OEM Timing Chain Tensioner — The Weak Link

So why do you need a new timing

chain tensioner? Below is an article
we put together during the R&D
process to help illustrate the
problems with the OEM ten-
sioner.

The timing chain tensioner is a critical component in the K-series en-

gine as it prevents the timing chain from loosening, which could result in
fouled valve timing and possible engine damage. To understand why the
chain tensioner is necessary, you need to understand what happens to the
chain to make it stretch and/or loosen. When the sprocket on the crank ro-
tates, it applies tension to the chain which forces the cam sprockets to ro-
tate. The higher the revolutions per minute the motor is spinning at, the
higher the tension that the chain is exposed to. The size of the chain that is
used on these motors is chosen to be strong enough to last for thousands of
miles, while keeping the rotating mass of the motor as low as possible. If the
chain were a smaller size, it wouldn’t last as long; if it were a larger size, the
engine wouldn’t rev as quickly as it does.
When enough tension is applied to a chain, it will stretch in two ways:
elastic and plastic. In elastic elongation, the chain stretches while the tension
is applied and returns to its original length once the tension is removed
(essentially, a temporary elongation). In plastic elongation, the chain is per-
manently stretched. This stretches the chain as little as a few millionths of
an inch at a time, but can add up after the engine is run for a few thousand
hours. Plastic elongation will not occur until the chain has first been elasti-
cally elongated; this is because it takes more tension to plastically elongate a
chain than to elastically elongate it. Timing chains can also loosen and
tighten due to valve springs forcing cams to rotate. What all of this means is
that the chain tensioner needs to be able to take up both the temporary and
permanent slack in the chain.
 Above is a chain tensioner that has been cut in half to expose the vital
internal components. The tensioner in a K-series motor consists of thirteen
different parts. There are two assemblies in the tensioner that control the
flow of oil through it as well as control the force it applies to the chain guide.
There is also a ratcheting mechanism that allows the tensioner piston to
move in and out while preventing the the piston from being pushed back com-
pletely into the tensioner (running the risk of completely slacking the chain).

