PSA: That cheap timing kit left metal shavings in my oil pan

Swapped the timing chain on my 2014 F-150 last weekend with a $40 ebay special, and within 200 miles the oil pressure light started flickering. Dropped the pan yesterday and found fine silver dust stuck to the pickup screen, the tensioner pads were shedding like a cheap sweater. Anyone else had a budget kit grenade on them this fast, or did I just get the unlucky batch?

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leo_johnson1mo ago

Ditched the cheap kit after mine did the same thing on a Chevy 350, only took about 100 miles. Went back to a name brand set with steel guides and proper tensioner pads, never had a problem since. The silver dust you saw is the pad material, it grinds down fast when the plastic is junk. Check your oil pump pickup tube too, that screen is a pain to clean once it gets coated. If you caught it this quick, you probably saved the engine, just don't trust that $40 kit again.

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maxl931mo ago

Guess I was wrong about cheap timing kits working fine.

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