The replacement cycle of a timing chain is 100,000 kilometers of mileage or around 7-8 years.

A timing chain mainly relies on lubricating oil to achieve proper lubrication. If the lubricating oil is not replaced for a long time or if the quality of the lubricating oil is inferior, it will accelerate wear and shorten the service life of the timing chain.

Method for replacing a timing chain:

Remove the valve cover, crankshaft pulley, and timing chain cover. Turn the crankshaft to the top dead center of the first cylinder, and tighten the crankshaft fixing screws to secure the crankshaft.

Rotate the intake and exhaust camshafts. Grooves can be found at the back of the camshafts. Align the grooves of the two camshafts in a balanced way, and clamp the special tool tightly.

Remove the old chain and install a new chain. Please note that there are no sliding keys on the crankshaft pulley. During installation, the circular hole on the pulley should be flush with the groove on the chain cover.

Composition of vika EA888 timing chain kit:

Guide rail: EA888 3rd generation guide rail (quantity: 7)

STO tensioner: EA888 3rd generation tensioner (quantity: 2)

Chain: original BorgWarner EA888 3rd generation chain (quantity: 2)

Advantages of vika EA888 timing chain kit:

STO tensioner:

(1) The enclosure of vika timing chain kit is made of HT250 cast iron, and its strength level is 22 Mpa higher than that of die cast aluminum (228 Mpa). The material is highly tolerant to deformation. Its Brinell hardness is higher than that of die cast aluminum (74.1) by 134.9. The STO tensioner enclosure product provides better performance than other enclosure brands in terms of structural rigidity, strength, wear resistance, and heat resistance;

(2) The outer diameter of the plunger has been increased from 12.7 mm to 14.46 mm, which results in larger contact area between the tensioner and the guide rail, improved stability, and reduced vibration and noise;

(3) The plunger spring of vika timing chain kit has been strengthened with a spring diameter of 1.49 mm, leading to higher fatigue resistance and structural rigidity compared with original plunger springs;

(4) The pressure relief valve is made of PA6620Cr material, which features higher hardness, higher structural rigidity, and stronger wear resistance. Besides, the pressure relief valve port made of PA6620Cr material is smaller. It ensures constant damping in the high-pressure oil chamber during operation of the tensioner when the engine is in idle or high RPM operation status, thus improving product performance.

Chain: BorgWarner's 3rd generation chain is adopted, which improves the tensile strength and wear resistance of the chain.

Guide rail: The longer 3rd generation guide rail is used. The chain and the gear are matched more precisely as the guide rail can press the chain tightly.