The ratcheting mechanism allows the piston to move in and out about a
quarter of an inch allowing the tensioner to account for slack caused by elas-
tic elongation of the chain. If the piston moves out of the tensioner more
than this, it will ratchet to the next tooth, allowing the piston to move back
into the tensioner about a quarter of an inch, but no more, accounting for the
slack caused by plastic deformation of the chain.
 To the right is one of
the two valves mentioned
earlier. This is just a simple
check valve that is pressed
into the chain tensioner. It
allows oil from the engine to
flow into the chain tensioner
and prevents it from flowing
back out. It should be men-
tioned that the large spring
show inside of the tensioner
does not apply the majority
of the pressure to the
chain; this spring has a rela-
tively low spring rate and is
primarily used to apply pressure to the chain only when the oil pressure is low
(e.g., start-up, idle, etc.).
The second valve, shown on the below, is a high-pressure release valve
that allows oil to flow out of the tensioner through the chain guide and onto
the chain, lubricating the chain as it passes the tensioner. It takes about
100 psi to engage this valve and allow oil to flow. The pressure provided by
the engine is insufficient to flow oil through this valve; instead, it’s the force
applied to the tensioner by the chain during high RPMs that causes a pres-
sure spike in the tensioner and consequently bleed oil to the chain.
When the chain is in slack, however, the tensioner uses the oil pres-
sure form the motor to extend the piston and press the chain guide tightly
against the chain. It should be obvious by now that the engineers at Honda
put a great deal of thought into their design and how it interacts with the tim-
ing chain under different loading conditions over the chain’s life span.
 Now for the problem with Honda’s design (at least the problem that
plagues anyone interested in running aggressive cams in a K-series motor).
The problem is that the tensioner sees higher loads when certain aftermarket
cams and valve springs are used, due to different cam profiles and higher
spring rates; this higher load wears out the teeth on the ratcheting mecha-
nism used on the tensioner. If the teeth wear out enough, the piston can be
pushed into the tensioner enough to cause slack in the chain and risk dam-
age to the motor. In addition, the only thing that prevents the piston from
rotating in the tensioner, thereby causing misalignment of the teeth in the
ratcheting mechanism, is the groove in the chain guide that the tensioner pis-
ton fits into.
In the cases we’ve observed, the fit between the piston and chain guide
has been loose enough to allow the piston to rotate 5 to 10 degrees in either
direction. This is more than enough to cause the ratcheting teeth to be mis-
aligned and cause premature wear. Couple this misalignment with the higher
loads cause by aftermarket cams and springs, and you have a recipe for dis-
aster.
So now that you know how the K-series motor chain tensioner works
and what problems it has when you run aggressive cams, you’re probably
wondering what we intend to do about it. Well, during the last six months or
so, I’ve devoted a lot of time to cutting up broken and new OEM K-series
chain tensioners and finding out what there is to them, and how they could be
improved.
My first discovery was that the internals of the tensioner were great.
Honda’s engineers did an excellent job of controlling the pressure and oil flow
through the tensioner, and there wasn't weak link to be found. There was no
sign of excessive wear or fa-
tigue inside the tensioner.
So I wanted to mimic the con-
struction and dynamics of the
OEM internals. I then turned
my attention to the design of
the piston itself and the de-
sign of the ratcheting mecha-
nism. Shown are the pic-
tures of the teeth and locking
tooth on a broken tensioner
compared to those long with
a comparison of the new and
broken locking tooth.
 As you can see,
the broken (or worn
out, rather) ten-
sioner’s teeth show
very clear signs of
wear on both the pis-
ton’s teeth and the
pivoting locking tooth.
Some wear would be
expected from a part
like this, but the worn
out tensioner’s parts
(as shown) were so
worn down that the
ratcheting teeth didn’t engage anymore. This allowed the piston to be pushed
completely into the tensioner. When a tensioner gets worn down to this
point, any force it applies to the chain is done only by the spring and hydraulic
assembly, so there arises ample opportunity for the chain to push the piston
into the tensioner and become slack, possibly leading to motor damage.
Now is this simply a case of poor material selection on Honda’s part?
Some would disagree with me, but I’m going to say, “No.” We have not been
able to find any cases of chain tensioner failure in a well-maintained, unmodi-
fied engine. So in that respect, the tensioners are only failing when they are
subjected to forces greater than they were designed for. That said, there is
a big contributing factor to the failure of these tensioners that has less to do
with material choice and more to
do with the fitment between the
tensioner piston and chain guide.
As I stated in my article where I
dissected the OEM tensioner,
there’s a loose fit between the
slot in the chain guide an dthe tip
of the tensioner piston. This
loose fit allow sthe tensioner pis-
ton to rotate several degrees.
When the piston rotates (due to
engine vibration, etc.) and is then
pushed back into the tensioner,
engaging the locking tooth and
the teth on the piston are not
perfectly lined up, as shown.
 This misaligned cause huge stress concentrations that fatigue the
ratcheting mechanism much faster than if the teeth meshed correctly. Allow
this to happen too much, and the ratcheting mechanism will be rendered
completely ineffective like was seen in the worn tensioner showed earlier.
Knowing all of this, I set out to design a bolt-on replacement for the OEM ten-
sioner that would not wear out as easily when exposed to the increased
forces associated with running aggressive cams and stiffer valve springs.
My first two design changes were aimed at the ratcheting mechanism
and the fitment between the piston and chain guide. The piston was redes-
igned to make it press into the chain guide rather than loosely fit into it. This
was intended to eliminate any rotation of the piston inside the tensioner. Hav-
ing done this, the likeliness of wearing out the tensioner was reduced, but I
wanted to make sure that you could beat the living daylights out of the ten-
sioner and see almost no wear at all. With that goal set, I added a second
ratcheting mechanism, identical to the first one. A cross-section of the com-
puterized model of the tensioner (and more importantly, the ratcheting
mechanism) can be seen below.
 The last (and arguably most important) step of the design phase was to
select the materials for the tensioner. To avoid being overly pedantic, I’ll
forgo listing the alloys and heat treatments I chose for the parts. However, I
will note that for the ratcheting mechanism, we decided to go with more ro-
bust materials, and use steel alloys similar to those found in the ratcheting
mechanisms found in impact wrenches.
After thoroughly analyzing the design of the OEM K-series chain ten-
sioner and determining the changes that needed to be implemented, it was
time to fabricate some prototypes for testing. We had two units made, and
are currently in the preliminary stages of testing. The majority of testing will
utilize Skunk2 Stage 3 cams and Pro-Series valve springs. The engine will be
run hard on the dyno, drag strip, and road courses. We will also be daily
driving the car, for extra measure. Like stated in my previous article on the
chain tensioner, our unit uses tighter tolerances and high-grade material that
the OEM tensioner, and it is these two elements, combined with a beefed-up
ratcheting mechanism, that will allow this tensioner to take the abuse it will
see when used with the upgraded valve train we plan to run, as well as any
other aftermarket valve train meant for the K-series motor.
Developing this tensioner and sourcing the parts for it was tremendous
undertaking. Every part of it is custom manufactured to our specs. Even the
springs it uses had to be custom wound to suit our application.
Shown on the following pages are some pictures of the tensioner be-
fore assembly, after assembly, and mounted to a motor.
 Keep in mind that the production units will not look like the tensioner
shown above. All of the features, materials, and tolerances will be identical,
but the design will be a little easier on the eyes.

If you have any questions about the Hybrid Racing timing chain tensioner call
us at (225) 932-9588 or visit http://www.hybrid-racing.com.

HYBRID RACING