# Audi TT 225 Cam Chain tensioner rattle



## TomTheLightGuy (Feb 16, 2017)

Hi everyone!

So, my TT recently has started making a rattle. When starting from cold, itll rattle for about 2 seconds before going away, and it also rattles at around 2000 rpm when on the move. After a little bit of research online, and generally having a listen to the car I can almost definitively put it down to the cam chain rattling. I understand it is important to check oil pressure and ensure the pick up pipe is clean etc. but the sump was dropped less than a year ago and the strainer cleaned. Oil servicing is always up to date aswell so just preparing for the worse.

Now, my question is, where is everyone getting these cam chain tensioners from?

I contacted TPS and they quoted me £500 which I think is ridiculous, yet I have noticed that you can also replace the tensioner pad halters for around £20, has anyone tried this option rather than replacing the whole thing?

I also found this on ebay, wondering if this is an option, has anyone used these with success? :-
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FOR-AUDI-VW-1 ... SwHnFVxEnI

Thankyou!


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## TheBlueStingray (Jun 9, 2015)

Hi,

I'm experiencing the same problem - or at least I was back in fall last year. My car has been in my garage since November waiting for better weather, but I'm pretty certain it still rattles on startup... :wink: 
Plan was to renew my cam chain tensioner later this year. At the moment I'm in the middle of refurbishing my PCV system though, and while doing research on the PCV system I fell over this thread:

http://www.ttforum.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=225740

I think I saw that valve suggested as the possible culprit somewhere else as well. If your PCV system is in the same state as mine - full of gunk and with splitted hoses - that might be a good place to start. Has to be done anyway and is cheaper and easier than renewing the cam chain tensioner.

I can report back in a couple of weeks, if refurbishing the PCV system has cured the rattling. 

/Dennis


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## TomTheLightGuy (Feb 16, 2017)

Thanks for the reply  I've also heard of the problem with that said valve, but I have removed all this and fully upgraded my breather system with catch can, forge block breather etc. And am definitely not finding any leaks, so I dont think it is that! :/ There is also a non return valve located in the oil filter housing that prevents oil being drained back from the tensioner to the sump. Apparently if this leaks this can also cause knocking as you have to wait afew seconds for it to re-pressurise? But I have so heard this valve rarely goes wrong


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## TheBlueStingray (Jun 9, 2015)

Could sound like the tensioner is indeed the culprit then. Regarding whether to go with an original or unoriginal tensioner, I've read a couple of people thoughts , and some pointed out, that it is quite a vital part. But yes, indeed quite an expensive part - cheaper than an engine rebuild though, and if it lasts 10-15 years more, money well spend - unless you only keep the car for a couple of years more of course. 

I've been wondering though, if the chain shouldn't be changed at the same time? Surely it must have stretched?

/Dennis


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## TomTheLightGuy (Feb 16, 2017)

True that, after quite a bit of thinking I am going to drop the oil, change pick up pipe etc. tomorrow just as a last stand, and if that does not solve it ill have to buy the original part. I was advised, as you said to get the chain as well as it probably would have stretched and mine actually sounds like its hitting the cam cover on initial start-up so I am assuming ill need a new one. Managed to find a genuine one, with chain and tool for £300 posted. Not too bad I guess!


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## TheBlueStingray (Jun 9, 2015)

Sounds like a fair price! Do you mind telling where you found it?  
And remember news gaskets! Think there's 3? Valve cover, half moon and tensioner. My engine is covered in oil on the left side because of leaking gaskets. It's running down on the exhaust manifold leaving a nice smell of oil when the engine is warm. Reminds me I have to get a fire extinguisher. 

/Dennis


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## brushwood69 (Dec 17, 2012)

The cam chain tensioner is hydraulic and feed from the oil in the sump. If the sump pickup gets blocked (it does) the oil flow to the tensioner will drop and cause a rattle. If you leave this for too long or like I did continue to race on it it will destroy itself and the plastic will return to the sump causing more issues and if the oil gets blocked up more it will then cause turbo issues again my did as it over heated the turbo from lack of oil flow and I then suffered hotside cracks in turbo and manifold.

For a cheap thing It can cause a lot of harm!


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## TheBlueStingray (Jun 9, 2015)

Oh, forgot to mention - I had my oil pickup pipe replaced back in August. Old one wasn't really clogged up. 
I did notice though, that the old sump breather pipe I just took of is full of gunk. Just cleaned the filler cap and the filler neck - they were filled with the same kind of gunk and a layer of rusted metal dust - carbon build up? And I can see, there is a layer of this tar like substance under the valve cover as well, which I guess isn't too good. 
The gunk was also there before the pickup pipe was replaced though, and as mentioned, the old one didn't look to bad, so I find it weird, if the pickup pipe should have clogged up after it was replaced.

