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Old 03-20-2018, 11:52 AM
rustomatic rustomatic is offline
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Default LS Timing Chain Tensioners

So I'm in the process of replacing the cam and valve springs (done!) in my 2011 5.3, and I find myself on the fence with replacing the stock spring-type (LS3) timing chain tensioner. When the Gen IV was new, there were lots of complaints (and evidence) about this tensioner breaking (causing lots of valvetrain failure), and the idea was to switch to the static LS2 type dampener (for lack of moving parts/brittle plastic).

I bought the LS2 tensioner, but it's a big pain to install the thing, as the oil pan has to be dropped partially to access this one bolt on the oil pump pickup tube. My C4 crossmember makes this challenging, but not impossible. If I'm wrong here, please let me know.

What are your opinions on reliability of one type of tensioner vs. the other? I'm looking for experience from the tons of people on here rockin' LS3s and the like; many of you also own late-model LS-powered vehicles and may have had some experience here. Please chime in.
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Old 03-20-2018, 07:23 PM
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gnx7 gnx7 is offline
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I always install the LS2 style tensioner. The LS3 style becomes brittle over time and fails as you said.

While the C5-R chain is also the go to for most..... I simply run the IWIS chain which has never let me down.
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Old 03-20-2018, 08:45 PM
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Che70velle Che70velle is offline
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Ls2 “tensioner” for me all day long. It won’t come apart and end up in your oil pan.
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Old 03-20-2018, 08:57 PM
rustomatic rustomatic is offline
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Thanks so far, guys. I'm glad some clear engine maniacs piped up--responses were what I figured. You're killing my hopes for defensible laziness. I'm kind of wondering if they'd improved the durability of the dynamic tensioner after the first year or two of production, since the design is by no means unique to GM (i.e., Toyota and others have very similar setups), although I haven't researched the luck of other manufacturers . . .

With the turbo that's going in, durability (goes with simplicity in this case) should be worth my efforts . . .
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Old 03-22-2018, 06:59 PM
JUSTANOVA JUSTANOVA is offline
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https://www.trickflow.com/parts/tfs-k30675600/all

I used this recently on a 5.3 that wasn't drilled for the ls2 dampener and it was pretty easy install, would this allow for the lazy way out?
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Old 03-22-2018, 07:21 PM
rustomatic rustomatic is offline
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The lazy way would be avoiding dropping my oil pan to unseat the pickup tube (and one pesky bolt that holds it to the pump)--the engine is in my car, so removal is a bit more difficult. The Trickflow thing you listed is basically the LS2 dampener, which I will be installing, once my heinous stiff neck goes away. Thus far, there seems to be no easy way out, short of inviting disaster by leaving the stock tensioner in. There's enough potential for destruction in making nearly 600 horsepower with a safely constructed engine . . .

In researching this issue to death (including as many LS1Tech threads as I could find), I could swear that many threads have been removed since the problem erupted among G8 and LS3 Corvette owners. The Corvette owners really seemed to want the problem to be so much more expensive and complicated than the G8 or Camaro owners . . .

Quote:
Originally Posted by JUSTANOVA View Post
https://www.trickflow.com/parts/tfs-k30675600/all

I used this recently on a 5.3 that wasn't drilled for the ls2 dampener and it was pretty easy install, would this allow for the lazy way out?
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