Teh car was running and started to run rough when the hood was opened it has a hole in the passenger side valve cove. It looks like the cahin is still intack and not broken. cannot tell what actually put the hole in the cover. Could something have come loose inside to cause the hole ???|||Yes, you have possibly broken a timing chain tensioner and it came through the valve cover or the chain rubbed a hole in it|||Most likely one of the guides broke and the chain threw it up and through the valve cover (don%26#039;t you love plastic?). Only a tear down will tell just what came loose and what all it needs.
In the past I have seen this caused by sludge build up, worn water pump and chain tensioners not receiving adequate oil.
My guess is the tensioner failed as this is what I run into most often. There is a chain tensioner package available now that includes a new primary chain, tensioner and all of the guides.
Did it ever have a chattering noise when started up? That is the most common complaint I hear when a tensioner has failed. It may also be assumed that the chain has jumped time. If so, the likelihood of some valves being bent is very good.|||more than likely that one may have jumped timing causing this to happen to it,you,ll have to tear it down and see how bad it is before you try and repair it,there may be the possibility that it could have a bent valve or two also,either way you have to tear in to it to check it,it must have a lot of miles on it to do this,usually they wont do this until they get over 200 k on them ,good luck on it.|||If it%26#039;s a 3.5 ltr engine, it mean the belt needs replacing.|||You didn%26#039;t specify what engine, but I assume it is a 2.7, there is much info on this engine design, and from what I understand this engine should use a synthetic type oil, From my experience the LH, LHS line has a cooling design flaw, that is for whatever reason it requires much airflow to sustain an operating temperature that the oil can survive in. Oil breaks down in the presence of heat and causes sludge and varnish deposits, which over time (as little as 30K miles) can cause major problems w/ this engine. The hole is a result of sometime along the chain area breaking, a guide would be my guess, an inspection and complete tear down is in order before you lose the whole motor, expect to replace the oil pick up tube as well, due to lack of oil issue (debris in the pick-up tube will cause bearing and piston pin failure quickly), Chrysler has been denying warranty claims on this engine for a while, It has been a problem child when non synthetic oil has been used and longer than recommended intervals have been observed
