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tdibugman said:well, since mercedes has been brought up.. this weekend, I'm getting an 83 300SD with 280K miles. Engine has never been opened. snip snip
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I apologize in advance for going OT with the MB timing chain stuff.
A timing chain is not a maintenace free item on any MB, especially on old MB diesels. Regardless of the year or model, all MB diesel engines have to have the timing chain stretch checked. I know guys who put 500K miles on their old MB diesels and have never had to change one, and I also know guys who have had their chains prematurely break as DBW's dad has. There is no way to predict how long a timing chain will last without taking the valve cover off and do an inspection. As far as replacing gears and guide rails, if one were being as super anal as DBW is /images/graemlins/wink.gif then it's a good idea if you want to go through the extra money, time, and work. Typically gears don't wear out, the nylon guide rails do but very rarely. Here is a picture of a failed MB timing chain, note, ALL MB diesels use double chains too!
tdibugman,
Your new/old toy has an engine that has to have the valves adjusted every 15,000 miles. During this valve adjustment the timing chain stretch is suppose to be checked. Here is the procedure.
617.95X valve adjustment and timing chain stretch check
Brian, 97 Passat TDI
tdibugman said:well, since mercedes has been brought up.. this weekend, I'm getting an 83 300SD with 280K miles. Engine has never been opened. snip snip
[/ QUOTE ]
I apologize in advance for going OT with the MB timing chain stuff.
A timing chain is not a maintenace free item on any MB, especially on old MB diesels. Regardless of the year or model, all MB diesel engines have to have the timing chain stretch checked. I know guys who put 500K miles on their old MB diesels and have never had to change one, and I also know guys who have had their chains prematurely break as DBW's dad has. There is no way to predict how long a timing chain will last without taking the valve cover off and do an inspection. As far as replacing gears and guide rails, if one were being as super anal as DBW is /images/graemlins/wink.gif then it's a good idea if you want to go through the extra money, time, and work. Typically gears don't wear out, the nylon guide rails do but very rarely. Here is a picture of a failed MB timing chain, note, ALL MB diesels use double chains too!
tdibugman,
Your new/old toy has an engine that has to have the valves adjusted every 15,000 miles. During this valve adjustment the timing chain stretch is suppose to be checked. Here is the procedure.
617.95X valve adjustment and timing chain stretch check
Brian, 97 Passat TDI
