Just came back from the shop.
The engine is running perfect after the computer replacement. it was in fact causing a lot of problems in addition to the timing issue....
Now to the new problem. The tech found an extra fly-wheel bolt in the fly-wheel area..none are missing, there is just an extra one!!!. I guess it was lodged in there and came loose, it destroyed some of the tabs on the fly wheel, and as i said, the starter gear....
Now the mystery is, why is there an extra Mercedes labeled bolt in there? And why did it decide to come loose after all these years? The tech thinks that the transmission has been pulled before....hopefully not by the same people who did the timing.....maybe they forgot a bolt in there
I will need to talk to my friend, and see what service records she kept. I am curios to see who did all this wonderful work before...