Engine noise: Oil strainer vs timing chain

[barelyrelevant]

I've been doing a bit of reading as my engine sounds a bit diesel-ey. Not excessive, but enough to search the forum and find all the other threads where people are saying the same thing.

I read on a Seat (Boo, hiss!) forum someone said it is the strainer/oil pick up which is partially blocked which causes lower than ideal oil pressure which can make the chain noisy?

My car is on just over 100k so I was thinking of cleaning the strainer as preventative maintenance anyway, but has anyone found this quietened down the timing chain a bit?

[pudding]

It's more likely the chain gear that's worn.

If the oil flow was reduced enough to starve the chain tensioner of oil, you would also notice it with an STOP ENGINE light and big end bearings running dry, which is a deathly rumble from the bowels of the engine you don't want to be hearing.

[Pesky jones]

My first thought would be the cam chain + tensioner as well as Pudding says.

To be honest, I would do the cam chain first, and then the pick-up pipe as well anyway.