The timing chain on my brother's 94 Dakota has sounded like a coffee can full of rocks since it was nearly new. Hasn't gotten appreciably worse in 200K miles. The engine has been remarkably trouble free for the abuse and neglect it has seen. In fact the only parts that have failed have been the lower intake gasket and thermostats. The engine has always gone through thermostats which are just a little more painful to replace on Magnum engines than they ought to be IMHO.