Curse you Rolon....

[trackerjack]

I have rebuilt a few engines now since 2013 and have never fitted Rolon hydraulic tensioners as I regard them as cheap Indian tat. The engine I have rebuilt in my garage now is fitted with an as new Renold original and I will not fit Rolon.
Who are selling them still?
One trick I learnt years ago when I had a Stag was to fit it all as the manual and run it for approx 500 miles and then reset the hydraulic tensioner again after the chain had cut its groove. The advantage of this in my mind was that the tensioner was back in its holder and not extended when in use.
After I had rebuilt my Stag I used it for sprints and hillclimbs without any problems whatsoever.

[Mad Mart]

I'm in the middle of building a new Sprint engine. I had noticed a while ago that, in the pile of new parts, was a Rolon TCT. So I advised the club member that I wouldn't advise fitting it and bought him a new one from Robsport. I was working on his engine this morning but whilst rifling through his new spares I came across a Rolon timing chain. So I rang him to say that I also wouldn't advise fitting that either. So that scuppered my plans of finishing his shiny new engine this weekend. Where's the best place to get a non Rolon timing chain?

[Aleco]

I'll second that Mart. At the moment I can only seem to get my hands on a Rolon chain.
It would be great to get a decent chain for peace of mind.

[SprintMWU773V]

IWIS make a lot of chains, they are superb quality, They supply us with Jaguar chains, I'm not sure how the pitch is on these though vs a Duplex Dolomite one.

[Aleco]

I was thinking that if I couldn't get hold of a non Rolon chain I would fit the new Rolon chain and then re-inspect it and the tensioner in 1000 miles or so.
I can't think of what else I can do

[Mad Mart]

Having thought about it, and talking with others, how many people have actually had a problem with Rolon timing chains? I know there is a problem with their TCTs but how many timing chains have actually failed, not due to the slipper coming off the TCT?

[tony g]

I was thinking the same Mart. I believe Rolon are chain people and thats their core business. Tensioners clearly are not. I would go with a chain by them. As an aside I believe Robsport can do a German chain too so maybe an option?

Tony

[Aleco]

That's a fair point chaps.

However I'm not feeling trusting of Rolon at the moment. I spoken to Jigsaw racing who supply a German made, pre-loaded chain. I appreciate that being German doesn't necessarily make them great but I'm going to give them a go. I've ordered one and I'll post a few pics before I fit it. It was quite a bit more expensive though at nearly £60.

[Mad Mart]

So no one on here has had a Rolon timing chain failure? I'm off to fit one to this new engine.

[Mahesh]

Brave, and worth keeping an eye on.

[xvivalve]

I don't believe there is an issue with chains; they have no bonded rubber components!

[Carledo]

The chains only seem to be collateral damage from TCT failure. But it is easy to lose faith in a manufacturer when one of their products continues to be sold despite irrefutable evidence that it is not fit for purpose.

Steve

[Aleco]

My new chain has been delivered from Jigsaw. I thought I'd write up my initial view of the 'better' chain against the Rolon. I'll try to be as objective as I can given my annoyance at all things Rolon!

The german chain is made by Wippermann. Through the clear wrapping I couldn't see a great deal of difference - have I just been suckered in by a supposedly better manufacturer.

Wippermann on the left. Rolon on the left

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I took the Wippermann chain out of the bag and the difference was quite apparent. The Rolon chain has far more slack in it, the rollers have more axial play on their spindles.

This is the Rolon - I'm not sure if the photo does it justice but there is about 0.5mm clearance between the roller and the link. There is also a little movement of the roller on the spindle - this is not apparent on the Wippermann

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Wippermann - Top, Rolon - Bottom. I took out all the slack in the chain. You can see that the Rolon can be moved round a far tighter radius due to the clearances

IMG_20161012_204323-800x600.jpg (136.15 KiB) Viewed 2109 times

Obviously I can't tell any difference in the material specs or heat treatments etc.

Overall at the moment (no running under my belt) I'm more than happy to pay the premium. It gives me a far better peace of mind. Will the difference in the chain make any difference in the longevity of the chain? Who knows.
I'll keep you posted. I intend on taking the front engine cover off after about 500 miles for inspection / adjustment

[tony g]

thanks for the comparison

Tony

[soe8m]

These are also pre stretched.

Jeroen