My engine rattles when starting and excelerating. This has gotten worse and now

Common symptoms of a failing timing chain .. **Hands-on** evaluation by qualified personnel will be required.

Does sound like a timing issue. I would not wait too long to have it looked at by a qualified shop. Does not have to go to a dealer, there are many great options that will save you big dollars over your dealer.

This could be caused by many things, and anytime you have internal engine noise, its is strongly recommended to get it in to a professional before the symptom exposes the problem.