how long do the timing chains typically last on a 617.952?
I have a feeling mine may need to be tightened or replaced.

I have an 84 300D and I have been experiencing a rough idle (motor mounts are new, and valves were recently adjusted within the past 10K miles) and I am also noticing a power delivery problem at low rpm speeds... take off from a stop seems to be healthy- quick, BUT there defintely doesnt seem to be as much power as usual. I really notice the power loss when decelerating and then accelerating.... as one does when exiting a freeway for example- reducing speed (exit ramp light turns green, dismissing the need to stop or continue to decellerate) and then accelerating. Theres very little power and I find myself with the pedal to the floor in situations like these..... just to keep up with traffic.

There is no smoke when the engine is warm.... very little soot. But at start up on a cold engine there seems to be some light puffing of smoke.

Another possibloe symptom of excessive stretch of timing chain in addition to loss of power and rough idle is some mild overheating after shut off.... say i drive at 75mph for 25 minutes, exit the freeway, stop and go street traffic for 2 miles, then park, let idle down, and shut off. Whenever i start the car up within a few minutes after a drive like this the temp gauge rises up to nearly 100 deg. and the lowers as i start driving.

Am I correct to assume my timing chain could be over-stretched?
I just turned over 188K miles.

As always- comments/info.greatly appreciated!!

__________________
Nate

1995 E420
1992 BMW 525i
1984 300D Turbo sold
1993 Volvo 244 sold
1995 Volvo 944T R.I.P!


"The details are not details. They make the product."
-Charles Eames

www.cbs.nu

those lousy chains are only good for 300K-500K miles. Search for valve adjustments and timing. Lots of good info.

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'82 300SD - 361K mi - "Blue"

"Good judgement comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgement."

listen, look, .........and duck.

At 160k miles the chain on my 240D is stretched about 3 1/2 degrees. Adjusted the injector pump timing to compensate for this and performance picked up tremendously.

At 188K miles you should not need a new timing chain, but you can easily check the stretch when you have the valve cover off for valve adjustment. Power loss at highway speeds is typically a clogged fuel filter. It is normal for coolant temp to increase somewhat after shutdown after a high-load run, especially with these iron heads that store lots of heat and transfer it to the stagnant coolant. When you start your engine, the coolant starts circulating, thus cooling the engine. A new thermostat may help keep coolant temps lower.

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2004 VW Jetta TDI (manual)

Past MB's: '96 E300D, '83 240D, '82 300D, '87 300D, '87 420SEL

Thanks for the replies guys!

I checked my records and my last valve adjustment was at 177K miles, so to be precise, its been 11K miles since my last valve adjustment. Seems a tad early to have valves that are excessively out of adjustment to cause the amount of rocking that the car exhibits when running at warmed up temp. at idle. But who knows....

I figure now is a good time to go through the whole car and sort out everything, just before summer hits. So next week in addiitiion to an oil change, the valves, idle, fuel system, injectors, injection pump, coolant and climate conntrol systems will be checked and adjusted as necessary. Glad to know the timing chain should have some life left in it...

__________________
Nate

1995 E420
1992 BMW 525i
1984 300D Turbo sold
1993 Volvo 244 sold
1995 Volvo 944T R.I.P!


"The details are not details. They make the product."
-Charles Eames

www.cbs.nu

search on "rack damper"

__________________
'82 300SD - 361K mi - "Blue"

"Good judgement comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgement."

listen, look, .........and duck.