KA24DE 130K rebuild or swap

[projectRDM]

Originally Posted by jaja

220k huh? thats amazing.... I guess I have nothing to worry about then....

NA-not to be a geek, but doesn't it mean there is something wrong with the timing chain if the ticking sound starts? I mean I don't expect the thing to just snap, but it means its starting to "slack" right? or am i being way too paranoid?

Way too paranoid. My car rattled when I bought it at 27k miles. The chain might be slacking a little, but it would need to slack a considerable amount to cause concern, and if it did it would be due to severe oil pressure loss. The top and upper guides are delete items simply because they were deemed useless and caused the noise that worried a lot of owners. If you're really worried, install a high quality oil pressure gauge. That will indicate any possible issues with the motor and save you when/if something occurs.
My 180k mile motor lost a sending unit one night under a violent run and I shot nearly all four quarts in the pan out on to the road. With zero oil pressure I was able to shut it off, plug the hole up, and drive it a half mile with no oil, it made a little noise but after a flush and fresh oil change I continued to beat on it until I parted the car.