hello friends. first time here.

i have a 2015 fit. i'm doing a timing chain, tensioner, vvt job. car ran fine when i began, but it had the dreaded rattle on startup. i want to sell it, but i'd rather be selling with a quiet startup.

i learned to turn a wrench on tractors in the '70s. rebuilt a couple of motors since then. i'm saying that so y'all know my skill level.

i have to say... removing so many parts and wire harnesses, and working in the tight quarters of this car makes me cuss. being in my mid 60s doesn't help, either.

i've dismantled the thing, and i'm starting the parts replacement phase of the project. i've been very careful to mind the valve timing. i can't see how the chain could have possibly jumped a tooth, but here's what i have:

when the holes in the camshaft are properly aligned so that the 2 pins can be inserted, the crank sprocket dimple is not aligned with the crankcase mark.

to my thinking, this could mean 2 things:
the chain jumped a tooth or 2, or
the phase of the combustion cycle is not #1 tdc.

should i keep rotating until it lines up? what say all of you?

thanks!

 

Take your soon to be former Fit to your local Honda Dealer. Have them look at your Valve Timing issue.

 

The cams only line up with the crank, with every 2 revolutions of the crank.

And also, why are you replacing the chain because of the VTC rattle? You just need to replace the spring inside the VTC mechanism by opening the cover. Cold start VTC rattle has nothing to do with the chain, if you have let it go for so long then you might have stretched chain now.
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not everyone may agree with this, but i'm operating on the principle, "i've spent a lot of time and effort in taking something apart, i might as well replace everything i can."

even if i were to change my mind, parts are not returnable.

 

The chain wouldn't jump tooth if the chain tensioner is still good. And if you assumed that the chain jumped tooth/teeth, then you are most likely in worse situations with bent valves. So do you have bent valves? Is the chain stretched? Chain stretching can be identified by looking at how extended the chain tensioner is. If it's very extended then the chain most likely stretched.

Why do extra work when it's not necessary? The risk turns high when you take the chain off the sprockets.

 

Let someone more qualified and experienced do the job.

 

Is changing the timing CHAIN a thing? I thought they were designed to last the life of the engine.

 

If you take an existing chain off and hold it up against the new chain, if the old chain has stretched then that should be obvious although it will probably only be a small fraction of an inch. Noticed this being done by a mechanic on a video I watched today.

 

They are, but people seem to enjoy changing them so why argue?

 

Changing the timing chain is a thing if you starve the engine low of oil, continue to drive it that way, and the chain stretches. When that happens, you'll get hit with cam or crank sensor error codes, that's when you know the chain has stretched because the engine is out of time.

 

Let the next owner worry about the rattle start up.

 

That sounds like excessive neglect which would make sense. In that case i would sell the car and find one with a better history.

 

It does and will stretch. Metal is malleable, to a degree.

OP had the right spirit it seems however I would be willing to bet the new VVT actuator is faulty.

The TSB even says it may come back or not fix the problem at all. These are KNOWN BAD PARTS that Honda is evidently doing NOTHING ABOUT. This year alone parts have been so bad I've started pulling away from the industry.

Just let it go OP. If it's the tensioner, replace, or if cheap oil filter with no anti drain back, replace. Elsewise just let it go. Poor oil system design is to blame. These are known for it, and weak oil pumps.

 

At some point in time Honda did redesign the VTC spring to solve the start up noise problem. Whether that was successful or not I don't know but they obviously saw that as the problem. The chain has never been touched as far as I know so I guess it was never seen as a problem. Be thankful you have a metal chain and not the internal oil resistant rubber belt that manufacturers started using (mostly in Europe I believe). Talk about a disaster.

 

Our ~15 year old Honda lawn mower has one, along with a plastic cam gear. 💣

Marketing and the bean-counters sometimes need a disaster to remind them they're not engineers.