Shave the bottom 4 teeth off the ratchet and run the spacer if you so choose. I personally run the spacer and the 4 teeth ground.
I'm going to do this. Keep both in there. Thanks for all the help everyone.
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