That's true, the upper chain is the one that usually shows the most wear. But
the
lower chain doesn't cost that much, especially compared to the gears, and since
the front cover is off, you might as well do it and not have to worry about it.
The lower chain may be good for 100K+ miles, but the upper one should be good
for
60K. So the bet is that your lower chain will be good enough to last through 2
upper chains. Probably not a bad bet, but if you lose, it's gonna cost a lot
more
to straighten all those valves.
It's the same logic as doing the throwout bearing whenever you do a clutch. It
doesn't cost that much extra, and think about how much work it is to get to it
if
it fails.
Toby B wrote:
> Now,
> smack me if this is way off base, but
> isn't the upper chain usually the culprit? The lower chain in 1600 form
> is a durable little beast, good for 100k+ miles, and not too prone to
> jumping out of the engine.
> So if one was feeling cheap, wanting to get more ventilated-hood-free
> miles out of a rattly-but-usable U20, wouldn't an upper-chain-ectomy be
> a reasonably intelligent compromise?
> Toby
> Several U20's, but I actually DRIVE a 1600!
>
> Gordon Glasgow wrote:
> >
> > If you've got everything off, do both chains and both tensioners.
--
Gordon Glasgow
http://www.gordon-glasgow.org
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