Can anyone tell me about these timing chains on the newer engines?  What is their life expectancy?  Any maintenance required (like tensioner)?  At what interval?  The 2015 is a new model, so I haven't found a maintenance schedule for it yet, but I think the engine stayed the same from the 2010-2014 model.

 

I have a 2006 Legacy and every Subaru (and Toyota and Honda) that I've dealt with has had the timing belt.  I guess the advantage of the chain is it won't fail with age (cracking/drying out) like a belt.  

 

Is this move to chain a good or bad thing in your opinion?

There is no replacement schedule for the timing chain on the FB engines.  It should last for  300K+.  You will need to drain and refill the transmission at an interval which is subject to debate.  I'm going to do it every 30K which will cost $!35 at my dealership.

Edited July 12, 201411 yr by mikec03

Timing chains generally last the life of the vehicle.

The guides for the chain can wear and cause the chain to loosen and slap around, but this usually takes 200k+ miles.

The chain is lubricated by engine oil, so lack of oil changes will shorten chain and guide life.

So let's say hypothetically the chain did loosen up:  would there be noise (like a chatter) to warn you before it became a major issue?  Would it be something that would happen all at once with no warning and leave you stranded?  I'm just going on the older engines that had belts that could snap all at once if not properly replaced.  I do all preventative maintenance and try to avoid being stranded.  It sounds like I'll be good to go for a long time with chain.  Thanks for the info.

Yes. Often a timing chain will make a rattle sound (as it slaps against a worn tensioner or guide or the timing cover) or a tinking sound if it becomes loose.

 

You typically have quite a bit of warning as long as you recognize that it is making noise.

 

Ever noticed a Chrysler Caravan sounds like it has jingle bells in the engine? The new vans don't do it anymore, but the vans from the early 90s up to about 08-09 all make a very distinct jingly sound at idle and low rpm. The jingling is the timing chain wobbling around. They get a little bit of slack in the chain after about 30k miles, and start jingling. Then they make noise until 275k miles and its finally blowing so much smoke out the tail pipe you'd think they're fogging for Mosquitos, and its on its 3rd transmission, and the rear wheel bearings have been replaced 6 times, and the fenders are rusted out... But the timing chain is still jingling along. The noise in this case is completely benign.

Most timing chains never make noise though, unless something is wrong. In which case you generally have plenty of warning before the chain breaks. Most design the chain to be of such length that it can't skip without an extreme amount of stretching first, which takes quite a long time.

 

 

On the older timing belt engines, the belts seldom break on their own. The downfall of the belt is usually a result of a failed idler bearing or water pump.

going back to another era, almost all engines were timing chain driven. Granted, it was an entirely different setup than a modern car...but those rarely had timing chain issues and when they did it was generally due to higher mileage and a stretched chain and/or worn drive gears.

 

a modern overhead cam engine has a more complicated timing set up, but a chain will still outlast a belt, many times over.

Use sytnhetic oil 0w20 or 0w30 and move to 0w40 once you rack up some miles.