Ka24e chain has no tension oil light is on

[S13coupe_]

Hey I have a 90 240sx coupe with a stock ka24e my oil light turned on while driving and at first It was blinking and then it stayed on after the light stayed on there was a nose I later found out the nose was coming from the valve cover I opened it up and saw my chain was loose so I went out and got a oil pressure switch And a oil pump thinking it would fix the light and I put every thing back together started her up and still no tension I did notice when I would crank her over shut her off sometimes she would have tension I'm clueless to what's going on here does anyone know or have had this problem?

[Rustys14]

Originally Posted by S13coupe_

Hey I have a 90 240sx coupe with a stock ka24e my oil light turned on while driving and at first It was blinking and then it stayed on after the light stayed on there was a nose I later found out the nose was coming from the valve cover I opened it up and saw my chain was loose so I went out and got a oil pressure switch And a oil pump thinking it would fix the light and I put every thing back together started her up and still no tension I did notice when I would crank her over shut her off sometimes she would have tension I'm clueless to what's going on here does anyone know or have had this problem?

Your timing guide broke. This is a common problem in all of the pre-94 ka24e motors and is something that I have had to fix on all of the ka24e motors that I have owned. Nissan even put out a service bulletin addressing this problem but most cars never went through the service since it was optional.

What happened is the long plastic guide in your motor broke and now all of the little bits are in your oil pan and are clogging the oil pickup. This is why your chain is loose and you have no oil pressure. To fix the problem you need to order a new timing kit such as this one Timing Chain Kit L4 2 4L Nissan 240sx D21 Pickup Axxess Stanza SOHC KA24E | eBay Most kits like this one come with the updated metal guide so you shouldn't have the problem again. It is a pretty big job to install the timing kit though, so seek help if you are a novice mechanic and also be sure to drop the oil pan and clean out all the bits and pieces of the old guide. Here are some pictures to explain what is going on:

The long guide on the right is what broke (My motor has the updated metal backed guide in this pic but you get the idea)


And this is what is in your oil pan right now causing your pressure problems


Hopefully that helped and good luck fixing the problem!

PS. Questions like this one belong in the TECH section of the forum.

[S13coupe_]

I know I messed up when I posted it I am new to this forum ima drain my oil out and check it out do you know if nissan has to address the problem was it considered a recall problem?

[Rustys14]

Don't worry about it man, I was just giving you a heads up because Zilvia can be a little rough on new members sometimes.

Sadly Nissan will do nothing to help you out on this one. It was just considered a recommended service and was optional (I think you even had to pay to get it done). Draining your oil won't get much if any of the broken guide out because of the baffling and such inside the pan, not to mention the fact that some of the pieces are probably too big to fit through the oil drain hole.

There really isn't any easy way out of this situation and if you continue to drive the car without the guide the chain will eventually eat through the water jacket in the timing cover and ruin your engine. There is a step by step guide for replacing the timing chain in the FSM so just follow that and you should be good to go.

[S13coupe_]

I'm kinda nervous to do it lol I mean I work on cars alot but I've beer really done internals I know a guy he said he would do it for 360 which isn't that bad cause shops around here want like 600 so ima have him do it thanks for the help tho I appreciate it ill comment whenever it gets done to let you know how it goes

[Rustys14]

360 isn't a bad price but never be opposed to attempting it yourself. Anything related to timing can be a little intimidating but it really isn't a hard job at all as long as you take your time and make sure that the motor stays at TDC.

If you have the tools and abilities, you can pull the motor and do it on a stand which is much easier then doing it in the car. You can also take care of a lot of maintenance items like the rear main seal and installing a high performance clutch since they are both easy to do with the motor out. You will more then likely come out of the experience a much better mechanic. Just some food for thought. Good luck with whatever option you choose!

[S13coupe_]

You are a genius lol thanks dude I got it opened up and the right tensioner was broke

[Rustys14]

Hahaha, no problem man! Glad I could help.

[genericforumname]

just to give you a heads up you should hit harbor freight for a cheaper engine stand. mine held up for many months, it rotates and cost me not a lot. I can't remember for sure but I'm pretty sure its less than $100 and I can use it again in the future since it's adjustable in the length of the arms it uses to attach the engine. I got my lift from there also.

[S13coupe_]

I'm up and running again