Chains are being increasingly used for the timing drives of modern internal combustion engines due to their low maintenance requirements. However, chain drives can noticeably contribute to engine noise (chain whine) as a result of system-specific effects (e.g. polygon effects). The chain tensioner is an important component for the transfer of excitation forces from the chain to the engine structure. This article by AVL List GmbH and the Christian Doppler Laboratory for Engine and Vehicle Acoustics at the TU Graz introduces a method for the numerical simulation of high-frequency excitation forces generated by the chain drive using different types of hydraulic tensioners.