My 2013 Nissan Dualis +2 makes a rattling noise coming from the front driver side in the engine bay. It only lasts for around five seconds when first starting car after it has been sitting overnight. Could it be the timing chain?
If the noise is a metallic rattling noise, then you might be on the right track here. But as well as the timing chain, it could also be the tensioner that keeps that timing chain tight at fault. The fact that the noise goes away after a few seconds suggests that the tensioner, rather than the chain, is at fault. But they could both be worn.
What’s happening is that the tensioner is hydraulically operated and needs engine oil pressure to do its job. When the engine has been sitting overnight, there’s a slight time delay between it starting and enough oil pressure reaching the tensioner to tighten the timing chain and stop the noise. What you’re hearing is the chain flailing around until the tensioner steps up and takes the slack out of it, at which point it stops rattling and goes silent.
Why doesn’t it happen every time you start the engine? Because the tensioner needs time for the oil to drain completely out of it. If the engine has only been stopped a short time, there’s sill enough oil in the tensioner for it to build up pressure quickly and keep things quiet.