My Tracker sounded like a diesel the other day and suspected the timing chain.
I Found the upper guide laying in the center of the cam chain. It broke off the top of the head.
I got a new timing chain from PartsDinosaur.com the crank chain marks were off by 3 teeth had to take it apart 3 times to get it right.

When my Vitara is down about 1L (1 quart) of oil is makes some pretty bad timing chain noise.

Sure hope my tensioner isn't broken/breaking....

When my Vitara is down about 1L (1 quart) of oil is makes some pretty bad timing chain noise.

Sure hope my tensioner isn't broken/breaking....

Keep on running it a quart low and it soon will.

X2.  Damage has already been done.  You would do well to replace any worn parts before they fail - can't be long.

I've only ever let it get down a quart a couple of times.

And when it's low, the rattle is only present at start up, once it builds up oil pressure it sounds fine. It's sorta like a low oil indicator of sorts....

While the timing chain is a common concern on these motors - on my 2.0 the lifters seem to be the #1 cause of noises on start up.  Anyone else have a noisy lifter?  It sounds just like I'd imagine the timing chain to sounds like if it was going bad.

Use 5W30 fully synth oil.  Excellent for timing chain tensioners and valve lifters.  Change annually unless you do high mileage.

I had noisy lifters on my Cappuccino and GV V6 until I changed - it's worth the extra cost.

I bought mine with 36000 miles on it. It did it then once in a while at start up usually if it's a half quart low.  It's got 102,000 and still does it once in a while, fortunately it hasn't gotten any worse yet, I just make sure it's full of oil.

Use 5W30 fully synth oil.  Excellent for timing chain tensioners and valve lifters.  Change annually unless you do high mileage.

I had noisy lifters on my Cappuccino and GV V6 until I changed - it's worth the extra cost.

but isn't it better to change every 3000 miles (~5000kms)

changing annually seems excessively long..

Quote from: IanL on July 30, 2011, 12:50:29 AM

Use 5W30 fully synth oil.  Excellent for timing chain tensioners and valve lifters.  Change annually unless you do high mileage.

I had noisy lifters on my Cappuccino and GV V6 until I changed - it's worth the extra cost.

but isn't it better to change every 3000 miles (~5000kms)

changing annually seems excessively long..

With inferior mineral oils that is probably true, but with modern synthetics and a good quality oil filter, annually is fine, unless you clock up high mileage (say over 12,000 per year).  If you wish to be very safe, change the filter every 6 months.

I'll try giving the synthetic a try.  I've got 167k on it now and the valve ticking started when it had about 120k on it.  I've religiously changed the oil myself with regular 5/30 since the truck was new but never with synthetic.

Watch it Bud!  

With inferior mineral oils

Hey! I've got 251,000 miles on my (still factory sealed) 2.5 with that "inferior" oil!  
 

The starting noise could be reduce by a half if at your oil change you just add RISLONE sold in a yellow quart, it is a strong detegent and il free your oil pass of the timing chain  chain  bender . So it works well on mine at 65000 miles .I also use synthetic oil at every 5000 mi

Hey! I've got 251,000 miles on my (still factory sealed) 2.5 with that "inferior" oil!  
 

"inferior"  does not mean "bad"; it means "not as good as...". 

I think it is generally understood that synthetic oils are superior to (i.e. "better than") mineral oils.  One of the principal reasons is that the rate of breakdown of the structure of synthetic under heat and shear is far slower, so it requires to be changed less frequently.  In fact, the change interval is dictated by the build up of contaminants, rather than deterioration of the oil.  If it were not for that, you could probably change every 3 years.

You could look at it that way I suppose.

I choose to view syn as over-kill and over-priced.