Improper oil can cause the problem as well. Metal-on-metal contact, especially for a prolonged period, can cause engine failure, usually in the form of the engine seizing up. Without oil, or without the proper kind or amount of oil, a combustion engine can no longer properly lubricate itself.Īll of those sliding, moving parts are no longer lubricated, specifically the pistons. Failure to maintain the vehicle’s fluidsĪs you can see, the vast majority of the problems that cause engine seizures are oil-related.There are a lot of things that can cause an engine to seize up, most of which are completely preventable. If something causes your engine to seize up, it places a sudden, immense amount of pressure on the timing chain, often resulting in the chain snapping.

Engine SeizureĪnother thing that will cause a timing chain to snap is something that might not be related to the timing chain at all. If it snaps well before then, you can be sure that something was very wrong with it, to begin with.Ī tension issue on a timing chain is one of the most common things that causes it to snap. These things are built to last well over 100,000 miles. Installing a timing chain too tight puts the chain under a lot of additional stress, which will cause cracks as well.Įither that or it will outright snap the timing chain when the stress pressure on the chain exceeds its weight tolerance. Once cracks develop in rubber, it’s only a matter of time before they deepen, eventually turning into a clean cut, all the way through. The problem with all of that extra movement is it places undue strain on the timing chain.

Installing a timing chain too loose will cause a degree of flapping around as it struggles to keep the camshaft and the crankshaft in sync with one another.

Though they are called “chains,” they are actually made of durable rubber, and rubber will crack, fade, or snap if it isn’t properly handled. Too much or too little will be the end of it. What are the Symptoms of a Failing Timing Chain?Ī timing chain has to have a nearly perfect amount of tension on it.

W123 bad timing chain symptoms