[Roadsters] Death Rattle? Input DESPERATELY requested

[Matthew A. Smith]

Hi folks,

Loreli's U20 "heart" has begun to have a "murmur". I noticed a rather loud
noise (this came after a few days of having "fun" on some wet streets and
parking lots). This isn't a little rattle at start up then disappears, as
Gordon's site suggests. (Thank you Gordon, I LOVE your Garage!). This is a
somewhat more serious problem I fear. 

I have a noise that is coming from the front-top of the engine. I pulled the
valve cover, used tin foil as a temp valve cover to avoid the spray of oil,
and now am convinced that this sound is coming from the upper timing chain
area. I used Gordon's suggestion on rolling backwards in second gear, and
confirmed that the chain touches the "Evil-L" (and still has a little
slack). There is still over a 1/3 inch of piston showing on the tensioner
with the "tight" side of the chain being ON the tensioner.  Here are my
questions:

 

What ID and OD washers should I be looking for to temporarily fix this issue
(shims)? 

 

Do I have a month or two of limited/normal driving (50-100 miles per week?)
prior to replacement of the chain? I go back to work on Monday after 6
months off. I need a temp fix AND a month or two to get back to "financially
solvent".

 

Can I make my own gasket (temporary) from some paper gasket material?

Your help desperately needed ASAP!!!

Matt