Timing chain wear and parameters thereof.

[Carleton Hughes]

Since purchasing my '84 300 turbo from the original owner{I saw it 2 days after they purchased it} It has proven a reliable daily transport with very few easy to repair issues,mostly cosmetic since it was serviced regularly since new.

Here's the deal. It now has 211,000 miles on the motor of which I have put about 2,000. In that time the oil has not gone down noticeably nor is there much blowby so perhaps I should count myself lucky.

Word being that a turbo diesel is more over stressed than a non-turbo how can timing chain wear and tensioner weakness be established? to my knowledge nothing on the engine,save the normal belts & seals has ever been replaced.

I'm gonna adjust the valves in a week or 2,no problem there. But how do I establish if the chain is stretched?any deflection measurements or tensioner guidelines to follow?