But the rattling on mine first started sometime after I had the pickup pipe and oil (5W30) renewed, so could it be possible, that the new oil and/or getting the engine properly warm on the Autobahn could have loosened the gunk?

Eager to get the valve cover of at some point. Might need to drop the sump again, just to check. :?

/Dennis


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## maltloaf (May 8, 2015)

I replaced the cam chain tensioner on my first TT (there's a thread here somewhere) with a non genuine one that I got off a guy who had bought it then never fitted. It was a risk and I thought long and hard about buying genuine vs pattern but I assesssed it before fitting and it seemed decent quality metal and nicely machined etc. Yes it would be nice to use a genuine part but the cost in the several hundreds didn't really seemed justifiable to me at the time. It was 2+ years at a guess and it's still going strong.

The symptoms on mine were a bit different. Warm idle was noisy but it was fine whilst driving or when cold as I remember.

I'd use non genuine again for the same job but making a good job of the cct gasket is a must because it has a little strainer in that the oil flows through from the sump.


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## maltloaf (May 8, 2015)

brushwood69 said:


> The cam chain tensioner is hydraulic


Yes and no. It's not purely hydraulic. There is the hydraulic action from oil pressure but there's also the action of the vvt solenoid (depending on exact engine code) and it also has an inherent springiness to it which is what mine had lost (hence you need a screw in shoe compressor/retaining tool to extract and install it).


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## maltloaf (May 8, 2015)

TomTheLightGuy said:


> True that, after quite a bit of thinking I am going to drop the oil, change pick up pipe etc. tomorrow just as a last stand, and if that does not solve it ill have to buy the original part. I was advised, as you said to get the chain as well as it probably would have stretched and mine actually sounds like its hitting the cam cover on initial start-up so I am assuming ill need a new one. Managed to find a genuine one, with chain and tool for £300 posted. Not too bad I guess!


I'm sure you can measure a certain number of links on the the chain (I can't remember how much/many but the info must be around) and if they are within a tolerance the chain is fine. Mine was 180k old and still within tolerance.


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## TomTheLightGuy (Feb 16, 2017)

Dennis here is the link for the genuine one with chain for £300 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/301600614068? ... EBIDX%3AIT

I did the same thing, mid last year i dropped my sump and cleaned out the strainer. Did not look bad at all, but just to be sure i have ordered a new one and will be changing mine out tomorrow (just being hopeful!)

I believe if you have 8 chain rollers in between your two timing marks located on the cam cover thingies then that is the correct amount of timing required? Thats what ive seen from online guides anyway!

Maltloaf i am in the same boat as what you were in, i cant quite see the justification for that price. As i see it, plenty of people have brought the one i am watching on ebay, they have good feedback, everyone ive asked who has used one seems to rate it well as long as you assess the quality first. Also, i have been hearing these components fail, yet the original one fails too. The guides wear out and the oil seals leak, therefore how can they be that different.

I think i am just going to purchase the cheaper one, and take the risk. If it fails and the chain starts rattling again i shall just buy another. Being 10x the price of a replica (but looks to be good quality) part just sounds insane to me. Thanks for helping me make up my mind


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## fabcam (Jun 10, 2016)

Excuse my ignorance, but isn't the cam driven by a belt on the 1.8T engine? And a chain on the 3.2 V6.


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## TomTheLightGuy (Feb 16, 2017)

Fabcam the 1.8t is belt driven but under the rocker cover youll find that there is a chain that connects the two cams together. Its the exhaust cam that is driven by the belt.


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## maltloaf (May 8, 2015)

fabcam said:


> Excuse my ignorance, but isn't the cam driven by a belt on the 1.8T engine? And a chain on the 3.2 V6.


A belt drives one cam. The chain is at the other end between the cams and drives the other cam


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## fabcam (Jun 10, 2016)

TomTheLightGuy said:


> Fabcam the 1.8t is belt driven but under the rocker cover youll find that there is a chain that connects the two cams together. Its the exhaust cam that is driven by the belt.


Thank you. All is clear, now.


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## gerontius (Aug 27, 2016)

So if you're just renewing the cam chain tensioner gasket, can you just compress the tensioner with the special tool, or does the inlet camshaft still need to be removed ?


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## maltloaf (May 8, 2015)

You would get enough clearance to change the gasket by using the tool and taking out the tensioner bolts


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## gerontius (Aug 27, 2016)

Thanks Maltloaf :mrgreen:


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## Moonwatcher (Apr 1, 2015)

I went for a £55 one from eBay
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/058109088H-TI ... 2749.l2649
changed it myself, couldn't justify an audi OEM, changed the valve cover gasket at the same time, oil leak gone, no hot oil smell.
less than £100 inc sealant  
Happy days


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## ditchmyster (Jul 26, 2017)

Good to know as at the start of the thread the £500 price tag was really putting me off buying a TT... Now it's just another thing to go on my things to look out for list before buying... which is getting quite long. :-|


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