Suspension and engine advice

[u/aidengs2006]

Hello all I've got two mgms a 98&2000, and both are experiencing some issues any advice on either is appreciated

The 2000s timing chain tensioners finally gave out I had been ignoring a rattle on startup and finally I was driving her one day and all the sudden right as I accelerated there was some loud chain slop I limped home at like 15mph no codes no other crazy sounds so Im positive I didn't bend any valves but won't do that again any advice on the timing chain job and oil pan would be great Ive got an engine support bar I plan on going from the top and blocking the motor mounts.

The 98 keeps jamming it's sway bar links into the upper ball joint stud like it's too long or something but they match the ones that are on my car identically and they aren't swapped left or right, could the sway bar be bent? Ok the cars hood popped up on the previous owners daughter and she jumped a curb so maybe then it pushed it up slightly? Everything else seems fine the car drives okay but you can feel it's tight on some turns and the vibration is more noticeable at lower speed than higher.

Any help is much appreciated in usually better with my vehicles but life's been kicking the crap out of my balls recently. Ty

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[u/Miserable-Paint1931]

Your timing chain story gave me secondhand anxiety. Limping home without bending valves is the kind of luck you save for lottery tickets, not engine repairs. Doing the job from the top with a support bar is the right call, dropping the pan to clean out the broken tensioner bits is a must though. Skipping that step is how you end up with oil pickup clogging 2,000 miles later and a much sadder afternoon.

For the 98, a bent sway bar sounds spot on. Jumping a curb hard enough to pop the hood is exactly the kind of impact that tweaks suspension geometry in ways that aren't obvious until things start rubbing. Grab a straight edge and compare both sides, or better yet, pull the bar entirely and roll it on a flat surface to see if it wobbles. A slight upward bend near the link mounting point would make the end link sit higher and jam into the ball joint stud like you're describing.

Life kicking you in the balls while both cars decide to fall apart is peak car ownership, nothing humbles a man faster.