Is the bearing in the tensioner arm replaceable? Can it be pressed out and a new one pressed in? Can you buy a new bolt? The reason is that a new arm goes for almost $80 on an early 603 and I am just trying to save a few bucks. I have to replace the arm, pulley and shock absorber as it is out of alignment and the pulley bearing is squealing.
Bud

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1987 300D Turbo, 175k mi., 1998 BMW 323i Convertible, 1997 F250 4x4 7.3L PSD

Interesting ideal. I guess it depends on how the bearing is secured. If just press fit I think it would work. Eighty dollars for a small wheel like that seems a little rich. Perhaps someone has done it and will respond. If it is pressure swaged after installation it is probably a lost cause. I suspect that will be so as I have never heard this disscussed before. But new ideals and approaches are really part of the lifeblood of this site.

Barry, it isn't the pulley it is the arm the wheel goes on. The wheel is $45 or so. I haven't looked at the wheel yet but want to replace all components at the same time. If you can do this does anyone have bearing numbers?
Bud

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1987 300D Turbo, 175k mi., 1998 BMW 323i Convertible, 1997 F250 4x4 7.3L PSD

If you can get the bearings out any bearing house can probably supply you with replacements. On the arm. If there is enough meat in the original sleeve bearing a machinist type might be able to square up the original bearing bore and make a sleeve for it. I am making an assumption perhaps wrong that the arm has a sleeve bearing but it could have a needle bearing I realise. In these cases it depends on who you know in your area in many cases. I have never examined one of these arms to see what is possible. Sorry about reffering to the wheel itself as I knew your basic concern was the arm. Still a good ideal if possible.

The picture I have of the arm shows the bearing and I think it is a needle or ball bearing. The end of the number is 2RS which means two rubber seals. It probably is a common bearing just lile the 6203 series that is used a lot in vehicles. I could take it all apart but would rather have all my ducks in a row before I tear into it as I use the car frequently. I need numbers from someone who has one of these arms laying around. It is the old version of the arm. And can you get the bolt somewhere if it is bad. I don't suspect it is bad but with all the vibration it could be. BTW I have ran this topic through search and wasn't satisfied.
Bud

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1987 300D Turbo, 175k mi., 1998 BMW 323i Convertible, 1997 F250 4x4 7.3L PSD

On a 124, there is a tensioner arm, spring, shock, and bearing. The bearing/pulley attaches to the arm via a bolt. This whole assembly comes off but is a royal pain to deal with. It is best to remove the radiator and fan to get good access to the assembly unless you have REALLY small hands. Be careful to make sure everything is lined up right and tightened down good. If this thing comes loose, you will throw the belt and can do real harm. If the bearings are making noise, replace it. Mine seized up on me, melted the whole pulley, threw the belt, and almost left me stranded on I-10 in rush hour traffic...not pleasant. Mine also broke loose after replacing it. No idea how it came loose, but it did. I also had the shock break loose from the mount. This caused a really bad noise as it proceeded to beat the tar out of the valve cover. Not a hard job, just time consuming.

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Mike

'80 300D
'84 300D
'85 300D
'87 300D

Well, I did the fan clutch/blade removal then removed theshock, spring, idler wheel and then the tensioner arm itself. I had thought I had a front engine seal leak but found out that the oil leak was coming from around the tensioner mounting bolt which evidently goes into the timing cover cavity. So will use a small dab of sealer when reassembling. Found the manf. number for the arm bearing, FAG(manf) 565592 which translates to MB number 6019810027(thanks Phil) and is listed at $39.50 at the dealer. I removed the snap ring bearing retainer in the arm and then pressed the bearing out of the arm. A very simple fix. The idler pulley I would replace also but since it is plastic I wouldn't advise pressing bearings in or out. So, for all that think it isn't doable fear not. And much less expensive than buying the whole arm. The bearing fell apart when I removed the snap ring and I looked at the race and since the bearing doesn't rotate much, it wore a groove for about 6 0f the balls and the lower part of the race was ok. Poor design for a high vibration engine. Will assemble when bearing gets here. Ordered the shock and pulley and plastic bolt covers which were missing.
Bud

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1987 300D Turbo, 175k mi., 1998 BMW 323i Convertible, 1997 F250 4x4 7.3L PSD