How many miles can I drive with a bad Camshaft Synchronizer

[R4NG3R]

I just heard mine squeak about 8 miles ago. I checked under the hood and the squeak is from the rear of the engine. Tomorrow is thanksgiving and I have to drive about 50 total. Then I don't know how far to get the part.

Will it go in the next few miles? I'm really worried because obviously it's a disaster if something happens. It doesn't always squeak and seems like it's just started to. There are no check engine lights. My oil level is half way, not sure if that makes a difference.

 

[Bob Ayers]

First, welcome to the Ranger Station!

You can pull the camshaft position sensor and squirt some oil down by the shaft. This should buy you some time until you can replace the synchro.

 

[R4NG3R]

First, welcome to the Ranger Station!

You can pull the camshaft position sensor and squirt some oil down by the shaft. This should buy you some time until you can replace the synchro.

Thanks for the welcome.

Okay, I'll do that for now. Does it matter if I put too much in?

 

[R4NG3R]

This is what it looked like. I filled it to the top

Forgot to take an after pic

 

[bobbywalter]

thats like asking...........

how many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie pop??

 

[Bob Ayers]

Thanks for the welcome.

Okay, I'll do that for now. Does it matter if I put too much in?

Filling it to the top is too much oil. I don't think it will hurt anything though.

Did your squeal stop? If it did, you bought yourself some time.

 

[adsm08]

Wow you worry too much. If the squeak just started you have thousands of miles before you have anything to worry about other than an annoying noise.

 

[triumphrider-1]

Wow you worry too much. If the squeak just started you have thousands of miles before you have anything to worry about other than an annoying noise.

I don't know if I'd trust it for thousands of miles, but I put about 300 miles on mine from the first squeak until I replaced it.

 

[adsm08]

I don't know if I'd trust it for thousands of miles, but I put about 300 miles on mine from the first squeak until I replaced it.

Run'er till she blows.

 

[R4NG3R]

thats like asking...........

how many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie pop??

Yes I know but if someone said do not drive it, I wouldn't. If someone said a couple hundred I could relax

Filling it to the top is too much oil. I don't think it will hurt anything though.

Did your squeal stop? If it did, you bought yourself some time.

I was pretty careful when adding it. Just a few drops through a funnel at a time. It did fix the problem! 0 squeaks and didn't hesitate to start (it did yesterday). Thanks for the tip. Made my Thanksgiving a lot less stressful!

Wow you worry too much. If the squeak just started you have thousands of miles before you have anything to worry about other than an annoying noise.

I know I worry too much but if this broke it wouldn't be cheap to fix!

I don't know if I'd trust it for thousands of miles, but I put about 300 miles on mine from the first squeak until I replaced it.

I'm not sure when it started squeaking. Yesterday it made a couple of loud chirps and did hesitate to start. I've had a squeak noise for a while now. Took it in and they fixed the idler pulley, still squeaked. Then the belt, pretty much stopped. There was sometimes a faint squeak from the tensioner but never the back of the engine. Because of that I don't know how long it's been squeaking back there

Run'er till she blows.

LOL!

------

Thanks everyone for the replies. I'm going to fix it tomorrow. Adding oil to the camshaft synchronizer did stop the symptoms for the 50 miles I did today.

 

[paulnola]

Mine started chirping at about 125K miles or so, but I did not change it until this weekend, at 132K miles. I commute in my truck, rarely driving it hard or straining it, so maybe mine lasted longer than usual. I gathered that the rule of thumb is to change it around 125K, just to insure against future failure.