Replacing the timing chain of a VAZ 2107 with your own hands: how to remove, install and tension on a carburetor or injector

Recently they brought us a car with a broken cylinder head gasket, and since when replacing the gasket we would have to remove the timing chain, we decided to change it along with the sprockets. We’ll talk about replacing the gasket in another article, but here we’ll look at replacing the timing chain of a VAZ 2107, as well as sprockets and a tensioner with a damper, with your own hands in an ordinary garage. In principle, the procedure is applicable to all cars of this family, because all classics were equipped with one chain motor with a slight difference in volume.

This engine is equipped with a double-row chain, which lasts a very long time; 100 thousand kilometers is not the limit for it, provided that the original Lada parts are in place. It is very simple to diagnose a stretched chain by the characteristic sound from the front of the engine; at the end of the article we will look in detail at how to diagnose and tension the timing chain.

Replacing the timing chain

We remove the throttle valve pipe, the vacuum brake booster and crankcase exhaust pipe, and the throttle cable. 10mm socket and Phillips screwdriver for clamps.
We remove the radiator by disconnecting the two pipes from it and unscrewing the two bolts located in the upper right and left corners. The head is 10. The radiator from below is inserted into the grooves in which rubber gaskets are installed, do not lose them.
Remove the valve cover by unscrewing the eight nuts by 10.

Valve cover fastening.
Read also: Causes of manual transmission oil seal malfunction and its replacement
Loosen the nut of the tension element of the generator and move it towards the cylinder block. Remove the generator V-belt. The key is 17.

Alternator belt tension.

Set top dead center (TDC)

Turn the crankshaft clockwise until the marks on the pulley and the marker on the front timing chain cover match. Key or socket 38.

Crankshaft pulley mark.
The marks on the sprocket and the marker on the camshaft bearing housing should also match.

Camshaft marks.

Removing the old timing chain

We lock the crankshaft by tightening the handbrake, placing chocks under the wheels and engaging fifth gear, unscrew the pulley nut. Head 38.
Unscrew the two nuts by 10 and remove the timing chain tensioner.

Timing chain tensioner.
We bend the stopper petal and unscrew the camshaft sprocket bolt.

Fastening the camshaft sprocket.
Remove the sprocket along with the chain. Please pay attention to the wear of the teeth if you suddenly decide to keep the old ones. If the teeth become sharp, replace the sprocket.
Remember which hole on the sprocket the key on the camshaft is inserted into. There was once a case when his comrades mixed them up and it’s good that before starting it he manually turned the crankshaft, naturally the valves rested on the cylinders, after which he had to disassemble everything again.
Having unscrewed three nuts and seven bolts, three of which are on the side of the pan, remove the front timing chain cover, you can immediately change the crankshaft oil seal. Head for 10. We loosen the adjacent bolts on the pallet so that it sinks down a little and when installing the cover back, the gasket does not interfere with us.

Fastening the front timing cover.
The mark on the crankshaft sprocket must match the mark on the block.

Crankshaft sprocket mark.
Unscrew the bolt securing the middle gear and tensioner shoe.
We unscrew the limiting pin and remove all the sprockets and the old timing chain. The key is 17.
In the bustle, we forgot to take a photo of the mounting location of the damper, but you can easily find it on the right side of the cylinder head, secured with two 10mm bolts.

Installing a new timing chain

Be sure to lubricate the new timing chain with engine oil.
We put it on the crankshaft sprocket and the middle sprocket, install them in place, be sure to tighten and lock them.
We install the limit pin, tensioner shoe and damper in place. We stretch everything out.
Check the crankshaft mark.
We put the chain on the camshaft sprocket, but it is not the camshaft. The descending branch of the chain must be tensioned and the marks must all match. If during installation the mark on the camshaft does not match, simply move the chain the required number of links onto the sprockets, having first removed it.
Tighten the camshaft bolt, lock it, and bend the tab on the washer.

Timing chain tension

We install the new tensioner in place; automatic ones are available for sale; I recommend using them. It is better to lubricate the gasket with sealant, tighten the two nuts to 10.
We remove the pin for automatic or unscrew the cap nut 13 for a regular semi-automatic, you will hear a characteristic click, this means that the tensioner has worked. The chain will be taut. Timing chain tensioner.
If you are using an old tensioner, it must be cocked before installation. Unscrew the cap nut several turns until the plunger moves freely. Push it all the way into the tensioner body and tighten the nut. You'll have to get the hang of it because the spring is quite powerful.
In the case of a semi-automatic tensioner, turn the crankshaft slightly clockwise and tighten the nut to 13.

