>>>*Noises are a PIA to chase down on the 22RE, they tend to telegraph and seem to come from all directions.

New noises that suddenly crop up make us tend to look at the tensioner first, that thing IS the weak link on this engine design. It actually is just a hydraulic shock absorber, and since it is oil fed and at the end of the oil passage it is susceptible to any tiny bit of grit, dirt or things like silicone.

Lift the chain off the top gear, it will move some normally but not much. Then look carefully at the chain links to see if they are shiney from rubbing on something. They will be a little from riding the tensioner pad and passenger side rail, they just shouldn't look scratched up.

If there is an hourglass shaped wear pattern on the ends of the adjuster screws, then they need to be replaced. Otherwise the valves almost can't be properly set.

Check for cam lobe/rocker pad wear by turning the engine so the lobes come visible at the side. Check for obvious wear.

Internal noises like bearings or piston noise can be isolated by loosening the plug wires, start the engine. Pull the wires one at a time to see if the noise changes. If it does, it is bearing/piston related.

The water pump can make a racket, so can the fan clutch if equipped. A couple of fun ones we got to chase was a worn fan belt, that made a racket in the pully groove I almost could not believe. A new belt solved that one..Then I remember an alternator bearing I got in my car to go listen to after the report of "main bearing" noise on a new engine.

And the classic? A loose flywheel. That engine came back out and back to us sans the wheel. The crank came out perfect, I happened to glance down and spotted the shiny crank flange.

A machinist's stethescope can be your best friend while tracing the noise...*EB