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Considerations on Timing Chains

Model: Dodge Caliber MK 1 - Years: 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012
Part: Timing belt

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It is generally thought that if the engine is equipped with a timing chain rather than a belt, no maintenance is required. In some ways, this assumption is not entirely wrong; while the timing belt has a specified mileage for replacement (between 56,000 and 75,000 miles) or a time frame (5 years), many manufacturers do not specify a replacement for the timing chain, or if they do, it exceeds 124,000 miles.

If you regularly change the oil, perhaps even ahead of the maintenance schedule and use specific additives for chain-driven systems, this maintenance may not be necessary. Things become complicated for vehicles equipped with a diesel particulate filter because, in the case of interrupted regenerations, diesel can contaminate the oil, with predictable consequences for the overall lubrication of the engine and certainly for the chain: typical of Fiat MultiJet engines, where the chain becomes particularly noisy until it breaks.

If you do need to replace the timing chain, always align the timing marks and proceed with replacing not only the chain but also the guide rails and the respective tensioners.


Updated on 16 February 2026 by ScegliAuto


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