Be sure to turn the crankshaft two turns and check that all marks match.

We install all the parts in the reverse order of removal, fill in antifreeze. We start the engine and enjoy. Everything is quite simple, replacing the timing chain on this car with your own hands is quite possible, the only condition is the presence of an inspection hole.

Cost of work and parts

The cost of replacing a chain at a service center is around 700 rubles, and the price of complex replacement of a chain, sprockets, tensioner and chain guide is about 1,800 rubles.

The cost of a chain is from 350 to 600 rubles, a set of sprockets (crankshaft sprocket, camshaft and oil pump) is about 400 rubles, a classic tensioner shoe (with a rubber lining) is about 100 rubles, a modernized one with a sprocket on a bearing is about 1,400 rubles, a chain guide is about 80 rubles.

When buying a chain, carefully inspect its rivets ; they should all be well flattened so that not a single pin pops out and the chain does not come apart.

It is recommended to buy a new chain tensioner with a sprocket on a bearing, even despite its high cost. It increases the life of the chain and the noise level with it is much lower than with a classic “shoe”.

In addition, while the engine is running, the rubber pad on the shoe wears off, and all the chips fly into the oil, for this reason the chain needs to be tightened more often. A tensioner with a bearing does not have these problems, and its service life is much longer.

Diagnostics of timing chain VAZ 2107i

Over time, the timing chain stretches, resulting in lateral vibrations in the downstream section of the chain. These vibrations can break the damper, and in extremely advanced cases, lead to the chain jumping on the sprocket and, as a result, damage to the engine. When the chain is stretched, a characteristic metallic sound appears in the front part of the engine, increase the speed a little and if the sound becomes weaker or disappears altogether, this is a clear sign of wear on the timing chain. If you have a semi-automatic tensioner installed, try tensioning the chain. The procedure is described above. If this does not help, you will have to change all elements of the gas distribution mechanism.

It is recommended to carry out the tensioning procedure every 10 km.

Possible faults

In the family of cars of the Volzhsky Automobile Plant, which are called “classics”, the timing drive is made in a chain version. The service life of a good double-row chain is longer than any belt, and the chain is better protected from any external influences while being inside the engine block. Instant stretching of the chain is excluded; moreover, the chain, unlike the belt, will not slip when the engine is suddenly revved up. The downside: noise and some cumbersomeness are not so noticeable when operating the VAZ-2107.

Tensioner diagram: 1 — camshaft sprocket; 2 - timing chain; 3 — chain damper; 4 — auxiliary drive sprocket; 5 — crankshaft sprocket; 6 — tensioner shoe; 7 — hydraulic chain tensioner; 8 - oil line fitting

Unfortunately, the chain also does not last forever. It also stretches - only not immediately, but gradually, as a result of the metal fingers working against the gear teeth.

Signs that the chain has stretched and you need to diagnose the degree of its serviceability are the following:

extraneous knocking and clanking when the engine is running;
severe stretching and metal wear can lead to irregular valve timing, increased fuel consumption and other malfunctions.

If the chain has only slightly stretched, you can compensate for the sag by increasing the pressure with the tensioner shoe. When the limit of adjustments has been exhausted, only replacing the chain can help.

Chain stretch even of a few millimeters is noticeable to the eye

In order to better understand when you can get by with little blood and when to change the chain, the manufacturer has established the approximate resource for normal operation of the timing drive, which on the “seven” is 60 thousand kilometers. When used beyond the specified period, there is a risk of not just stretching, but the teeth jumping during operation, or the unit breaking.

Jumping the chain by one or two gear teeth leads to a violation of the valve timing, which will affect malfunctions even at idle speed, not to mention operation under load.

An open circuit leads to the disappearance of synchronization between the revolutions of the crankshaft and camshaft. As a result, the pistons, by inertia, hit the valves open inside the cylinder, deform themselves and deform them. The pistons of the “seven” engine have special grooves that protect the valves from bending. But if the engine has undergone a major overhaul with the replacement of the cylinder-piston group, the pistons may well not have recesses, then the risk of serious damage increases. Monitor the drive chain and change it on time.