timing chain replacement at 100K for 3.2L?
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Junior Member
Joined: Jan 2005
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timing chain replacement at 100K for 3.2L?
I was reading up on the forums and saw that many of you were replacing your timing belts/water pumps/tensioners/etc.. around 60K so I thought I would be doing the same for mine since the car is going into the shop for other work. I called ECS Tuning today to order the parts and the tech tells me that the 3.2L V6s have timing chains and they are pretty bullet-proof until 100K. I asked about replacing the other components (water pump, tensioner, etc..) and he says those should be pretty solid as well and shouldn't need to be replaced at 50K. He said if the tensioner was wearing down, I should start hearing some funky noises coming from under the hood (nothing yet...knock on wood). Does this sound right? What are all the other 3.2L owners doing regarding the timing chain replacements?
AudiWorld Member
Joined: Jan 2004
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From: Phoenix, AZ/Morro Bay, CA/Ashkelon, Israel
Chains last longer than belts
This is my first Audi with timing chains, but with previous BMWs and MBs the chains are good for 100 to 200k, with tensioners and rails/guides around mid-point between the two.
The 3.2 has two chains, but both are single row from what I can tell. Single row chains aren't as strong as the double row ones, so I'd figure on closer to 100-120k.
Rails and guides seem to last for 150k and/or 15 years. It depends on mileage and time, in the latter case plastic guides get brittle with age.
If the tensioner, most likely the upper one, gets weak you'll hear some knocking noises at cold start that go away when you rev the engine up.
I'm not going to worry about the 3.2 until it hits around 150k. I'll probably check around 120k for chain stretch though to be sure.
The 3.2 has two chains, but both are single row from what I can tell. Single row chains aren't as strong as the double row ones, so I'd figure on closer to 100-120k.
Rails and guides seem to last for 150k and/or 15 years. It depends on mileage and time, in the latter case plastic guides get brittle with age.
If the tensioner, most likely the upper one, gets weak you'll hear some knocking noises at cold start that go away when you rev the engine up.
I'm not going to worry about the 3.2 until it hits around 150k. I'll probably check around 120k for chain stretch though to be sure.
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