how to tell if your timing chain is bad

[Racincc85]

I've got a 90 buick lesabre with 150k on it. I have heard stories of timing chain problems with these vehicles in that the cam sprocket was made of nylon and was prone to having the teeth strip off as well as problems with the tensioner wearing down to the point where it places almost no tension on the chain. I was told that this applied to the lesabres up until '89 that had the VIN 3 engine. I've got the VIN C 3800 in mine and was wondering if it has the same problem. Also, what symtoms and drivability problems would i have if my chain was slackening up and going bad?

[SaabJohan]

The chain usually become noisy when they go bad.

[TechX]

...and the engine won't have as much spunk as it should more so at higher RPMs. If it starts running really crappy that should raise a flag.

[quaddriver]

at 150K miles that C code aint even middle aged. dont worry about it. The old rattle trap 3.8s were called 231s and existed 74-84ish

[01rollaS&accordv6]

Should You Have To Replace It It Should Cost Little Due To Infact That Gm Still Uses The 3800 Series Engines My Aunts Pontiac Grandpirx Came Out To 56 Bucks At Autozone You Will Probably Hear A Scratching Sound If It Does Go Bad. If Id Does Brake While Driving Good Luck. It May Cause Sever Engine Damage And Costly Repairs. If It Has Not Been Replaced And You Have No Other Problems Or Other Reasons Have It Checked Out And Possibly Replaced By The Way In Some Engines With The C Code And 3800 Series They Have Plastic Guides That Tend To Break And Some Have Plastic Cam Sprockets.