Pawlik Automotive Podcast Mar 9, 2026

2010 Cadillac CTS Timing Chain

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Car

Cadillac Cts

The Cadillac CTS is a fancy car made by Cadillac. The 2010 model is a mid-size sedan that is comfortable and has good performance.

Term

check engine light

The check engine light is a warning light on your car's dashboard that tells you something might be wrong with the engine or emissions system.

Part

timing chain

The timing chain is a part inside the engine that helps keep everything moving together so the engine works properly.

Term

cam crank correlation codes

These codes are messages from the car's computer that say the parts controlling engine timing aren't working together properly.

Concept

engine timing

Engine timing is how the engine parts work together at the right time so the car runs smoothly.

Term

backfiring

Backfiring is when your car makes a loud pop or bang noise from the engine or exhaust, usually because something isn't working right inside.

Concept

valve and piston collision

Sometimes, if the engine parts don't work together right, the moving parts inside can hit each other and break, which is very bad for the car.

Term

longitudinal mounted engine

This means the engine is placed so it points from the front to the back of the car, which can make some repairs easier.

Term

rear-wheel drive

Rear-wheel drive means the back wheels of the car get power from the engine to make the car move.

Term

transverse mounted engine

This means the engine is placed sideways in the car, which can make it harder to work on because there's less space.

Part

tensioner

The tensioner is a part that keeps the timing chain tight so the engine works correctly. If it stops working, the chain can get loose and make noise.

Term

dual overhead cam

Dual overhead cam means the engine has two parts that open and close the engine's valves, helping the engine breathe better and work stronger.

Term

variable valve timing

Variable valve timing is a system that changes when the engine's valves open and close to help the car use fuel better and run smoother.

Term

internal combustion engine

It’s the kind of engine in most cars that makes power by burning gas inside the engine.

LIVE

Hi, it's Mark.

I'm here with Bernie Pawlik, Pawlik Automotive in Vancouver, BC, Canada.

Vancouver's best auto service repair and service.

And we're talking cars.

How are you doing, Bernie?

Doing very well.

Today's guest is a 2010 Cadillac CTS.

What was going on with this vehicle?

So the check engine light was on and the timing chain, oh, there's a rattling noise

from the front of the engine, which we determined to be the timing chain.

It was happening from time to time.

So was the check engine light blinking, which I think we've talked about before, that's

time to park the car and get it towed?

Yeah, no, not blinking, just on solid.

There was codes stored for timing chain issues, and those kind of codes would be cam crank

correlation codes, which are basically the computer's way of telling you that the

timing is not quite to spec at certain times.

So other than maybe the car backfiring with the new vehicles especially, how critical an

issue is the chain rattling a little bit?

What's critical is if it gets worse, if it starts rattling really badly and it gets too

much play, the cam timing goes out from the crankshaft and the pistons and valves can

collide.

And we see that from time to time.

If you have an engine with a rattling timing chain, you really need to fix it fast

to prevent that kind of damage.

Rating a timing chain is not a cheap job, but an engine replacement complete is a lot.

Yeah, that's what I was going to mention.

Good.

All right.

Let's go to the pictures.

Let's go to the picture show.

All right.

Here's our vehicle.

Yeah.

2010.

So it's about a 16-year-old vehicle at a time we're making this podcast, some really

good shape.

You lift the hood.

Yeah, not very exciting really, compared to the hoods of some other cars.

I'm thinking like certain Mercedes engines or Audi's, they pop the hood and they

look really nice.

This is what you get in the Cadillac.

This is a P6, by the way.

You pretty much removed the front of the car off of this to get this kind of view.

Yeah.

So it's easy to actually get at this timing chain, which is a good thing.

It's a rear-wheel drive car, so it's a longitudinal mounted engine.

So there's room and space to take the cover off.

It's a bit of a nice job as compared to having a transverse mounted right beside

the fender.

Anyways, that's the view at the front cover off.

You can see there's three timing chains.

If you look at the timing chain on the right at the top of it, and I know you'll move your

pointer over, you can see the chain actually bows downwards, compared that to the chain

on the left.

Houston, you have a problem.

Yeah, Houston, we have a problem with this one.

So the chain is stretched out, the tensioner is not holding the tension properly, and

that's definitely where the rattle and a lot of the correlation codes come from.

So it's got dual overhead cams, is that right?

Dual overhead cam with variable valve timing.

So it's a very complicated system.

And actually in all fairness, almost every engine has this kind of system these days.

So this is the norm of engines for the last 15 years, maybe a bit longer.

Variable valve timing, dual overhead cam.

Here's another view.

Yeah, so this is before we took the cover off, and you can see the chain is actually

dipping in this picture.

That's a screwdriver.

I was actually intending to do a video, and for some reason I ended up taking

two pictures, but you can see the chain drooping down, which again, shouldn't do.

It should be very tight between those two gears.

And then that's what the screwdriver poking it up, and you can see it actually goes upwards,

which is not supposed to do.

So there's a lot of slop in that chain there.

Is a basket.

Yeah, this mess is a basket full of all the parts we were placed.

So we were actually able to get a timing chain kit, reasonably priced.

It comes with four gears, three chains, a bunch of guides, tensioners, gears, and it has the

solenoids.

Those are the sort of brown things that look like large bullets.

You guys actually know the left of the top gear.

Yeah, that thing right there.

Yeah, there's four of those scattered around the picture.

These are variable valve timing solenoids.

And these things are why you want to make sure you change your oil on a regular

basis on a vehicle like this.

There's a lot of narrow passageways.

If oil gets grungy and gums them up, then you have all sorts of codes and issues and variable

valve timing problems.

So very important, change your oil regularly.

Very complicated to make an internal combustion engine efficient and powerful and not pollute

quite as much.

Exactly, yeah.

There's a lot that goes into it, and it's amazing how well it runs.

If you take that and you compare that to a 3.6 liter engine from 40 years ago,

it would have, I don't know, 150 horsepower maybe, maybe.

Not run remotely as well.

Poor fuel mileage comparatively and lack of power and this thing goes well and smooth, quiet

when the chain isn't worn out.

But you got to take care of it.

Was it something that you guys had to use the stethoscope to hear or was it just

obvious?

No, it was obvious you could hear it, yeah.

And it wasn't all the time.

I think with timing chain noises, they'll often happen when you do a cold morning

start when the oil pressure isn't quite there.

That's the first sign.

So if you hear a rattle from a timing chain when that happens, you know it's on its way.

But if it only does it at that point in time, you're probably good for a little while.

Just keep it under observation.

But if you're running, say idling or at certain speeds, you hear the noise, then

it's time to do it very quickly.

All right, so there you go.

If you're looking for service for your Cadillac, the people to see in Vancouver,

BC, Canada are Pollock Automotive.

You can reach them online at PollockAutomotive.com.

You can book your appointment right there.

Or you can call them at 604-327-7112.

They'll get back to you to find out a little bit more about what's going on.

They'll get ready for your appointment, Pollock Automotive in Vancouver, BC, Canada.

Thanks so much for watching and listening.

Thanks Bernie.

Thank you Mark.

And thanks for watching.

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2010 Cadillac CTS Timing Chain

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