3.8 L Plastic in oil pan & Knock

[olds 88 help]

I have a 1986 delta 88 with a 3.8 L vin# 3 motor that developed a knock instantly.It is loudest through 1st and 2nd gear due to the higher rpms I assume, it quiets out at 45 or 50 but is still there.It appears loudest towards the bottom pulley side of the motor. I dropped the oil pan and found a large amount of orange brown plastic pieces and a half inch square piece of plastic that had been obviosly rubbing on the cam chain. It appears there is a spring and white plastic tensioner in place. It also appears that the front cover has been off at one time or another. I am not the original owner and do not know it's history. Could the plastic shrapnel in the pan be part of the tensioner in place or is it the original that exploded and was left behind by an idiot? Does this in anyway tie into the knocking? Finally I ran the motor with the serpentine belt off and the knock was still there. Any help would be appreciated greatly. Thank you in advance.

[HotZ28]

It sounds like you need a new timing set. The cam gear has plastic over aluminum on the teeth to help it run quiter (per the factory)! Get a timing set with steel gears and you will never hear any noise inside the front cover, unless you have ears like a hound dog!