can i change my timing chain myself , w/o pulling motor ?

[yam240sx]

thanks ..

 

[jmargo]

Yes, did it break or are you looking to do the upgrade ?

 

[yam240sx]

Yes, did it break or are you looking to do the upgrade ?

upgrade ..no break yet

 

[the MfM]

Life’s better when you work on an engine standing in the garage vs hunched over in a boat.

 

[tdonoughue]

As the computer geeks say:

can NEQ should

 

[Zizzou 192]

The quoted prices to change a chain by the dealer are insane , right in line with their $500 oil changes.

Kind of impressed that they left enough room to make it possible without pulling it out. But I have serious trouble imagining a car / truck garage pulling an engine every time they replace a timing chain or belt. Especially using a single tech. No one wants to put up with the alignment bs lift or not.

 

[WREKS]

@Zizzou 192 Pulling the engine is the first step in the service manuals for even some seemingly simple tasks.

 

[Crem8r]

@Zizzou 192 Pulling the engine is the first step in the service manuals for even some seemingly simple tasks.

Yes, did it break or are you looking to do the upgrade ?

upgrade ..no break yet

Sorry I can’t answer that yet but by the next Sunday I should. If it’s a mr1 motor while you have it down make note of flywheel if it’s dimpled or slotted. If you have to order one you will need to know and so far I can’t find any on the outside of the motor to tell.

 

[WREKS]

There is no flywheel.

 

[the MfM]

There is no flywheel.

How does the starter start the engine?

 

[Neutron]

There is a flywheel its in the front cover and it what the stator needs to send voltage to the regulator/rectifier
The starter is facing towards the front

 

[dan144k]

I have considered doing this upgrade to my 2010. No problems yet, just thinking about the time chain upgrade kit. So following and learning

 

[WiskyDan]

My YES warranty ran out last August so I asked the dealership what it would cost to replace the current 4-link timing chain (not the 5-link upgrade) if I wanted to be proactive and they came back with a quote of $4500. The chain itself is about $70 but they said they have to remove the engines to do it.

Anyone else proactively replaced their 4-link timing chains? If yes, was it in the same $4500 price range?

 

[jmargo]

No need to pull the engine. Ask them if they pull the engine to replace the oil pump ? If not they are definitely trying to fleece you.

 

[WiskyDan]

Thanks for the reply- I'll ask.

After chatting with their service manager we're going to approach it this way:

1. Determine if I have the 4 or 5 link chains. I'm assuming that they have the 4 link chains but maybe I'll get lucky.
2. Have them inspect the chain for wear. If one or both have wear then I'll have them replaced.
3. If they are both 4 link and look good then I have a decision to make. Play it safe and replace them or roll the dice and leave them.

Some people have reported timing chain failures as low as the 35-50 hour range so even replacing them may not save me from a failure. I'm currently at about 220 hours and I'm trying to weigh the advantages of replacing them proactively but it's still a crap shoot. :-/

 

[jmargo]

I inspect my chains yearly prior to the season. Its rather simple and only require basic hand tools and possibly a new gasket. After the valve cover is removed I mark the chain with a sharpie. I then take out the safety cut off clip and have someone bump the motor as I inspect the links front and back. I do two revolutions to make sure I get a look at them well. This is not a guarantee against failure and if you are really concerned you can also check mid season. As you noted, even a new 4 link chain can break after replacement. You can convert to the 5 link chain without changing the crank but it does require new cam gears and guides.

 

[Ronnie]

I had a timing chain fail on one of my 2010 242 LS engines last September at about 505 hours.

The shop I worked with quoted me $1,900 to replace the timing chain on the other engine with a new chain not an upgraded one. Attached is a pic of the quote. As expected, the parts were cheap the labor was not. Rates vary but the time on task should not. They estimated 10 hours and I believe them/been my go to guys for over a decade.

When I showed up at the shop to take pics the tech was doing the chain replacement. They did it with the engine installed and I am pretty sure that at least some of that time the tech was laying on his stomach while reaching into the engine compartment.

Bottom line you don’t need to pull the engine to replace the timing chain but i think it would be easier if the engine was sitting on a bench versus in the engine bay.

As I recall yamaha offers-offered and timing chain upgrade kit for $2,500 each, you have to replace more than just the chain of you upgrade, and which could lead to a lot of additional labor costs.

 

[WiskyDan]

As you noted, even a new 4 link chain can break after replacement. You can convert to the 5 link chain without changing the crank but it does require new cam gears and guides.

I'm going to assume that the dealer would not go this route and would require changing the crank as well. :-/

the shop I worked with quoted me $1,900 to replace the timing chain on the other engine with a new chain not an upgraded one. Attached is a pic of the quote. As expected, the parts were cheap the labor was not. Rates vary but the time on task should not. They estimated 10 hours and I believe them/been my go to guys for over a decade.

when I showed up at the shop to take pics they tech was doing the chain replacement. They did it with the engine installed and I am pretty sure that at least some of that time the tech was laying on his stomach while reaching into the engine compartment.

OK, so they are not all that far off of your guy - I'll find out how many hours they are using for the quote.

Many thanks to both of you - I feel like I'm sitting on a ticking time bomb but maybe I'm overthinking this. I've seen people say in other threads that this failure only effects about 1% of the engines made in this time frame but from the votes in the "poll" thread it looks to be higher than that.

 

[Ronnie]

Here are a few pics of the engine while the timing chain was being replaced. The tech working on my boat is the owners’ son and he really had his S together. All the tools were lined up in order of use and the new and removed parts were arranged in the way they came out/needed to go back in. By the way he spoke/gave me the high level summary of what needed to be done it was clear he had done this many times before.

Should people replace their timing chains as preventive maintenance? I don’t know. What i do know is that to do so costs $1,900 here at a reputable shop in NCal. I trust my shade tree mechanic (he helped me replace the engines in my boat) but even he told me to go to a shop with experience do the timing chain replacement. This price climbs to about $2,500 if you have to replace a broken timing chain and the bent valves caused by it. Add $2,500 more if you want to upgrade the timing chain. Remember these are per engine prices. Honestly, I gambled hoping my chain would never break, I lost that bet and it ended my season immediately. I also had to wait a month just to bring my boat into the shop.

 

[itsdgm]

Here are a few pics of the engine while the timing chain was being replaced. The tech working on my boat is the owners’ son and he really had his S together. All the tools were lined up in order of use and the new and removed parts were arranged in the way they came out/needed to go back in. By the way he spoke/gave me the high level summary of what needed to be done it was clear he had done this many times before.

Should people replace their timing chains as preventive maintenance? I don’t know. What i do know is that to do so costs $1,900 here at a reputable shop in NCal. I trust my shade tree mechanic (he helped me replace the engines in my boat) but even he told me to go to a shop with experience do the timing chain replacement. This price climbs to about $2,500 if you have to replace a broken timing chain and the bent valves caused by it. Add $2,500 more if you want to upgrade the timing chain. Remember these are per engine prices. Honestly, I gambled hoping my chain would never break, I lost that bet and it ended my season immediately. I also had to wait a month just to bring my boat into the shop.
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I couldn’t understand how any mechanic would attempt changing a timing chair while the engine was still in the boat until I saw your pics @Ronnie. The timing chains on my 07 non ho motors are on the rear of the engine, not the front like yours. At least that’s how I’m seeing them in your pics. Either way, pulling an engine would make that job so much easier. Imho, with the right tools to pull the engine, it couldn’t cost much more time if any at all.