Timing Chain

[Angle Grinder]

Looking for some advice about Timing Chains as my car is now 53 years old and on 103K miles and I have no record of a timing belt change in the cars service history which goes back to the late 1990's.

When these belts stretch, do they give any tell-tale signs?

Would there be any distinctive sounds of the belt slapping against the casing or is this belt too short to have enough free play for that sort of "floppiness"?

I've changed timing belts on Themas, but from looking at the workshop manual, it reads like a Flavia timing chain swap is a job for someone with experience.

[Brian Long]

I'd leave it alone.
The Flavias have a timing chain not a belt and at 106K km it still has lots of life left in it.
Brian

[lancialulu]

Not Flavia related but Fulvias also have duplex chains to OHC, and 1600s wear and should be changed after 30,000 miles....1300 double this. A stretched chain is noisy and valve timing progressively goes out.

[Richard Fridd]

Replacing the chain on my 100k mile Fulvia made a huge improvement to performance. Richard

[Angle Grinder]

Here's a wee video of the engine at Idle. I've never heard another Flavia at idle "in the flesh" so really can't determine if this is a healthy-sounding engine for a Flavia.

https://youtu.be/O0cqGx8QuHA

They seem to be inherently "ticky" sounding engines so it is hard to pinpoint any sound that could be indicative of timing chain wear.

[JohnMillham]

Replacing the chain on my 100k mile Fulvia made a huge improvement to performance. Richard

It must have been wrongly timed before the change! I really don't think normal wear and tear of a timing chain would have any effect on performance.

[Derek Creasy]

My 2000 had a very pronounced "knock/slap" at hot start-up tickover until I changed the timing chain , much louder than the ticking in your video.